By Randy Rush. Photography courtesy of The Soundmasters Archive
Close your eyes and picture the scene. If you are old enough, you may even remember. It is the mid-1960s on a warm summer night. You and your friends are hanging outside Jack’s De Luxe Diner in Ship Bottom. Cars are cruising north and south along Long Beach Boulevard, and you are heading into the diner — a converted railroad car — for a burger and a shake.
From the street corner you hear four guys singing a cappella under the streetlight. Their harmonies make the hairs on your arms stand up as you stop and listen. It is like a scene out of a movie, and for the locals on Long Beach Island, it is a cultural phenomenon that is replicated from the streets of New York City to Philadelphia with a blend of those two metropolises creating a very unique version of this kind of folk music.
A cappella is the oldest form of musical expression which historians believe predates the invention of language itself. As we have evolved through the human epoch, music has always been a part of our experience, and a cappella has morphed and survived as a folk-art form.
Can you hear them? Can you see them snapping their fingers and lifting their faces to the starlit sky as the tales of young love waft through the evening air? In this case, the quartet calls itself Eddie and the Soundmasters. The original group included Jimmy “Smitty” Smith, Tommy Enna, Charlie Enna, and Eddie Pine. Over the years, just as a cappella has evolved, so too had the makeup of the group. Rodney “Hooder” Hood soon joined as second tenor. Tommy, Eddie, and Charlie moved on. In late 1965 Dave Gagliardi and Kenny Smith joined Jimmy and Rodney and became known simply as The Soundmasters. Members continued to come and go as the years passed, with Jimmy Smith and Rodney Hood remaining constant. Eventually, baritone Steve Romeo, bass Gene Hacker and top tenor John “Beesh” Bishop would form the final version of The Soundmasters, with John joining in 1998, making the ensemble a quintet.
I recently had the opportunity to sit and chat with Rodney Hood and John Bishop at Rodney’s metal shop in West Creek. “Memories are the best thing we have left,” quipped Rodney, who worked during the day fabricating and installing metal roofs, while singing at night. Today he makes lamps, weathervanes, and decorative pieces from sheet metal in his shop with his son, Ryan, who has taken over the family business. John still works in the music industry and sings in an oldies/Motown group called Joey D & Johnny B Band. Their love of the music they made and the camaraderie they formed became quite evident as they took turns reminiscing, and though Jimmy Smith was unavailable at the time, he did note, “It was a great time, at that time of my life. We enjoyed harmonizing and learning new songs.” They seemed well aware of their contribution to the culture of Long Beach Island and the Jersey shore.
Tales were recounted of the many places they performed, both down the shore and in Philadelphia. The Lamppost in Philly, Fuddruckers, Calloways and Sleepy Hollow in Eagleswood and West Creek, Buckalew’s, Joe Pop’s and many other LBI venues., cruise ships, and churches, were only a few of the many places they performed. The Soundmasters were in great demand, earning $500 a gig, though charity events often rounded out their itinerary.
The Soundmasters earned respect within the Doo-Wop and a cappella world. Danny and the Juniors, Pat Barrett and the Crew Cuts, The Street Corner 5, and Frankie and the Fashions were among the many acts that the Soundmasters hung with and performed alongside.
But in the very early days, The Soundmasters honed their craft on the street outside of Jack’s De Luxe Diner in Ship Bottom. Eventually, the owner of the diner invited the boys to sing inside where they got a real taste of what was to come. The crowds loved the vocal group and business was hopping. Soon The Soundmasters branched out to other bars and restaurants on LBI where the demand for their talents grew throughout the area.
Today, Jack’s De Luxe Diner is Burger 25. The Vetter Family purchased the building and property from the owners of Surf Taco, and after some extensive remodeling, reopened as Burger 25 in June of 2023. This is the Vetter’s second location under the Burger 25 brand, the other being in Tom’s River. They are planning to open a third location in Brick this coming July.
As the location at 1915 Long Beach Boulevard in Ship Bottom was undergoing remodeling, the Vetters discovered that behind the walls they were tearing down was the old railroad car from the original structure, still intact and quite viable. New walls were put up with the old window frames left open. The curvature of the cars ceiling was also incorporated into the new design, and if you look hard, you can envision the atmosphere of that old railroad car with a modern look. It seems fitting that this nostalgic design remains as a reminder of the history of the locale, and as you sit and enjoy one of their well crafted burgers, along with a thick, delicious milk shake or root beer float, you may be able to hear the harmonious voices of a cappella out on the street corner, for this very spot was once the home of The Soundmasters.
