Robert "Bobby" Bandiera (born October 19, 1953) is an American

rock Rock most often refers to: * Rock (geology), a naturally occurring solid aggregate of minerals or mineraloids * Rock music, a genre of popular music Rock or Rocks may also refer to: Places United Kingdom * Rock, Caerphilly, a location in Wales ...

guitarist A guitarist (or a guitar player) is a person who plays the guitar. Guitarists may play a variety of guitar family instruments such as classical guitars, acoustic guitars, electric guitars, and bass guitars. Some guitarists accompany themselv ...

singer Singing is the act of creating musical sounds with the voice. A person who sings is called a singer, artist or vocalist (in jazz and/or popular music). Singers perform music (arias, recitatives, songs, etc.) that can be sung with or without ...

, and

songwriter A songwriter is a musician who professionally composes musical compositions or writes lyrics for songs, or both. The writer of the music for a song can be called a composer, although this term tends to be used mainly in the classical music gen ...

from

New Jersey New Jersey is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern regions of the United States. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York; on the east, southeast, and south by the Atlantic Ocean; on the west by the Delaware ...

. Bandiera played rhythm guitar for

Bon Jovi Bon Jovi is an American Rock music, rock band formed in 1983 in Sayreville, New Jersey. It consists of singer Jon Bon Jovi, keyboardist David Bryan, drummer Tico Torres, guitarist Phil X, and bassist Hugh McDonald (American musician), Hugh McD ...

in live performances from 2005 until 2015 and for nearly two decades was lead guitarist for

Southside Johnny and the Asbury Jukes Southside Johnny and the Asbury Jukes are an American musical group from the Jersey Shore led by Southside Johnny. They have been recording albums since 1976 and are closely associated with Bruce Springsteen & The E Street Band. They have recor ...

. Bandiera and his band (The Bobby Bandiera Band) have backed

Bruce Springsteen Bruce Frederick Joseph Springsteen (born September 23, 1949) is an American singer and songwriter. He has released 21 studio albums, most of which feature his backing band, the E Street Band. Originally from the Jersey Shore, he is an originat ...

at benefit concerts.

Biography

Bandiera began playing in clubs over 45 years ago at the age of 16. Originally, he was in a band called Holme from

Orange, New Jersey The City of Orange is a township in Essex County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. As of the 2010 U.S. census, the township's population was 30,134, reflecting a decline of 2,734 (−8.3%) from the 32,868 counted in 2000. Orange was original ...

. They debuted in 1970 and were the house band for years at Dodd's in

, as well as

D'Jais D'Jais Bar & Grill is a popular dance club and restaurant in Belmar, New Jersey. It has been called a landmark, "infamous", and one of the most famous bars along the Jersey Shore. Location and Name D'Jais Bar & Grill is located at 1801-1805 Ocean ...

Belmar, New Jersey Belmar is a borough in Monmouth County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey, situated on the Jersey Shore. As of the 2010 United States census, the borough's population was 5,794, A longtime presence on the

Jersey Shore The Jersey Shore (known by locals simply as the Shore) is the coastal region of the U.S. state of New Jersey. Geographically, the term encompasses about of oceanfront bordering the Atlantic Ocean, from Perth Amboy in the north to Cape May Po ...

, Bandiera was associated with major acts. He was considered for the guitarist position in the

E Street Band The E Street Band is an American rock band, and has been musician Bruce Springsteen's primary backing band since 1972. The band was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2014. For the bulk of Springsteen's recording and performing caree ...

for the

Born in the U.S.A. Tour The Born in the U.S.A. Tour was the supporting concert tour of Bruce Springsteen's '' Born in the U.S.A.'' album. It was his longest and most successful tour to date. It featured a physically transformed Springsteen; after two years of bodybuil ...

in 1984, when

Steven Van Zandt Steven Van Zandt (né Lento; born November 22, 1950), also known as Little Steven or Miami Steve, is an American musician, singer, songwriter, and actor. He is a member of Bruce Springsteen's E Street Band, in which he plays guitar and mandolin ...

left the band, but this position went to

Nils Lofgren Nils Hilmer Lofgren (born June 21, 1951) is an American rock musician, recording artist, songwriter, and multi-instrumentalist. Along with his work as a solo artist, he has been a member of Bruce Springsteen's E Street Band since 1984, a membe ...

. In 1985, Bandiera replaced

Billy Rush William Rush (born August 26, 1952) is an American musician, guitarist, composer, producer, arranger and engineer who started working professionally in 1964. Rush is especially known for his lengthy association with Southside Johnny and the Asbury ...

as guitarist for

but in 2010 left the band. In the mid-1990s, Bandiera and

Southside Johnny John Lyon (born December 4, 1948), better known by his stage name Southside Johnny, is an American singer-songwriter who usually fronts his band Southside Johnny and the Asbury Jukes. Southside Johnny has long been considered the Grandfather of ...

made a number of shows as a duo. Bandiera has also played with

Dave Edmunds David William Edmunds (born 15 April 1944) is a Welsh singer-songwriter, guitarist and record producer. Although he is mainly associated with pub rock and new wave, having many hits in the 1970s and early 1980s, his natural leaning has alwa ...

, and has his own band, The Bobby Bandiera Band, which performs regularly in the New Jersey area when Bandiera is not on tour. Bandiera has had an active solo career, releasing three albums and often playing during Springsteen's

Asbury Park Asbury Park () is a beachfront city located on the Jersey Shore in Monmouth County in the U.S. state of New Jersey. It is part of the New York metropolitan area. As of the 2020 U.S. census, the city's population was 15,188

holiday shows of the early 2000s. His most famous song is "C'mon Caroline," which he co-wrote with Bob Burger, another talented Jersey shore musician. He also does studio musician work and has appeared on albums by Cyndi Lauper, Patti Scialfa, and others. In 2003, Bandiera toured with

during ''

This Left Feels Right Live ''This Left Feels Right Live'' is the third of Bon Jovi's live concert videos. Filmed at Atlantic City, New Jersey, this features the band's performance at the Borgata on November 14 and 15, 2003. The DVD was directed by Tony Bongiovi (Anthony Mi ...

'' session. From 2005 until 2015, he played

rhythm guitar In music performances, rhythm guitar is a technique and role that performs a combination of two functions: to provide all or part of the rhythmic pulse in conjunction with other instruments from the rhythm section (e.g., drum kit, bass guitar ...

in Bon Jovi's live performances. According to

Jon Bon Jovi John Francis Bongiovi Jr. (born March 2, 1962), known professionally as Jon Bon Jovi, is an American singer, songwriter, guitarist, and actor. He is best known as the founder and frontman of the rock band Bon Jovi, which was formed in 1983. He ...

, he is on "permanent loan" to the band from

(having not played with the Jukes since 2010).

Discography

Albums

* ''Bandiera'' · (Released 1991) * ''Dog Loves You'' · (Released 1995) * ''Is My Father There'' · (Released 2005)

References

External links

Bobby Bandiera home page

Interview
with Chorus and Verse (Aug. 2005) {{DEFAULTSORT:Bandiera, Bobby 1952 births Bon Jovi members American rock guitarists American male guitarists American male singers Southside Johnny & The Asbury Jukes members Jersey Shore musicians Living people Singers from New Jersey People from Orange, New Jersey Guitarists from New Jersey 20th-century American guitarists 21st-century American guitarists