Will Forte, B Street Band Founder, Keyboardist and Vocalist // www.bstreetband.com
Growing up in Pennsylvania’s Poconos region, Will Forte, 62, frequented the South Jersey Shore. From the Diving Horse at Atlantic City’s Steel Pier to the emerging Wildwood nightclub scene, he was enchanted.
“I was going to play those clubs someday,” he recalled promising himself.
At just 10, Forte saw the Young Rascals at the Boom Boom Club in Garfield, N.J., and was electrified by the sound of the band’s Hammond organ.
“That cemented being a keyboardist for me,” he said.
The next hook came in 1972, when a friend handed him an 8-track tape and told Forte, “Listen to this guy—he’s going to be the biggest star ever.”
His friend, Joe Maddon, today manages the Chicago Cubs; the guy on the tape was Bruce Springsteen.
Forte was taken—and also with coastal New Jersey.
“The music, the dining, the people, it was a culture apart,” he said. “Places like the Stone Pony in Asbury Park, Martell’s in Point Pleasant, Baby O’s in Seaside Heights and many others became the social order. Everybody went there; they went because of the music, and music kept those venues alive.”
Jersey was calling, and around 1978, when Forte and his cover band, Star, were playing seven nights a week at the sold-out Playpen in Wildwood, he relocated from Pennsylvania.
“I saw a chance for a livelihood, but it was very competitive, and we needed to stand out,” he said.
The answer was Springsteen.
“Our repertoire included four to five Bruce songs,” Forte continued, “and increasingly, that’s what the audience asked for.”
Debuting in May 1980 as the “Backstreets, a Tribute to the Boss” for 2,000-plus Bruce fans in Asbury Park, the group claims rights “as the world’s longest-running tribute band.”
Nearly 40 years, countless shows and a huge fan base (celebrities included) later, the since renamed B Street Band does some 200 shows each year and still commands the tribute world. Documenting the band’s career, Almost Boss premiered at this year’s Asbury Park Film Festival.
They have opened for Springsteen several times; E Streeters including guitarist Steven Van Zandt, drummer Max Weinberg and late saxophonist Clarence Clemons have all sat in with the band.
“Original drummer Vini Lopez plays with us occasionally, too,” Forte said. “The lineup has changed, but why I do this, which along with keyboards and vocals, includes managing the band and much more, remains the same—for the joy of music, connecting with people and being part of the Jersey scene.”
That includes corporate and social events.
“Along with Bruce, our Jersey-flavored repertoire incorporates home-grown heavyweights Bon Jovi, Frankie Valli, Dion, Sinatra and Southside Johnny,” Forte said. “Plus, Motown, classic rock, disco and some oldies. There’s something for everyone.”
