By Steffen Klenk
Atlantic City native Jim Craine is no stranger to the South Jersey entertainment scene. Known as “The Singing Lifeguard”, he has performed on stages big and small, emceed some of the most well-known names in show business, and is the host of his own show on WOND 1400 AM.
Craine’s began working at Steel Pier at the age of nine, when he got his first job as a game barker. He continued working at the Pier off-and-on for ten years. It was during this tenure that he got to see every some of the biggest names in music, from The Supremes to The Temptations, Count Basie to Buddy Rich. “Duke Ellington was teaching me little tricks about my voice.” Craine describes working at Steel Pier as the best summer job he’s ever had. “Working seven days until 2 o’clock in the morning made no difference whatsoever, because you were up and ready to go the next day and wanted to be back there.”
While tending to the diving horses at Steel Pier in the summer of 1974, he followed his former boss, Barney Cipriani, ten-time high diving champion, to Miami Beach, Fl, to become a cabana boy at the Versailles Hotel.
On December 14, 1974, while working the pool deck, Cipriani made a bet to Craine “He said, “I bet you don’t have the guts to get up there and sing.” Craine’s first song of choice was Tie a Yellow Ribbon. “The whole pool deck started listening, clapping their hands, and loving it.” He was then offered a gig by the social director of the hotel to headline their Taboo Room on Wednesday nights, where he performed ‘Yellow Ribbon’, ‘Babyface’, and ‘Rock-a-By Your Baby.’ “I even got a standing ovation,” said Craine.
Craine continued to work in Miami, landing jobs at Fountainebleau and Bowling for Dollars. Upon returning to Atlantic City one year later, in 1975, he was hired by Gennaro Consalvo to perform in Vaudeville Returns at the President Hotel. “I was only supposed to be there for a week and I stayed for the whole summer.” Craine would go on to open for some of the biggest names in music, such as The Platters and Frank Sinatra Jr., at the former Atlantis Casino.
Between 1974 and 1999, Craine served as a lifeguard on the Atlantic City Beach Patrol, sitting in front of the Claridge on Indiana Ave. “I would put my tux on, go out the back door of the tent at the Playboy and go right over to work.”
He was on duty the morning of July 9, 1977, when a banner plane crashed just off the beach at North Carolina Ave., near the current site of Resorts. “A big fog bank came in and he got lost. That was an amazing rescue.” Craine recalls going out into the water to save the pilot, Eddie Gibson. “We got out there, I lifted him up and he took a breath. He broke almost every bone in his body.” A few days later, Craine went to visit Gibson in the hospital. “He was awake and conscious, and we saved his life.”
When Craine is not on stage or behind the mic, you can find him, and his wife, Joanne, at the Pleasantville Music Shop. In business since 1938, it is described as the oldest Mom & Pop music store on the East Coast, selling real pianos, guitars, drums, and percussion. The shop also provides music lessons to budding musicians, along with rentals, and repairs.
Whether working at Steel Pier, sitting in the lifeguard chair, or performing in front of a crowd of thousands, Jim Craine has done it all. Today, “The Singing Lifeguard” is celebrating nearly 49 years in show business. His unique mix of music, comedy, talk, and entertainment can be heard live each week on The Jim Craine Show, heard on NewsTalk 1400 AM and 92.3 FM Saturday nights from 8 – 10 p.m. You can also hear his daily Lookback in the Rearview Mirror of Atlantic City, chronicling the rich history and stories of the seaside resort town.
‘The Singing Lifeguard’ is preparing to perform an incredible show for South Jersey audiences. The Summer Ain’t Over Concert is scheduled for Tuesday, September 5 at Atlantic City’s Brighton Park. The show is sponsored by the Schultz-Hill Foundation and will be dedicated to all first responders for their work during 9/11. Concert goers are invited to an afterparty to follow at the back deck of The Irish Pub.
Save the date this holiday season to see Jim Craine’s Swing Into Christmas, on Friday, December 10, at Resorts’s Superstar Theater. Proceeds from the show will benefit Toys for Tots. Additionally, Craine is set to celebrate his 50th anniversary on-stage with a performance with his eighteen-piece band called The Steel Pier Remembered Big Band, next summer, along with a re-release of his big band album.
Additional information is available at jimcraine.com.
Steffen Klenk is a photographer and multimedia journalist who enjoys capturing the eclectic moments of shore life. You may contact Steffen at shorelocalsteffen@gmail.com.
