Biographies

Dave Marsh, rock critic, historian, anticensorship activist, talk show host, and "Louie Louie" expert, has written more than twenty books about rock and popular music, as well as editing that many more. He co-founded Creem, the legendary Motor City rock and roll magazine that helped launch heavy metal, glam, and punk, among other styles, and spent five years as an associate and contributing editor of Rolling Stone, where he was chief music critic, columnist, and feature writer. From 1985-2002, he served as monthly music critic for Playboy. For the past twenty years, Marsh has written and edited the monthly music and politics newsletter, Rock and Rap Confidential. He has lectured widely on music, politics, and censorship. He compiled 50 Ways to Fight Censorship (Thunder's Mouth, 1990), and was co-editor with Don Henley of Heaven Is Under Our Feet: A Book for Walden Woods (Longmeadow Press, 1991), essays in honor of Walden Woods and Henry David Thoreau, written by everyone from Jimmy Buffet and Jimmy Carter to Janet Jackson and Jesse Jackson. Marsh also edited the first two editions of The Rolling Stone Record Guide, and Pastures of Plenty, the papers of folksinger Woody Guthrie.

In 2003, Marsh began hosting Kick Out the Jams, a weekly two hour radio talk show about music and social and political issues on the Sirius Satellite Network.

The nineteen-year-old Marsh dropped out of Detroit's Wayne State University to edit Creem in 1969. He departed in 1973 to become Newsday's pop music critic, spent a short spell as music editor of The Real Paper, returned to Newsday, and in 1975, joined Rolling Stone as chief reviewer, feature writer, and columnist. He and several others started Rock and Rap (then Rock and Roll) Confidential in 1983. (Marsh edited an anthology of material from the newsletter, The First Rock and Roll Confidential Report, in 1985.) From 1987 to 1992, Marsh served as acerbic rock critic for the weekly syndicated radio program, "Rock Today."

Marsh's first book, Born to Run: The Bruce Springsteen Story (Doubleday) was published in 1979. It made the New York Times best-seller list. He has also written Trapped: Michael Jackson and the Crossover Dream (Bantam, 1986), Before I Get Old: The Story of the Who (St. Martin's Press, 1983), Elvis (Times Books, 1982; Thunder's Mouth Press, 1992), The Book of Rock Lists (Dell, 1980), Sun City: The Making of the Record (Penguin, 1985), Rocktopicon (Contemporary, 1982), and Fortunate Son, a collection of his journalism and criticism (Random House, 1983). Glory Days: Bruce Springsteen in the 1980s, a sequel to Born to Run, appeared in 1987, and became a national hardcover bestseller. (In 2003, Routledge published Born to Run and Glory Days in a single volume with an epilogue, titled Two Hearts.) The Heart of Rock and Soul: The 1001 Greatest Singles Ever Made (Plume/NAL, 1989) remains the world's lengthiest act of rock criticism; Louie Louie: The History and Mythology of the World's Most Famous Rock 'n' Roll song; Including the Full Details of Its Torture and Persecution at the Hands of the Kingsmen, J. Edgar Hoover's F.B.I., and a Cast of Millions; and Introducing, for the First Time Anywhere, the Actual Dirty Lyrics (Hyperion, 1992), may be the strangest.

Marsh's other books include Merry Christmas Baby: Holiday Music from Bing to Sting (Little Brown, 1992), co-written with Steve Propes, The New Book of Rock Lists, created with James Bernard, and, as general editor, Mid-Life Confidential: The Rock Bottom Remainders Tour America with Three Chords and an Attitude (Viking), a book about the experiences of the all-author rock band featuring Stephen King, Amy Tan, Dave Barry, Barbara Kingsolver, and Marsh, among others; and The Great Rock 'n' Roll Joke Book (St. Martin's Press, 1997). He also edited the oral history series, For the Record for Avon Books, and wrote the first of its nine volumes with Sam Moore of Sam and Dave.

He is currently writing Freedom Songs: The Music of the Civil Rights Movement.
Marsh lives in Connecticut with his wife, Barbara Carr, and two cocker spaniels. He serves on the advisory board of The National Writers Union and as a trustee of the Kristen Ann Carr Fund, which funds sarcoma research and services for teenagers and young adults with cancer, named in honor of his late daughter.

Frank Stefanko is a fine art photographer whose work graces the album covers of Bruce Springsteen's Darkness on the Edge of Town and The River, as well as the cover of Southside Johnny's Hearts of Stone album. Frank's photographs also appear on Bruce Springsteen's albums, Live 75/85, Greatest Hits, Tracks, and The Essential Bruce Springsteen.

Mr. Stefanko is the author of the book Days of Hope and Dreams / an Intimate Portrait of Bruce Springsteen published by Billboard Books division of Watson-Guptill. Photographs from the book have been exhibited in two major Days of Hope and Dreams gallery shows. The first show opened in September 2003 at Govinda Gallery in Washington, D.C., followed by a showing at the Earl McGrath Gallery in New York City in March of 2004. Frank's work also appears in Bruce Springsteen's book Songs, Patti Smith's book Complete, and Dave Marsh's book Born to Run.

In addition, five of Mr. Stefanko's Springsteen photographs are exhibited in the traveling museum show titled Bruce Springsteen, Troubadour of the Highway. The show has had unprecedented attendance at The Frederick Weisman Museum in Minneapolis, The Cranbrook Museum near Detroit, The Experience Music Project in Seattle, and the Newark Museum, in Newark, New Jersey.

Frank's portfolio includes vintage and contemporary photographs of Bruce Springsteen and Patti Smith, as well as other rock artists from the sixties and seventies including The Rolling Stones, Rod Stewart, Janis Joplin, Frank Zappa and the Mothers of Invention, Bette Midler, Johnny Winters, and more. Aside from his rock photography portfolio, Frank has an eclectic collection ranging from vintage portraits and street scenes to his more contemporary landscape photography. Most of Frank's work is still done in black and white silver gelatin fine art prints.

Living in New Jersey, Mr. Stefanko has been making photographs for over fifty years. Self taught as a boy, Frank excelled in art and photography in high school and college.

Barbara Hall
Creator and Executive Producer
"Joan of Arcadia" (CBS)

"In the pilot Joan says, 'Why are you appearing to me?' And He says, 'I'm not appearing to you--you're seeing me. 'The idea is that God is everywhere and available to everyone all the time. For some reason, Joan has chosen to tap into this."

What if God suddenly began talking to you, in the form of different people? If you were a teenage girl absorbed in the usual throes of youth, would you follow God's cryptic directives? Would you tell anyone? Would others think you were crazy? Such are the central questions of the one-hour, Emmy nominated, People's Choice winning, CBS series "Joan of Arcadia," airing Fridays from 8:00-9:00 p.m. ET/PT. And such are the kinds of questions, in that earthly dance between physics and metaphysics, which pose great interest to series creator and executive producer Barbara Hall.

Fresh from her success as executive producer of the hit CBS drama "Judging Amy" (on which she now serves as a consulting producer as it enters its fourth season), the multi-Emmy-nominated Hall has not become transfixed on a higher source of Judgment, rather a piece of entertainment that inspires more questions than it answers. "I saw a lot of documentaries and things after September 11th that dealt with issues of faith," says Hall. "There's something in the zeitgeist now--people are willing to look at spiritual issues."

Woven through with an earnest sense of mysticism, "Joan of Arcadia" reinvents the Joan of Arc legend in the form of Joan Girardi (Amber Tamblyn), a teenager who keeps encountering God: whether as a cute boy or the lunch lady. For now she decides to follow God's advice, keeping it hidden from her police chief father (Joe Mantegna), her intrusive mother (Mary Steenburgen), her geeky younger brother (Michael Welch), and her older brother, a former football star now paralyzed by a car accident (Jason Ritter).

"Part of the drama is that her behavior looks crazy to her family," says Hall, whose internal Ten Commandments for the series include such dictums as "God can't directly intervene, He can only work through people," and "God can never choose one religion over another." As Hall further explains, "God says to Joan in the pilot, 'It's not about religion. It's about fulfilling your nature.'"

As a child growing up in Chatham, Virginia, Barbara Hall had a single vision, moved toward writing by the isolation, even frustration, of a small Southern town. The youngest of three siblings, she often collaborated on stories with her older sister, knowing by the age of eight what career path lay ahead. She attended James Madison University, garnering myriad awards on the way to a Bachelor of Arts degree in English. Cognizant that a struggling writer should choose between New York and Los Angeles, two days after graduation she moved to L.A. Says Hall, "I figured if I had to starve, I didn't have to freeze."

On the west coast she wrote her first novel, Skeeball and the Secret of the Universe, which got the attention of an agent and, consequently, producer Gary David Goldberg. Despite the fact that there were few women writers in TV in the early 80s, Hall sold her first story to "Family Ties" and was soon hired by "Newhart" as a comedy writer before being promoted to story editor.

Disliking the roundtable format of comedy writing, Hall switched to the more personal medium of television drama. She honed her chops in the shadow of Joshua Brand and John Falsey, serving as story editor of "A Year In the Life" before spending a year as co-producer of "Moonlighting" and as producer of "Anything But Love." In 1990 she began a two-year tenure with David Chase as co-executive producer of "I'll Fly Away," a "perfect experience" which "totally changed my approach to TV, the closest I ever came to fiction writing on television." With the cancellation of the series, she reunited with Brand, Falsey, and Chase as consulting producer on "Northern Exposure."

Hall furthered her reputation as a can-do producer with three TV pilots, including "The Doyles," which TV Guide endorsed as a great show whose potential was never exploited. Undaunted, she wrote a memorable episode of "ER" before spending two years with "Chicago Hope," first as co-executive producer, then as consulting producer. In 1999 Hall was tapped to executive produce "Judging Amy," a drama less about a juvenile court judge and her application of the law than a single mother starting over. During its three seasons, the series has earned kudos for its star Amy Brenneman and for Tyne Daly, who portrays her well-meaning mother, a former social worker.

Making inroads into feature film with her original screenplay Hearts for Warner Bros. and a rewrite of Sylvie for Beacon Pictures, Hall never let a successful television career diminish her enthusiasm for the novel. Her first long-form work, Skeeball and the Secret of the Universe (1987, Orchard Press), wove the tale of a boy from a blue-collar family whose quest to do something important spurs him to become the world's greatest skeeball player. Her subsequent young adult novels include: Dixie Storms (1990, HBJ), a family crucible set on a Virginia tobacco farm; Fool's Hill (1992, Bantam), a small-town tale of friendship and betrayal; and the mystery House Across the Cove (1995, Bantam).

Bridging into novels for mature readers, Hall penned A Better Place (1992, Simon & Schuster), about an egocentric woman whose failure in Hollywood is met by fear in her home town when people learn she is returning; and Close to Home (1997, Simon & Schuster), a dark tale about a woman who begins to learn disturbing things about her new husband and his home town where they now live. Her latest novel A Summons To New Orleans (Simon & Schuster), was released in 2000 and centered around three female friends and a rape trial set in the Cajun city.

"The greatest achievement in writing is to make people laugh one minute and cry the next," says Hall. All of my heroes did that, from Mark Twain to Preston Sturges. At the end of the day, I try to bring to my work a sense of hopefulness." Her work has clearly resonated with audiences and critics alike. In the realm of television, she has been nominated for three Emmys ("I'll Fly Away," "Northern Exposure") and a Golden Laurel from the Producers Guild of America, receiving a Humanitas Award, NAACP Image Award and TV Critics Association Award. "Judging Amy," earning numerous Emmy and Golden Globe nominations for its cast and crew, was nominated for New Program of the Year at the 2000 Television Critics Association Awards and won Favorite New Series at the 2000 TV Guide Awards. Hall's literary work has also been recognized by the American Library Association Best Books & Notable Books.

Not confining her talents to the written page, Hall is an accomplished musician, vocalist, and founding member of the alternative-country-rock band The Enablers. The Enablers CD, Come Back Soon, is available via her Web site at www.theenablers.net. Her musical talents have also been heard on television, having written a song for "Chicago Hope." Barbara Hall lives in Pacific Palisades, California, with her daughter Faith.

Hailed by many as one of Nashville's best contemporary songwriters, Gretchen Peters' intelligent and introspective songs have been covered by pop, country, blues, and folk artists all over the world. She possesses a rare ability to drive a strong point, yet capture it eloquently in song. That ability has won Peters two Grammy nominations for the heart-wrenching Patty Loveless hit, "You Don't Even Know Who I Am," and Martina McBride's award-winning recording of "Independence Day", an in-your-face look at domestic violence. She has sold millions of records over the past decade, as stars Faith Hill, Bonnie Raitt, Martina McBride, Etta James, The Neville Brothers, George Strait, Trisha Yearwood, Bryan Adams, Patty Loveless, Billy Ray Cyrus, Pam Tillis, Neil Diamond, and a host of others have covered her songs.

As an artist, Gretchen has regularly toured in the United Kingdom, Ireland and Europe to sold-out crowds, and with the Curb Records, Ltd. reissue of her first two albums, The Secret of Life and Gretchen Peters(both newly re-mastered with bonus tracks), her music is again widely available.

In a review of her self-titled album, Gretchen Peters, The Associated Press says, "This is not jukebox music--the stuff that exists to fill in the pauses in conversation. This IS the conversation." Recent reviews of her new CD, Halcyon (May 2004), include the following:

"Halcyon could arguably be Gretchen Peters' finest recording to date."

--HMV review

"a masterly lesson in the art of effortless, fluid writing-with pared down arrangements and a lightness of touch that oozes confidence"
"A brave and beautiful collection "

--David Lloyd, Manchester Online

"In a word, superb. Gretchen is one of USA's best singer-songwriters, and this ranks as her finest moment "

--Leicester Mercury review

"one of a rare breed in Nashville"
"unlike the competition she regularly approaches (her) subject from an oblique angle lyrically and in the process draws you inexorably into her world."

--Arthur Wood, Folkwax Magazine

Gretchen was nominated in 2003 for a Golden Globe award for her work on the DreamWorks animated film, Spirit: Stallion of the Cimarron, and her multi-award winning "Independence Day" was recently included in CMT's list of The Top 100 Greatest Songs in Country Music. Halcyon is enjoying great reviews and brisk sales in the United Kingdom and Northern Ireland on Curb Records, Ltd. Gretchen's first live CD, Trio, is due out later this year. She has just signed an exclusive North American booking agreement with The Val Denn Agency in Austin and Nova Scotia.

Robert Santelli

New Jersey native Robert Santelli has written about Bruce Springsteen, the E Street Band, and the Jersey Shore rock scene since the early '70s. Santelli began his music journalism career as the rock critic for the Asbury Park Press in 1972 when he was still an undergraduate at Monmouth College. In the '70s and '80s Santelli wrote extensively for New Jersey Monthly and the New Jersey-based alternative music paper, The Aquarian Weekly, before becoming a contributor to Rolling Stone, Modern Drummer, CD Review, and other music publications.

In addition to authoring and editing his own books on American music, Santelli worked with E Street Band drummer Max Weinberg on his book, The Big Beat: Conversations with Rock's Greatest Drummers (Contemporary, 1984) and Bruce Springsteen's Songs (Avon, 1998). Santelli is currently working with E Street Band keyboards player, Danny Federici, on his memoirs and finishing up his own book, Teardrops on the City: Bruce Springsteen and the Asbury Park Music Scene.

Santelli taught classes in popular music and American studies at Monmouth and Rutgers Universities before moving to Cleveland in 1995 to become the first director of education at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum. In 2000, Santelli left the Rock Hall to head Experience Music Project in Seattle.

Daniel Wolff's most recent book is 4th of July/Asbury Park: A History of the Promised Land (Bloomsbury, USA). He's the author of the award-winning You Send Me: The Life and Times of Sam Cooke and his most recent collaboration with photographer Ernest Withers is Negro League Baseball. Mr. Wolff was executive producer of The Agronomist, a film by Jonathan Demme.

Jean Mikle has been a staff writer for the Asbury Park Press since 1986. She has been following the Jersey Shore music scene for the past 25-plus years and continues to enjoy the music today.

Stan Goldstein is a sports copy editor for the Newark Star-Ledger. He also has worked for the Asbury Park Press and Home-News Tribune. He has been following the Jersey Shore music scene for more than thirty years.

Jean and Stan always knew there would be an interest in showing off the rock and roll sites at the Jersey Shore and started giving tours of Asbury Park and Freehold in 1999.

Their book, Rock and Roll Tour of the Jersey Shore was self-published in 2002 and it sold out after it's second printing. They decided to do an expanded, revised edition, and that 146-page book came out in December of 2004 and is available today.