By Carmen Marotta
In the late 50s and early 60s, Conway Twitty was already recording hit songs and selling millions of records, becoming famous while on his way to the Country Music Hall of Fame. However, when he spent five summers headlining at Tony Mart’s from 1961 through 1965, he was still a rockabilly star.
As did many of the musical artists that performed at Tony Mart’s, Conway, and some of his family and band members, stayed in the apartments above the Bay Avenue night spot. Conway’s daughters Joni and Kathy were young children hanging out at Tony Mart’s just like the Marotta children in Tony Mart’s own family.
Conway Twitty and his drummer, Porkchop Markham, also a hall of famer, played for many weeks over those five years as headliners and co-headliners, while The Fall Guys were the house band that kept it rockin’.
In 1965 however, there was a confluence of music history when Conway literally laid down his rock ‘n’ roll guitar while still performing at Tony Mart’s, and became a country crooner before heading back to Arkansas and Nashville on his way to fame and fortune as one of the greatest names in country music history.
Before he did that, he etched his name in the Tony Mart’s rock ‘n’ roll legend by convincing Tony Mart to give Levon and the Hawks, known as a great Canadian band, a chance.
The group was composed of members of the Arkansas based Ronnie Hawkins and the Hawks. Inspired by Twitty and the success of his band, The Twitty Birds in Toronto, Hawkins and company made their way up north where the demand for rockabilly was stronger than in the United States.
But as the Hawks members got homesick and began returning to Arkansas, they were replaced by Canadians with the exception of American drummer, Levon Helm. Eventually Levon and the Hawks became known as The Band.
It is well known in rock ‘n’ roll lore that during this tenure at the Mart with Conway, Levon and the Hawks became the rage of the Jersey Shore; and then got the call from Bob Dylan and went off to Woodstock, Newport, and the Rock ‘n’ Roll Hall of Fame.
As rock ‘n’ roll and country rock ‘n’ roll history continue to evolve from the roots of these great artists, Conway‘s grandson, Tre Twitty, found his place with Loretta Lynn’s granddaughter, Tayla Lynn, in a national touring show celebrating the relationship between Conway Twitty and Loretta Lynn. Simply called “Twitty and Lynn,” the show has been tremendously received by critics and the public.
While working on a video documentary about it, director Steve Jawn from 10:10 Creative, found the Jersey Shore legacy they were looking for when they bumped into Denny Brown, a Glenn Insurance agent, at the Point Diner, who directed them to the Tony Mart family.
This past week we met Tre Twitty who came to Somers Point looking for the legacy of Conway Twitty at Tony Mart’s in the 60s. Well he found it.
The chemistry between the Tony Mart family and the Conway Twitty family is absolutely magical and it will spill onto the Somers Point Beach for the national award-winning AtlantiCare Concerts on the Beach Series when Tre Twitty performs with Tayla Lynn as soon as it can be arranged.
Meanwhile, the final Tony Mart event of 2023, “Country Rockin’ New Year’s Party,” will be the local debut of Tre Twitty and first live musical performance here celebrating the ongoing legacy of Tony Mart’s.
Tre will be appearing as a guest star at our just announced Tony Mart end-of-the-year concert party 7 to 10 p.m. Dec. 29 at the VFW in Somers Point.
Tony Mart’s will celebrate with live shows that continue to make history in Somers Point, South Jersey and everywhere that rock ‘n’ roll and country rock music fans share and rejoice in the unique musical history of Tony Mart’s and the good times had by friends and family who came together on those wild summer nights from 1945 to 1982.
