New Jersey Highway Music Tributes #MusicMovesMe

It's Monday and it's time for music!

Who are the Music Moves Me bloggers? Well, we are a group of music loving bloggers who blog about music each Sunday or Monday and if you have music to share with us, you are most welcome to join! (Music Posts Only-meaning at least one music video, please! Otherwise, your post may be labeled "No Music".)   Our head host is Xmas Dolly, and our co-hosts are Cathy from Curious as a Cathy, joined by the knowledgeable Stacy of Stacy Uncorked and, last but not least, me.

Every other week, we have a theme.  On alternate weeks, we can blog on any music theme we want. This week's theme is freedom of choice.

I'm going to do something I mentioned in a post back in June about a New Jersey rest area being named after native son and rocker John Bon Jovi.  In that post, I said:

"It would seem that New Jersey has been renaming its turnpike service areas after famous New Jerseyians, and several of them are musicians.  There's the Celia Cruz Service Area.  The Whitney Houston Service Area.  The Frank Sinatra Service Area.  (There are several non-musician named rest areas, including one for the late great actor James Gandolfini, but none named after Tony Soprano).

New Jersey offered to name one after Bruce Springsteen, but The Boss declined the honor.

For a future Music Moves Me (my Monday posts) post, I wrote that maybe I'll do a post based on Musicians with New Jersey Turnpike Service Areas named after them." 

So, that's my theme for today. Here's some more information on the famous New Jerseyites who have received this honor. (Note, Bruce Willis may be added to this list.)  Each rest area has memorabilia, photos, or other items paying tribute to the honoree.

Let's start with Jon Bon Jovi, the original inspiration for this theme.   It was hard to pick a favorite song of his, but I went online to see favorite road trip songs, and it happens that Bon Jovi has one of them.  So, from 1986, here is "Livin' on a Prayer".

Let's switch to a different genre, with Frank Sinatra and a 1968 song called Cycles. This is a live version. This is such a profound song.   Here's the story of this particular song. 

Another genre switch now.  Celia Cruz, the Queen of Salsa, was born in Cuba, but ended up moving to Mexico, and later, the United States, ending up in Fort Lee, New Jersey.  She died from brain cancer in 2003. For my selection honoring her, I picked a song, Guantanmera, which is familiar to many of us due to another cover, by the Sandpipers.  I like the vibe of Celia Cruz' cover and this live performance. 

Her service/rest area pays tribute to her with  some unique items from her closet, including a dress and hairpiece.

Fun fact, although Celia Cruz is celebrated by New Jersey, she was buried in the Bronx (New York City), not that far from where I grew up.

Whitney Houston, who was born in 1963 in Newark, New Jersey, had, in many ways, a tragic life and died at the age of 48 in 2012.Her funeral was held at the same New Jersey church where she got her start in singing.  I'm choosing I Have Nothing, a song from The Bodyguard soundtrack, from 1992. 

Although he wasn't a singer, I want to pay tribute to actor James Gandolfini, born in Westwood, New Jersey, and known to millions as gangster Tony Soprano in the TV show The Sopranos.  Gandolfini was known to sing on occasion on the show but those songs are all short clips.

So, to truly pay tribute to Gandolfini, here is the theme song from The Sopranos, Woke Up This Morning, performed by Alabama 3.  I hope this video plays outside the United States.  I love this song.

And finally, although The Boss declined the honor, I am going to play a classic Bruce Springsteen song, Born to Run, because I love it so.

And that's a wrap!

Join me again next week for another episode of Music Moves Me.