From their humble beginnings rehearsing at the chicken coops on Route 33 to the basement of the Cycle Shop on Throckmorton Street, this band has come a long way from its "Eddie and the Cruisers" days to become one of Jersey's best kept secrets. Under the tutelage of Jackson resident sax player Screamin' Steve Barlotta, who has been the captain of this fantastic soul cruise for over 15 years, has catapulted this band from the recesses of a dingy basement to over 200 performances a year while capturing the true essence of the Jersey Shore sound and its true R&B roots.

Fortunately for those of us that feel that the sound of classic Philly Soul, Motown, Disco, Stax, and the music of Earth, Wind & Fire, Chicago, and other such groups was and still is some of the best music ever recorded or played live, there will be plenty of chances to see the Sensational Soul Cruisers perform this summer and for many years to come.

While the band travels to and plays concerts in theaters, clubs, public festivals, and private events throughout the country, they will be spending quite a bit of time in the northeast but especially in New Jersey this year. This is in no small part due to the band’s strong ties to its roots in Freehold Borough in the beautiful Garden State. While the group has been known as the Soul Cruisers for the past 15 years, the rhythm section was known for many years prior to that, being the band behind Eddie Testa, as “Eddie and the Cruisers”. That band and its name inspired the somewhat popular (albeit entirely fictionally based) movie of the same name; which in turn led to some confusion and difficulty as the guys struggled to maintain their group identity while standing in the shadow of a fictional movie band. Since then, the rest of the story has been a happy one.