Sing a Song of North of Boston

The North of Boston region is deeply rooted in the arts – a subject we wrote on awhile ago in our blog entry on the region’s literary offerings (click here for a shameless plug).  Our relation to the arts, however, does not lie solely in our literary history.  Aside from being home to some fantastic museums and art galleries, the region also has a rich connection to music.  We are home to many great music festivals, including the Rockport Chamber Music Festival and Salem Jazz & Soul Festival, and host top acts from all genres of music at venues such as the Shalin Liu Performance Center, North Shore Music Theatre, and Blue Ocean Music Hall.  Even our beaches are known to sing at times…

It’s no wonder, then, that the North of Boston is the birthplace of many famous musicians.  You may have heard of…

Rob Zombie
A Haverhill native and graduate of Haverhill High School, Zombie was the lead singer for the band White Zombie before going out on his own for a successful solo career.  He is also well-respected in the world of horror film, having directed such movies as “House of 1000 Corpses,” “The Devil’s Rejects,” and the recent “Lords of Salem.”

Joe Perry
Although Aerosmith is primarily known as a “Boston-based” band, lead guitarist Joe Perry was born in Lawrence, MA.  When not playing with Aerosmith, Perry has maintained a respected solo career on the side and has collaborated with many other musicians.  Also of note, he is the only North of Boston native that we know of who has his own Disney World Ride – the Rockin’ Roller Coaster.

Paula Cole
Rockport native and Rockport High graduate Paul Cole has had an illustrious career (which includes a Grammy award, nonetheless).  Her song “Where Have All the  Cowboys Gone?” was a Top 10 Billboard hit in 1997, although she is probably best-known for her hit “I Don’t Want to Wait” (aka, the theme from “Dawson’s Creek.”).

Leonard Bernstein
Perhaps the top composer of the 20th century, Leonard Bernstein was another native of Lawrence.  He is probably best known for his work for the musicals “West Side Story” and “On the Town” (the film version of “On the Town” starring Gene Kelly and Frank Sinatra only used 1 song from the stage musical.  One can never have too much knowledge).

Sources:

http://voices.yahoo.com/celebrities-famous-people-born-massachusetts-8080604.html?cat=37
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paula_Cole