If you’re a fan of Bruce Springsteen, you may have heard the
story about how Clarence Clemons was playing in a bar one night
when Bruce walked in and was
blown away by the music. The
band Clarence was playing in was
led by Norman Seldin, and while
that moment may be part of rock
and roll history, it’s just one part of
the Stormin’ Norman legend.
Seldin was something of a child
prodigy, playing shows in the sixties as a teenager and even booking national acts. What made him
stand out from other promoters
(other than being a teenager) was
how he was one of the only people
booking black artists at the time.
“I suffered for it,” admitted
Seldin. “I can’t tell you how many
nights I came out with N.I.G.G.E.R.
carved into my car. And I was
Jewish, which made it even worse.
“It didn’t register with me because at a young age, I realized
that if you were Jewish or Greek
or something like that you were
kind of an odd ball in this area.
Being different didn’t mean anything to me. All I knew was if you
bled to death or had a heart attack
you would still die and I would die
the same as they would.”
Years later when Clemons would
join Seldin’s band, The Joyful
Noyze, the situation still hadn’t
improved much. Asbury Park
was the site of one of the nation’s
most visible riots on July 4, 1970.
When Norman asked Clarence
to join his band, he was breaking
the racial barrier yet again. Bands
simply weren’t integrated yet.
“It led to having 8 months of
work cancelled,” recalled Seldin.
“Owners would say ‘we want to
have your band, but you can’t
bring that nigger with you.’”
The band was forced to find new
places to play. Seldin says they
played weddings and lots and lots
of proms that year. After a while,
they were playing so many shows
that the same owners who had
turned the band down starting
calling and told him they wanted
to book the band and he could
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