Bob Benjamin and the History of the Light of Day

Upstage Magazine
January 2005

"At the end of the day what good is all this noise if it can't do some good in this world?" - Willie Nile on the Light of Day benefit concerts.

Bob Benjamin is a name known to Jersey Shore music fans through his annual Light of Day fund-raising concerts that raise funds for research into a cure and treatments for Parkinson's Disease and ALS. There is more to Benjamin and the Light of Day shows than most fans know about, though, so I set out to learn about Benjamin and how the Light of Day shows came about. I sat down with him at a small pizzeria near his home in Highland Park a week before this year’s Light of Day V shows, and spent the following Saturday night at the Stone Pony watching a variety of great bands take the stage and talking to some of the musicians who call Benjamin their friend.

"I’ve known Bob since 1978, and to me, Bob is the true personification of a rock ‘n’ roll fan," Bruce Springsteen said to me backstage at the Saturday night Light of Day show. Benjamin was a college freshman at the State University of New York in Buffalo at the time, and had been a fan of Springsteen’s music since 1975 when a friend whose brother had seen Springsteen perform at the Bottom Line suggested he buy "Born to Run." Benjamin grew up in New Rochelle, New York, but his father’s cousin owned a children’s clothing store, The Asbury Youth Center, in Asbury Park, and Benjamin would spend time visiting relatives at the shore. Benjamin’s interest in Springsteen led him to visiting area clubs like the Stone Pony, Mrs. J’s, the Fastlane, and Big Man’s West, and a lifelong love of rock n roll and the sounds of Asbury Park was born.

While in college he demonstrated his dedication to the Jersey Shore rock scene when he wrote a paper on music in Asbury Park for his Roots of Rock ‘n’ Roll class. Benjamin later interviewed New York rocker Willie Nile about his first record on Arista, forming a lifelong friendship between the two. With Lee Mrowicki–legendary DJ at the Stone Pony–sending him information on new bands, Benjamin turned his interest in music into a job as a buyer at the on-campus record store.

After graduating college, Benjamin also began working for the Crazy Eddie record stores, a job he would continue for eight years before going to work for Billboard. "I worked on computer tracking chart systems," remembers Benjamin. This was the precursor to SoundScan."

Benjamin worked for Billboard until 1991, when he left to work in independent retail promotion. His first job was with John Prine on his album, "The Missing Years," which sold 300,000 copies on Prine’s own label. In 1992, Benjamin was hired as a consultant for the Razor & Tie label, where he promoted an album by Pittsburgh artist Joe Grushecky. The album was "End of the Century," and his meeting Grushecky would eventually lead him down a new career path. When Grushecky began work on his next album, "American Babylon," he was without a manager. At the suggestion of Jon Landau, famed Springsteen manager, Grushecky offered the spot to Benjamin. "I was impressed with his tenacity and work ethic," explained Grushecky.

Today, Benjamin handles virtually every facet of the business for the artists he manages. "He is involved in the manufacturing of the product, promotion, artwork, retail placement, you name it," says Grushecky. "He also helps with booking shows, tours, and publishing." Not only that, but Benjamin also began Schoolhouse Records in 1995 to put out Grushecky’s records, which he continues to run and promote successfully to this day. Aside from managing Grushecky, Benjamin would add several more musicians to his stable of artists in later years, including Joe D’Urso, Dawne Allynne, and Boccigalupe and the Bad Boys.

Not long after starting his own record label, Benjamin found himself facing an even bigger challenge. In December 1996, he was diagnosed with Parkinson’s Disease. "In a way, it was kind of a relief to find out what it was," Benjamin said referring to his unexplained symptoms, which included a lack of arm movement while walking, stiffness in his shoulders, and general rigidity. "The disease was pretty new to me then. I had read about it in a magazine a few weeks earlier and I fit the symptoms," remembers Benjamin, who had no idea of the true nature of his condition until his diagnosis by doctors. "I didn’t know people could get it so young," explains Benjamin. There is no simple blood test for Parkinson’s–it has to be diagnosed symptomatically. While Benjamin was unable to continue the athletic lifestyle he had previously led, he continued his work in the music business as hard as ever. "I have some limitations," he admits, "but I try to work around them."

However, Benjamin was never one to accept something he didn’t like. "I’m always up for a good fight," he says regarding his plan to battle back against Parkinson’s. Through his industry contacts Benjamin met Page Morton Black, a singer, whose late husband William had founded the Parkinson’s Disease Foundation. Mr. Black also founded Chock Full O'Nuts Coffee for who Page's etheral voice was behind their famous "heavenly coffee" jingle. Benjamin put together a fund-raiser show at the Downtown Café in Red Bank on his 40th birthday in 1998 and was able to raise $2,000. In the fall of 2000, Light of Day was born. Benjamin decided to on the name Light Of Day, after the Springsteen song which also lent it's name to movie fellow Parkinson's sufferer Michael J. Fox starred in because of these connections and because of the song's fitting lyrics:

"Well I'm a little down under, but I'm feeling O.K.

I got a little lost along the way

I'm just around the corner to the light of day"

Booking bands for the shows wasn’t as difficult as it may seem, considering the all of the talented acts who have appeared at Light of Day shows over the years. The many friends Benjamin had made through his years in the business and as a dedicated rock ‘n’ roll fan were more than happy to help out in any way they could. "Bob called me up and asked if I wanted to play some songs at his birthday/benefit," says Willie Nile. "I said I'd be glad to. It was as simple as that." Grushecky, an obvious choice for the headliner, was joined by Bruce Springsteen onstage at the Stone Pony during the first official Light of Day show in 2000. "Bruce has been kind enough to come play with us every year so far and it has become a tradition for us," says Grushecky. As word of the annual show, with its small club setting and big name entertainment, grew, so did the demand for tickets. In 2003, the Light of Day benefit went to two nights, and in 2004, the shows were spread over three days.

Not only does Benjamin praise Springsteen’s appearances as an "immeasurable help," but he also shows immense gratitude to the volunteers who help make the show, which was at the Tradewinds in Sea Bright in 2001 and 2002 moved back to the Stone Pony in 2003, such an anticipated annual event. From Tony Palagrossi at Concerts East, to tax attorneys he met in college (who set up the Light Of Day Foundation as a 501 C 3 non-profit, tax exempt organization this year), to Tony Amato and Rob Dye who run the main and acoustic stages, respectively, to the Windmill, which donates food for the artists, Light of Day is truly a group effort.

In addition to the shows, Benjamin also put out "Light of Day: A Tribute to Bruce Springsteen," on Schoolhouse Records, an album which features covers of Springsteen songs by artists including Elvis Costello, Pete Yorn, and Jesse Malin. "It was fun and frustrating," says Benjamin, who put the album together with Sal Trepat, publisher of the Spanish Springsteen fanzine called Point Black, and who called many of the artists himself to put together the two-disc album. "With some of the previously released tracks, the license holders had made saying no to potential licensees de rigueur" says Benjamin, "but it was my job to get them to say ‘Yes’." The profits from that album, which has sold nearly 25,000 copies according to Nielsen SoundScan, not only went to benefit the Parkinson’s Disease Foundation, but also the Kristen Ann Carr fund, which funds research into sarcoma, a form of cancer. In all, through shows, the raffles held at the shows, and this year’s auction of music memorabilia, Benjamin’s efforts have raised approximately $500,000 for research into Parkinson’s, ALS and cancer.

The money from these shows and the Light of Day album sales makes it Schoolhouse’s biggest seller.

"There are no drugs to slow down or cure Parkinson’s," explains Benjamin of the disease which most commonly causes tremors, extreme stiffness of the muscles, and a slowness of voluntary movement. The medication that he and many other Parkinson’s sufferers currently take works very irregularly. "It wears off and kicks in unevenly," he says, "which creates an ‘on’ and ‘off’ time for sufferers." Research is currently being conducted into a patch form of the medication which could be distributed throughout the bloodstream evenly throughout the day. Through gene therapy and stem-cell research, doctors continue to look for new ways to manage the disease with the aid of the Light of Day funds.

It is Benjamin’s strong character and perseverance to overcome his challenges that have inspired so many artists over the years to lend their talents to fighting Parkinson’s by performing at the Light of Day benefits. "He is an amazing guy–he puts his heart and soul into these shows," explains Springsteen, who has nothing but respect for Benjamin and the massive amount of hard work he puts into the shows every year. "Bob shows great courage and determination when dealing with his condition," says Grushecky. "He is a great guy and we love him." According to Joe D’Urso, the Shore rocker co-managed by Benjamin, "He continues to be an inspiration to many people around the Asbury Park music scene. I’m proud to call him my friend and co-manager, and I look forward to the day that Bob and the Parkinson’s Disease Foundation will see the sun come up on the Light of Day." Willie Nile couldn’t help but agree, saying simply, "I love Bob. He's a tireless worker and is passionate about the music he likes. He bleeds rock and roll. He's also got a heart the size of New Jersey."

For information on Light of Day, visit: www.lightofday.org

For information on Parkinson’s Disease and the Parkinson’s Disease Foundation, visit: www.pdf.org

For info on ALS and the ALS Association: www.alsphiladelphia.org/index.shtm

For info on the Kristen Ann Carr Fund and Sarcoma research visit: www.sarcoma.com

Article by Anthony D'Amato -- photo by John Cavanaugh