Yes, Clemons was a native of Virginia, played football in Maryland and was living in Florida at the time of his death on June 18. But it was in New Jersey that the legend of the Big Man was born and nurtured. And it is we Jersey folks who feel the deepest sense of loss over his death.
Consider this: Clemons was perhaps the best-known, best-loved sideman/sidekick in the history of music. As a member of the E Street Band, he did not get equal billing with Bruce Springsteen, but to fans, he was an equal partner.
Certainly, rock music has more famous pairings, like Lennon and McCartney, Jagger and Richards, Plant and Page—but in each case, those collaborators shared leading roles in their respective bands. Clemons, on the other hand, did not play guitar, rarely sang and did not contribute to the songwriting. His contributions were more of the blue-collar variety: energy, sweat, love, commitment.
How uniquely New Jersey it is that the sax player, the ex-football player, the funky family man, the sideman should be able to command the spotlight for four decades despite performing in Springsteen’s giant shadow.
Of course, the outpouring of love for Clemons in the days since his death has come from around the globe. Yet, New Jerseyans can rightly claim Clemons as our own.
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