Jon Bon Jovi inducts Stevie Van Zandt into Walk of Fame outside Count Basie Theater

🎸 Stevie Van Zandt is inducted into the Count Basie Center for the Arts Walk of Fame.

⭐ Jon Bon Jovi joined the celebration, honoring his longtime friend and helping open the first ever TeachRock Hall of Fame.

🎓 TeachRock honored inspiring educators, including the late mother of Tom Morello.

RED BANK — There was a special level of excitement, mixed with shivers from the sudden temperature drop, on Saturday outside the Count Basie Center for the Arts in Red Bank.

As part of the landmark theater's "Centennial Celebration" in 2025, the Basie launched its Walk of Fame as a permanent tribute to New Jersey-rooted artists who have performed inside.

Jon Bon Jovi on the Walk of Fame outside Count Basie Theater (Erin Vogt, Townsquare Media)

Jon Bon Jovi and William “Count” Basie were the first to be inducted in September 2025.

They were soon joined by Darlene Love, The Smithereens, Fred Schneider and Kate Pierson of The B-52s (both grew up in New Jersey before the band took form in Athens, Georgia), and Dramarama, which formed in Wayne, and Sheldon Vogel, former Atlantic Records executive and philanthropist.

Stevie Van Zandt on Walk of Fame at Count Basie Theater (Erin Vogt,Townsquare Media)

Stevie Van Zandt gets his place on the Basie's Walk of Fame

As of this weekend, Stevie Van Zandt is now on a special Walk of Fame paver, outside the theater where he saw the movies of his childhood.

"I grew up in a Catholic New Jersey household not far from here and like a lot of kids every night before bed, you were told to say your prayers. And in the Church, they taught us in the name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Ghost But in my house, it was in the name of Bruce, Steven and Southside Johnny," Bon Jovi joked from the podium, inducting his friend.

Van Zandt was joined by his wife of more than 40 years, Maureen, and their dog Tiggy, whose Zen-like calmness during the festivities was a marvel of its own.

Stevie Van Zandt on Walk of Fame at Count Basie Theater Erin Vogt Townsquare Media

From the E Street Band to TeachRock

Beloved as a member of the E Street Band, leader of his own band, the Disciples of Soul and one of the iconic castmates of HBO’s "The Sopranos" — Stevie has also built a legacy with TeachRock.

The program offers free music and arts curriculum and lessons, as created under the nonprofit Rock and Roll Forever Foundation.

More than 80,000 educators use TeachRock’s curriculum, reaching more than one million students nationwide.

(L-R) Maureen Van Zandt, Stevie Van Zandt and Robert

Saturday combined celebrations: Van Zandt's addition to the Walk of Fame, along with the first ever inductions into a TeachRock Hall of Fame.

TeachRock honors educators making a difference

Three educators were honored with special awards:

⬛ Tanya Peterson, a teacher at Asbury Park's Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Middle School won the Joy in Learning Award
⬛ Kathy Durham, from Nevada's West Wendover High School won the Trailblazer Award
⬛ Patrick "Mac" McGuire, of Colorado's Mountain Vista High School won the Impact Award

The pre-show purple carpet and TeachRock ceremony were also attended by NJ-raised comedian Jeff Ross, and Robert "Kool" Bell of Kool and the Gang, who helped wrap the festivities Saturday night.

Ct Basie Stevie Van Zandt and TeachRock celebration

Bruce Springsteen joins Van Zandt, Tom Morello for very special honor

Yes, there was a Bruce Springsteen appearance at the TeachRock ceremony on Saturday evening.

Springsteen showed up to support Van Zandt and help bestow the inaugural Lifetime Achievement Award to the late Mary Morello, accepted by her son, Rock and Rock Hall of fame musician and friend of both Van Zandt and Springsteen, Tom Morello.

Mary Morello recently died at the age of 102 after a career of service as a public school teacher in Illinois.

Before the ceremony on the TeachRock purple carpet, Tom Morello told me he is still hearing from students who remember his mother's lasting impact on their own lives.

I also had a chance to congratulate all three inaugural Hall of Fame TeachRock teachers.

Tanya, Kathy and Patrick were all so passionate about the difference that the free curriculum has made in their classrooms.

When Kathy first found TeachRock ten years ago, she also discovered the New Jersey music scene — and has been making trips here from Nevada, every since.

"Teachers are equally important to our police, our firemen, our military — they're on the front line of a war against ignorance every single day. And with the right curriculum and the right teachers, that war is winnable," Van Zandy said on Saturday.

Thanking the team at the Count Basie, his friends and family, Van Zandt added, "I will use every effort to make you proud."

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