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Meet the Asbury Park Musician: Ernest "Boom" Carter


Boom Carter at Muscle Shoals Studio (2021)
Boom Carter at Muscle Shoals Studio (2021)

Ernest Carter's nickname of "Boom" is certainly appropriate - his legacy on the drums (the guitar, keyboard, and voice too!) still reverberates and continues to this day, inspiring the next generation of rising musicians through his performances. Born in Asbury Park and growing up on Bangs Ave, Carter's early life was deeply rooted in music, family, and community. He would be first introduced to the drums through his brother, and after witnessing a young Carter pretending to hold drumsticks in his hand, his father would buy him his first real set, marking the start of Carter's lifelong career. 


Carter recalls, “My father noticed it and took me to a music store. He said, ‘Okay, pick something out.’ So I got a drum pad, drumsticks... and then he took me over to [the] School of Music in Neptune. I took lessons there for about two years and I made about six different teams.”


After being given his first set of drum sticks by his father, the Carter family basement would be filled for hours with the sound of Carter's playing - this was to the point where, in the turbulent 1970 uprising, police were alerted by the sound of gunshots, only to find it was Carter himself, simply playing away on the drums! This prompted one of Carter's fellow track athletes to give him the nickname "Boom," with the moniker sticking and becoming a trademark of Carter's brand. "They came down into the basement after I was playing. There were gun shots going off or something… We go to MacDonald's, sit in the car, somebody came up with the nickname Boom and it stuck."


Despite pressures from his school to take up a trade, Carter was supported by his high school band teacher, Mr. Dorian Parreott, who let him rehearse in secret. "Mr. Parreott used to let me sneak into the band and play with the band… he had my back because he knew I wanted to play music but the school didn't have my back." 


Boom's career took off after joining the Asbury Park R&B band Little Royal and The Swingmasters in the late 1960s, getting the opportunity to tour the south and play with icons like Rufus and Carla Thomas. In 1971, Carter would meet David Sancious by chance in Richmond, Virginia, a fellow Asbury Park musician. After hitting it off, Sancious would invite Carter to join the one and only Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band as their drummer. Carter's thunderous drumming added new sheen to Springsteen's performances, helping him to achieve his famously energetic persona. This can be heard on Bruce Springsteen's track "Born to Run," where Carter's drum performance truly ties the song together! 


Boom Carter plays drums on the studio recording of Bruce Springsteen's "Born to Run"

While Carter's time playing with Bruce Springsteen would come to an end, Carter and Sancious would form their own jazz-fusion band, Tone. The group's debut album, "Forest of Feelings," would be produced by renowned drummer Billy Cobham, where Cobham would be quoted to call Carter "One of the 3 best drummers I've ever heard." 


Boom Carter plays drums on the album, "Forest of Feelings" (1975)

Carter would also play with a variety of talent including Southside Johnny, Billy Squier, and Paul Butterfield and many others through the 1970s and '80s. One of the most iconic parts of Carter's career would be his time playing with The Fairlaines at Mrs. Jay's, a bar right across the street from the Stone Pony. Springwood Avenue's energy would leave a lasting impression on Carter, with stars like the Ohio Players and Al Green performing just blocks apart at the Turf Club. "It [Springwood Avenue] was a wild street. Everything was going on over there. It was just like living in New York, all the music that was going on."


After, in 1986, Carter would relocate to the San Francisco Bay Area, where his talent continued to shine alongside artists like Harvey Mandel, Nick Gravenites, John Lee Hooker, and Clarence Clemons. In 2001, Carter would release "Temple of Boom," a solo project including a variety of different musical styles and instruments from psychedelic rock to P-Funk. His San Leandro studio, also named Temple of Boom, would become a hub for creative talent, invigorating all musicians who record there. 


"Temple of Boom" (2001)

In later years, Boom would move to Charleston, SC, but still performs and records. He recently reunited with Sancious for a performance at the Jersey Shore, continuing to share his rhythm with the world.  Carter would recall his time playing with Sancious in the studio and performing in Richmond, describing it as "one of the best places, best times of my life. Good experiences, I learned a lot in the studio."



— written by Ahan Iyer 




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About the Author


Hi! I’m Ahan Iyer, a high school student from Holmdel, New Jersey. My interests include playing the oboe, jazz and chess. I’m a classically trained oboist, but have become interested in exploring various aspects of jazz, including jazz history and jazz composition for the oboe. Apart from exploring the jazz oboe, I play and teach chess. I’m currently working on a research project where I analyze data sets to find patterns that help us understand the wider influences that jazz has globally.


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