UNION — Union is known for many amazing things: It’s historical significance. Home to Kean University. The 212-foot water tower.
But Union is also home to many musicians. Music historian and documentarian, journalist and tour guide Paul Reitz has put together a panel discussion of Union musicians. They’ll be talking about their memories and subsequent musical journeys on Saturday, May 9, at 1 p.m., at Vauxhall Branch Library.
Reitz put the panel together to give local musicians the recognition they deserve. “Some of these musicians went on to play clubs. Some kept going,” he said. “It’s a little spotlight. They are part of Union’s history.”
The criteria for the panel were that the musicians had to grow up in Union and graduate from Union High School. They had to have done music commercially, either on their own or as a record deal. And he wanted to have all genres of music.
Three musicians on the panel are Don Erdman, a retired teacher from town who became part of the Asbury Park music scene when Bruce Springsteen was up and coming; Ian Smit, experimental jazz artist; and Danny Solazzi of The Characters, who played with countless famous musicians, including Shirley Jones, Andy Kim and Ron Dante, and opening up for acts such as Three Dog Night.
Reitz, who is also from Union, had a significant career in music entertainment, where he had senior executive positions in sales, marketing and A&R. He’s the recipient of 12 gold and platinum awards for his contribution to the success of artists such as The Offspring, Slipknot and the Baha Men. He’s one of the original VJ pioneers on New Jersey regional television Channel 14 with the 1975 music show “Rock Steady.” This was a precursor to MTV. He’s been profiled in both Billboard magazine and a cover story for College Media Journal for his music industry achievements. He’s been featured in several rock books and has made appearances on both AXS TV’s “Rock My Collection” with Ahmet Zappa and various DrumTalk TV shows. Items from his collection are now permanent archives of the Bruce Springsteen Center for American Music. His Bruce Springsteen collection is currently on loan to the Passaic County Arts Center for its “Born to Run” exhibit. His writings on music were highlighted in the Brooklyn Museum’s April 2024 newsletter.
His love for music began at a young age. He started playing drums and his father took him to concerts such as Blood, Sweat, and Tears. He said, “I was the cliché kid who saw The Beatles on television. I wanted to do that.”
In high school, he started putting out his own fanzine and writing for the high school newspaper. Right out of high school, he worked for a PR company and became a DJ. Sony Music hired him because they wanted someone who knew different genres of music. Reitz ended up working for Sony Music for 20 years.
Reitz feels very lucky and has a lot of gratitude for the life he’s lived, doing what he’s done. One of the moments he’s proudest of is having the two fanzines he created, “Inside Rock” and “Teenage Depression,” featured in the Brooklyn Museum April 2024 newsletter.
For Reitz, he feels his career happened at the right place at the right time. There was no “Plan B.” He said, “It was just a little luck doing a deep dive into music and the history of it. I met people along the way, just being myself, just really passionate about it. True passion opened up doors for me. It was rock ‘n’ roll, 24 hours. I believed in it. Talk to me for six minutes, you knew I was into rock ‘n’ roll. It was me.”
For anyone who wants to get into the music business, Reitz advises finding your focus. He said, “Find out who you like to listen to. Find out who you like to read. Find out who the author is. When you look at the credits on a CD, find out who produced it. Look at the names, reach out to these people. Some of these people will give you mentorship. It’s not going to come to you; you have to put yourself out there. Go to every show. Talk to (merchandise) people. Get yourself engrossed in it. It’s all about connections. I did not go to school. I did not study music business at college. I got mine solely through connections. Don’t bull… Be truthful. If you don’t know the answer, admit it, but learn what the answer is. Talk to everybody, don’t dismiss anyone. You don’t know who they will be.”
Reitz is currently in the process of writing his forthcoming book, “Don’t Dream It’s Over: The story of one boy’s adventure into the world of rock ‘n’ roll.”
He calls himself “boy” because he started very young. He said, “I’m still that 15-year-old kid into rock ‘n’ roll – only slightly older. I still look at the world as a 15-year-old rock fan.”
The book will include reprints of all his fanzines, one of Tom Petty’s first interviews which Retiz conducted when Petty played The Bottom Line.
“It’s not centered on me,” he said, “but centered on rock ‘n’ roll.”
The title of the book is named after the song by Crowded House. At the end of Reitz’s career with Sony, the song came on the radio. He said, “Is it over? It’s not over. I’m not going to dream it’s over.”
To learn more about Vauxhall Branch Library, visit: https://uplnj.org/hours-and-locations/vauxhall-branch/.
Photo Courtesy of Paul Reitz
