The Ramapough Mountain Indians and the Nanticoke Lenni-Lenape are Lenape descendants that are recognized as tribes by the State of New Jersey, but not the U.S. Government.
American composer John Philip Sousa would perform concerts on the lawn of the historic Congress Hall (Cape May hotel).
The Delaware Valley Bluegrass Festival takes place annually at the Salem County Fairgrounds in Woodstown, New Jersey.
Hunterdon County, New Jersey native Sharon Van Etten is an acclaimed singer of folk and indie rock music, performing solo as well as with many other famous artists.
Atlantic City native and folk singer Jim Albertson sings songs that tell stories of South Jersey.
The variety of folk and bluegrass music reflects the cultural past of America and New Jersey, including stories of the widely varied ethnic groups in the state, as well as revivalist styles.
Casa Blanca on Broad Street and The Cadillac Club are just two of the many Newark live jazz venues that have showcased performers in the Twentieth century.
The Paradise Club on Illinois Avenue was billed as the world's first nightclub and hosted a wide variety of famous artists.
Other well known jazz instrumentalists from the Garden State include Max Weinberg, drummer for Bruce Springsteen, Leigh Howard Stevens, a marimba musician who re-invented the way the instrument is played by pioneering the "Musser-Stevens Grip, "Nick Lucas, Joe Pass, Jimmy Lyons, Larry Young, Steve Swallow, George Van Eps, Buster Williams, Tony Scott, Bucky Pizzarelli, John Pizzarelli, David S. Ware, Al Di Meola, and Steve Swell.
Hip hop group Sugar Hill Gang, artists behind one of the earliest major commercial hip-hop songs "Rapper's Delight" is from Englewood, New Jersey.
[8] Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons were rock and roll stars in the 1960s, scoring hits with "Sherry", "Big Girls Don't Cry", and "Walk Like a Man".
Bruce Springsteen and the E-Street Band became one of New Jersey's most successful rock groups with the release of their Born to Run album in 1975.
Springsteen's friends and fellow Jersey Shore natives, Southside Johnny and the Asbury Jukes, also saw commercial success.
Punk rock and hardcore have played an important role in the music of New Jersey, with many prominent artists in these genres originating from the state.
Emerging in 1983 after the breakup of three-piece Impossible Task, seminal skate punk band Hogan's Heroes[18] was founded in South-Central New Jersey in 1984.
The Smithereens were formed in Carteret and built up a following in the state, becoming an early success in the alternative genre with songs like "A Girl Like You" and "Behind the Wall of Sleep".
[23] Often referred to as modern progenitors of the Jersey Shore sound popularized by Bruce Springsteen, The Gaslight Anthem came together in New Brunswick in 2005 and released 5 studio albums to a mix of critical acclaim and high chart positions, including two Top 5 records with Handwritten and Get Hurt.
Monster Magnet is a very well known stoner rock metal band from Red Bank with releases on labels such as Elektra.
In the early and mid 1980s the New Jersey nightclub culture realized tremendous popularity with various live acts playing hard rock, heavy metal and dance oriented New Wave music.
Some of the more notable acts touring the club circuit was Twisted Sister fronted by lead singer Dee Snider.
[citation needed] In 1984 the Crossover Thrash Metal band, Method Of Destruction was formed with Stormtroopers Of Death former frontman, Billy Milano.
The Dillinger Escape Plan from Morris Plains and The Number Twelve Looks Like You from Paramus were essential in solidifying the state as a forerunner of the mathcore and experimental metal scenes as well as several of the members of Candiria.
Jeff Janiak, vocalist of British hardcore punk groups Discharge and Broken Bones was born in Livingston and has lived in Irvington and Toms River.
[25] Zakk Wylde, the founder of Black Label Society and guitarist for Ozzy Osbourne, was born in Bayonne and grew up in Jackson, New Jersey.
One of the most successful artists of all time with an estimated 150 million record sales, Frank Sinatra, was born and raised in Hoboken.
Whitney Houston, one of the best selling artists of all time with over 220 million records sold worldwide, was born in Newark but primarily raised in East Orange.
As of 2023, focal points of live local rock include: Frank Sinatra (from Hoboken, died 1998) had at least one #1 Billboard Hot 100 hit with "Strangers in the Night" in 1966.
Music is broadcast in New Jersey by terrestrial radio stations, cable FM, local wire networks, satellite and the Internet.
WWNJ in Toms River, WWCJ in Cape May, and WWFM at the West Windsor campus of Mercer County Community College all broadcast classical music.
WDVR is a community radio station based in Sergeantsville, NJ broadcasting a variety of music, talk, and educational programming.