Patti Scialfa talks NJ Hall of Fame induction, performing with Springsteen, E Street Band
Patti Scialfa has rocked the world. Now, she’s going to rock the New Jersey Hall of Fame.
Scialfa, a Deal native and longtime member of the E Street Band, will enter the New Jersey Hall Sunday, Oct. 29, in a ceremony at the New Jersey Performing Arts Center in Newark. Singer Tony Orlando, Giants running back Tiki Barber, “Sopranos” creator David Chase and basketball player Sue Wicks are among others also being inducted.
“I’m super flattered,” said Scialfa to the USA Today Network New Jersey. “You look at the list of inductees and it’s quite illustrious so you're going, 'Oh my gosh!' I’m a little overwhelmed with imposter syndrome right now.”
Scialfa is a solo artist with multiple albums released — and one on the way. She’s a songwriter who has worked with artists like Don Cherry, Narda Michael Walden, David Johansen, and Southside Johnny and the Asbury Jukes. Scialfa also has produced movies and documentaries, picking up an Emmy along the way.
Playing with the E Street Band
Joining Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band in 1984 put her on the musical map. She married the frontman in 1991.
“You have to bring your best to the stage; that’s what you’re there for,” Scialfa said. “When you go out on that stage, which has pretty much been the same stage for 40 years, it doesn’t really change. That spot, your body responds to that. Automatically you’re in that mode.”
Scialfa keeps the personal personal when she’s on stage, even if her husband is a few feet away.
“When I work with the band, I do like to keep it in a separate part of my mind, in a professional way, really, and not bring any kind of personal relationship to the stage,” Scialfa said. “That’s not part of the show, (but) if he wants to do something funny, I’ll do that.”
More: Released 50 years ago, Springsteen's 'The Wild, the Innocent' lives on as fan favorite
Scialfa became the first female member of the E Street Band when she joined on the eve of the “Born in the U.S.A." tour. She opted out after a handful of shows on the current tour to spend time working on her solo album and spend time with her new granddaughter, Lily Harper, the first for son Sam Springsteen and his wife, Alex Reph.
The inclusion of the E Street Choir and the E Street Horns for the tour planted a lot of bodies up there.
“I didn’t feel as needed in a way because there were a lot of musicians on stage,” said Scialfa, who noted that she'll be on stage when E Street returns in 2024. “I did the first couple of shows, and as I saw how it was all rolling, I thought, 'This is good. This is completely intact. There’s not much room for me to add anything special.'
"And the main thing was I have a record that I couldn’t have finished when Bruce was home because he’s in the studio all the time. So I took that opportunity to do my record."
More: Now on the radio, music and TV star Tony Orlando is going into the NJ Hall of Fame
The home studio
Scialfa built the recording studio at the couple’s Colts Neck home.
"It has its own kitchen and a tiny lounge," she said, "and you can put all your equipment out. We never had a place you could put your equipment out, and since it’s been finished it’s been in use 24/7.”
The studio, located in a garage on the couple’s property, has hosted the E Street Band and President Barack Obama, who recorded the “Renegades: Born in the USA” podcast with Springsteen there.
“I didn’t want it to be like the interior of our house," she said. "I wanted a different feel to it so it could be like an entity unto itself. It felt like you’re going to work. It’s a little more clearer and a little more modern than our house — (it) just feels very zen when you walk in. There’s a lot of windows so you always see the farm outside ... It’s relaxing."
'Springsteen on Broadway'
There's magic in the studio, and on Broadway, where Scialfa starred with her husband in two runs of “Springsteen on Broadway.” Scialfa sang “Brilliant Disguise” and “Tougher Than the Rest” with Springsteen during the first run at the Walter Kerr Theatre in 2017 and ’18.
“Fire” replaced “Brilliant Disguise” for the 2021 run at the St. James Theatre.
“It was one of the most beautiful experiences because the venues have their own energy, and (Springsteen) picked a beautiful theater to do it in and that came with its own energy,” Scialfa said. “When you walk into the place you do feel some kind of resonance in everything. It became something that was so strikingly beautiful, just personally, because you’re watching Bruce do it night after night.
"... I remember looking at the ceiling and the rigging and the curtains and you see part of the audience, and it’s just glorious."
More: Bruce Springsteen Archives at Monmouth University to expand; includes 230-seat theater
More: Bruce Springsteen talks about 'monster' bellyache, Freehold music roots on SiriusXM show
The Scialfa segment was pivotal to the Springsteen story, and the two-song performance contrasted well with the evening’s other songs.
The couple got a little racy at the St. James on “Fire.”
“It was more playful,” said Scialfa, who turned 70 in July. “He gave me the power in that moment to tease him in front of the crowd. It’s humanizing.”
Making a difference
When not on stage, Scialfa uses her station to bring about social change. In 2017, Scialfa, her mom and other relatives were part of the Women’s March in Asbury Park, which took place on the first day of the Trump Administration. The marches drew focus on the increase of misogyny in the public discourse.
Scialfa co-produced, with daughter Jessica Springsteen and Robert Redford, the film “The Mustangs: America’s Wild Horses” to draw focus to the peril wild horses face in the United States. The PBS special, “Shelter Me: Soul Awakened,” produced by Scialfa, examined the effects of a therapy dog program on prison recidivism rates. It won an Emmy.
“One of the objectives was to reduce recidivism in prison because that’s the hardest thing to do,” Scialfa said. “They ended up commuting some sentences because of these people and their exemplary behavior. A lot of people in prison shouldn’t be there, as we know, so I was thrilled to be a part of that.”
Scialfa has been spending a lot of time with family, which includes son Evan James, lately. Daughter Jessica made headlines when she won a silver medal with the U.S. equestrian jumping team at the Tokyo Olympics in 2021.
“Most important is my three kids,” Scialfa said. “I’m kind of a home person.”
Hall of Fame ceremony in Newark
All inductees in the New Jersey Hall of Fame are either from New Jersey, or call New Jersey home, including member Danny DeVito, who is hosting Sunday. Entrepreneur Finn Wentworth, ADP head Josh Weston, Newark politician Steve Adubato Sr., former New Jersey Gov. Charles Edison, statesman George Shultz, sculptor George Segal and librarian Dorothy Porter Wesley will also be inducted on Sunday. Adubato, Edison, Shultz, Segal and Porter Wesley are being inducted posthumously.
Individuals receiving the most votes in each category were inducted following approval of Hall of Fame’s board of directors, who then determined who else should be inducted, according to the Hall of Fame.
The hall is scheduled to move to the American Dream retail and amusement center at the Meadowlands in East Rutherford. Fellow E Street members Springsteen, Steven Van Zandt and Max Weinberg are already in.
Sunday's show will be the first in-person ceremony for the Hall since 2019 at the Paramount Theatre in Asbury Park.
“I’m really delighted,” Scialfa said.
Go: New Jersey Hall of Fame induction, 8 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 29 (Red carpet begins at 5:30 p.m.), New Jersey Performing Arts Center, One Center St., Newark, $19 to $45; njpac.org.
Subscribe to app.com for the latest on New Jersey celebs.
Chris Jordan, a Jersey Shore native, covers entertainment and features for the USA Today Network New Jersey. Contact him at @chrisfhjordan; [email protected]
This article originally appeared on Asbury Park Press: Patti Scialfa talks NJ Hall of Fame, Springsteen, E Street Band
