History Of Asbury Park's African-American West Side Music Scene

MIDDLETOWN, NJ — Learn why Asbury Park was historically known as the "music city" in this free lecture next week from the Middletown Historical Society.

Tuesday, May 23 at 7:00 p.m. at the Middletown Public Library. This free event will take place in-person and be streamed online. Please attend in-person or register to view online at MiddletownNJHistory.org

"Springwood Avenue Harmony: The Unique Musical Legacy of Asbury Park's West Side, 1871-1945," presented by Charles and Pamela Horner.

Since just after its founding in 1871, Asbury Park has been a "music city." While much is known about the musicians who played the seaside resort's beachfront venues, little has been documented of the music of the "shadow city," just west of the railroad tracks. This entertaining multimedia presentation will detail the history of music from Asbury Park's predominantly African-American West Side, from 1871 through 1945.

The Middletown Township Historical Society hosts presenters Charles and Pamela Horner, operators of Classic Urban Harmonies, LLC, a company devoted to documenting and preserving the history of early African-American music.