Vinnie Roslin
Encyclopedia
Vinnie Roslin is an American bass guitar
ist. He was an original member of Steel Mill
, an early Bruce Springsteen
band. Other members of band included three future members the E Street Band
- Vini Lopez
, Danny Federici
and Steve Van Zandt.
and the Freehold Borough
areas of Monmouth County, New Jersey
. In late 1964, then aged 17, together with George Theiss (rhythm guitar, vocals), Bart Haynes (drums, vocals) and Mike DeLuise (lead guitar), he formed a band called The Sierras. They spent most of their short life in rehearsal and in early 1965 Roslin quit this band to join The Motifs with Walter Cichon (lead vocals) and Murray Bauer. Theiss and Haynes would later go on to form The Castiles and in June 1965 they were joined in that band by Bruce Springsteen
. The Motifs were managed by Norman Seldin, a local musician–entrepreneur whose own band, The Joyful Noyze, included Clarence Clemons
. Under the management of Seldin, The Motifs released at least two singles which became local hits. "Molly" and "If I Gave You Love" were both released by Seldin's own label, Selsom Records. In 2008 both songs were reissued on an anthology, Asbury Park - Then And Now, put together by Seldin. The Motifs also opened for bands such as The Young Rascals and The Duprees
. Roslin would continue to play with The Motifs until he was 21. They split up when Walter Cichon was conscripted
. Cichon, together with Bart Haynes, one of Roslin's earlier bandmates, were both killed while serving in Vietnam
.
and Vini Lopez
for the first time on April 22, 1966 when Norman Seldin organized a battle of the bands
competition at the Matawan-Keyport Roller Drome in Matawan, New Jersey
. Roslin was one of the judges while Springsteen and Lopez competed in the competition with their respective bands, The Castiles and Sonny & The Starfires. In February 1969, following the breakup of The Motifs, Roslin got together with Springsteen, Lopez and Danny Federici
at The Upstage on 702 Cookman Avenue in Asbury Park, New Jersey
and formed a new band. They initially played as Child, but in November 1969 changed their name to Steel Mill to avoid confusion with another band.
The highlight of Roslin's time with the band came in early 1970 when Steel Mill visited San Francisco and performed at The Matrix
and Fillmore West
, playing on the same bill as Elvin Bishop
, Boz Scaggs
and Grin. On February 22, they also recorded a three-song demo at the Pacific Recording Studio in San Mateo, California
for Bill Graham
. Graham had just formed Fillmore Records and actually offered Steel Mill a contract. However the band rejected it. Shortly after returning from San Francisco, Roslin left Steel Mill. He played his last gig with the band at the Virginia Commonwealth University
on February 28, 1970 and he was subsequently replaced by Steve Van Zandt. Exactly why Roslin left the band remains unclear, but it has been speculated that it was because he was in favor of accepting Graham's offer of a contract.
, Roslin has played in several other Jersey Shore
bands. He initially joined a reformed Motifs before playing in Maddog & The Shakes with Vini Lopez
and Ricky DeSarno (lead guitar). The Shakes based their sound on Motown and Memphis
and have been described as "one of the great unsigned Asbury Park bands of the mid-1970s". He later played with The George Theiss Band and in 1987 he teamed up again with Lopez in J.P. Gotrock. By 1998 he was playing with Red Bank Boogie which was then reformed as Blue Plate Special in late 2000. Roslin formed both bands with his girlfriend Robin Roselle.
Bass guitar
The bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a pick....
ist. He was an original member of Steel Mill
Steel Mill
Steel Mill was an early Bruce Springsteen band. Other members of the band included three future members of the E Street Band - Vini Lopez, Danny Federici and Steve Van Zandt. As well as playing on the Jersey Shore, Steel Mill also played regularly in Richmond, Virginia and played gigs in California...
, an early Bruce Springsteen
Bruce Springsteen
Bruce Frederick Joseph Springsteen , nicknamed "The Boss," is an American singer-songwriter who records and tours with the E Street Band...
band. Other members of band included three future members the E Street Band
E Street Band
The E Street Band has been rock musician Bruce Springsteen's primary backing band since 1972.The band has also recorded with a wide range of other artists including Bob Dylan, Meat Loaf, Bonnie Tyler, Air Supply, Dire Straits, David Bowie, Peter Gabriel, Stevie Nicks, Tom Morello, Sting, Ian...
- Vini Lopez
Vini Lopez
Vini "Mad Dog" Lopez is an American drummer. Between 1968 and 1974 Lopez backed Bruce Springsteen in several bands, including Steel Mill and the E Street Band. He also played on Springsteen’s first two albums, Greetings from Asbury Park, N.J. and The Wild, the Innocent and the E Street Shuffle...
, Danny Federici
Danny Federici
Daniel Paul "Danny" Federici was an American musician, best known as the longtime organ, glockenspiel, and accordion player for Bruce Springsteen's E Street Band.- Career :...
and Steve Van Zandt.
Early years
Roslin grew up in and around the Howell TownshipHowell Township, New Jersey
Howell is a Township in Monmouth County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2010 United States Census, the township population was 51,075.Howell Township was incorporated as a township by an Act of the New Jersey Legislature on February 23, 1801, from portions of Shrewsbury Township...
and the Freehold Borough
Freehold Borough, New Jersey
Freehold is a borough in Monmouth County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2010 United States Census, the borough population was 12,052. It is the county seat of Monmouth County....
areas of Monmouth County, New Jersey
Monmouth County, New Jersey
Monmouth County is a county located in the U.S. state of New Jersey, within the New York metropolitan area. As of the 2010 Census, the population was 630,380, up from 615,301 at the 2000 census. Its county seat is Freehold Borough. The most populous municipality is Middletown Township with...
. In late 1964, then aged 17, together with George Theiss (rhythm guitar, vocals), Bart Haynes (drums, vocals) and Mike DeLuise (lead guitar), he formed a band called The Sierras. They spent most of their short life in rehearsal and in early 1965 Roslin quit this band to join The Motifs with Walter Cichon (lead vocals) and Murray Bauer. Theiss and Haynes would later go on to form The Castiles and in June 1965 they were joined in that band by Bruce Springsteen
Bruce Springsteen
Bruce Frederick Joseph Springsteen , nicknamed "The Boss," is an American singer-songwriter who records and tours with the E Street Band...
. The Motifs were managed by Norman Seldin, a local musician–entrepreneur whose own band, The Joyful Noyze, included Clarence Clemons
Clarence Clemons
Clarence Anicholas Clemons, Jr. , also known as The Big Man, was an American musician and actor. From 1972 until his death, he was a prominent member of Bruce Springsteen's E Street Band, playing the tenor saxophone. He released several solo albums and in 1985, had a hit single with "You're a...
. Under the management of Seldin, The Motifs released at least two singles which became local hits. "Molly" and "If I Gave You Love" were both released by Seldin's own label, Selsom Records. In 2008 both songs were reissued on an anthology, Asbury Park - Then And Now, put together by Seldin. The Motifs also opened for bands such as The Young Rascals and The Duprees
The Duprees
The Duprees is an American musical group of doo-wop style which had a series of hit records in the early 1960s.-Career:The group originated in the early 1960s in Jersey City, New Jersey, and comprised William L. Dickinson High School students Michael Arnone, Joe Santollo, John Salvato, Tom...
. Roslin would continue to play with The Motifs until he was 21. They split up when Walter Cichon was conscripted
Conscription in the United States
Conscription in the United States has been employed several times, usually during war but also during the nominal peace of the Cold War...
. Cichon, together with Bart Haynes, one of Roslin's earlier bandmates, were both killed while serving in Vietnam
Vietnam War
The Vietnam War was a Cold War-era military conflict that occurred in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia from 1 November 1955 to the fall of Saigon on 30 April 1975. This war followed the First Indochina War and was fought between North Vietnam, supported by its communist allies, and the government of...
.
Steel Mill
Roslin met Bruce SpringsteenBruce Springsteen
Bruce Frederick Joseph Springsteen , nicknamed "The Boss," is an American singer-songwriter who records and tours with the E Street Band...
and Vini Lopez
Vini Lopez
Vini "Mad Dog" Lopez is an American drummer. Between 1968 and 1974 Lopez backed Bruce Springsteen in several bands, including Steel Mill and the E Street Band. He also played on Springsteen’s first two albums, Greetings from Asbury Park, N.J. and The Wild, the Innocent and the E Street Shuffle...
for the first time on April 22, 1966 when Norman Seldin organized a battle of the bands
Battle of the Bands
Battle of Bands is a contest in which two or more bands compete for the title of "best band". The winner is determined by a panel of judges, the general response of the audience, or a combination. The winning band usually receives a prize in addition to bragging rights. Traditionally, battles of...
competition at the Matawan-Keyport Roller Drome in Matawan, New Jersey
Matawan, New Jersey
Matawan is a borough in Monmouth County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2010 United States Census, the borough population was 8,810. The name "Matawan" comes from a Native American Lenape word....
. Roslin was one of the judges while Springsteen and Lopez competed in the competition with their respective bands, The Castiles and Sonny & The Starfires. In February 1969, following the breakup of The Motifs, Roslin got together with Springsteen, Lopez and Danny Federici
Danny Federici
Daniel Paul "Danny" Federici was an American musician, best known as the longtime organ, glockenspiel, and accordion player for Bruce Springsteen's E Street Band.- Career :...
at The Upstage on 702 Cookman Avenue in Asbury Park, New Jersey
Asbury Park, New Jersey
Asbury Park is a city in Monmouth County, New Jersey, United States, located on the Jersey Shore and part of the New York City Metropolitan Area. As of the 2010 United States Census, the city population was 16,116. The city is known for its rich musical history, including its association with...
and formed a new band. They initially played as Child, but in November 1969 changed their name to Steel Mill to avoid confusion with another band.
The highlight of Roslin's time with the band came in early 1970 when Steel Mill visited San Francisco and performed at The Matrix
The Matrix (club)
The Matrix, a renovated former pizza shop, was a nightclub in San Francisco from 1965 to 1972 and was one of the keys to what eventually became known as the "San Francisco Sound" in rock music...
and Fillmore West
Fillmore West
The Fillmore West was an historic music venue in San Francisco, California made famous by concert promoter Bill Graham. Named after Graham's original "Fillmore" location at the intersection of Fillmore Street and Geary Boulevard, it stood at Market Street and South Van Ness Avenue and was formerly...
, playing on the same bill as Elvin Bishop
Elvin Bishop
Elvin Bishop is an American blues and rock and roll musician and guitarist.-Career:Bishop was born in Glendale, California, and grew up on a farm near Elliott, Iowa. His family moved to Tulsa, Oklahoma, when he was ten years old...
, Boz Scaggs
Boz Scaggs
William Royce "Boz" Scaggs is an American singer, songwriter and guitarist. He gained fame in the 1970s with several Top 20 hit singles in the United States, along with the #2 album, Silk Degrees. Scaggs continues to write, record music and tour.-Early life and career:Scaggs was born in Canton,...
and Grin. On February 22, they also recorded a three-song demo at the Pacific Recording Studio in San Mateo, California
San Mateo, California
San Mateo is a city in San Mateo County, California, United States, in the San Francisco Bay Area. With a population of approximately 100,000 , it is one of the larger suburbs on the San Francisco Peninsula, located between Burlingame to the north, Foster City to the east, Belmont to the south,...
for Bill Graham
Bill Graham (promoter)
Bill Graham was an American impresario and rock concert promoter from the 1960s until his death.-Early life:...
. Graham had just formed Fillmore Records and actually offered Steel Mill a contract. However the band rejected it. Shortly after returning from San Francisco, Roslin left Steel Mill. He played his last gig with the band at the Virginia Commonwealth University
Virginia Commonwealth University
Virginia Commonwealth University is a public university located in Richmond, Virginia. It comprises two campuses in the Downtown Richmond area, the product of a merger between the Richmond Professional Institute and the Medical College of Virginia in 1968...
on February 28, 1970 and he was subsequently replaced by Steve Van Zandt. Exactly why Roslin left the band remains unclear, but it has been speculated that it was because he was in favor of accepting Graham's offer of a contract.
Later years
Since leaving Steel MillSteel Mill
Steel Mill was an early Bruce Springsteen band. Other members of the band included three future members of the E Street Band - Vini Lopez, Danny Federici and Steve Van Zandt. As well as playing on the Jersey Shore, Steel Mill also played regularly in Richmond, Virginia and played gigs in California...
, Roslin has played in several other Jersey Shore
Jersey Shore sound
The Jersey Shore sound is a genre of rock and roll popularized at the Jersey Shore on the Atlantic Ocean coast of New Jersey, United States, that goes by a variety of names or, more often, is defined by its artists...
bands. He initially joined a reformed Motifs before playing in Maddog & The Shakes with Vini Lopez
Vini Lopez
Vini "Mad Dog" Lopez is an American drummer. Between 1968 and 1974 Lopez backed Bruce Springsteen in several bands, including Steel Mill and the E Street Band. He also played on Springsteen’s first two albums, Greetings from Asbury Park, N.J. and The Wild, the Innocent and the E Street Shuffle...
and Ricky DeSarno (lead guitar). The Shakes based their sound on Motown and Memphis
Memphis soul
Memphis soul, also known as Memphis Sound, is stylish, funky, uptown soul music that is not as hard-edged as Southern soul. It is a shimmering, sultry style produced in the 1960s and 1970s at Stax and Hi Records in Memphis, Tennessee, featuring melodic unison horn lines, organ, bass, and a driving...
and have been described as "one of the great unsigned Asbury Park bands of the mid-1970s". He later played with The George Theiss Band and in 1987 he teamed up again with Lopez in J.P. Gotrock. By 1998 he was playing with Red Bank Boogie which was then reformed as Blue Plate Special in late 2000. Roslin formed both bands with his girlfriend Robin Roselle.
Discography
- Blue Plate Special: Cookin’
- Stormin' Norman & Friends: Asbury Park - Then And Now (2008)