Heart More than 330 friends and relatives remembered the many talents and thoughtfulness of Carl Tinker West at a private celebration of his life Thursday at the Shore Casino in Atlantic Highlands.
West, also known for his Purple building on Bay Avenue in Highlands, died May 26.
Known for his diverse talents which ranged from music manager to electrical engineer, physicist and surf board designer, as well as his “tinkering’ into numerous other fields that attracted his interest, West was honored at the Celebration this week by a number of his friends who presented a short program highlighting their affection for their friend.
The program was led by Pat Guadagno, a pioneer in Jersey Shore music whose music has appeared in numerous films and won him an award for the Song of the Year at the Garden State Film Festival. Guadagno’s music has underscored episodes of the Emmy Award-winning Showtime series Californication and appeared in numerous Films, last year winning Song of the Year award at the Garden State Film Festival .
Also speaking during the ceremony, which kept the audience spellbound and silent , were Rick Barry, Tracy Dell, Lynn Herold and Eileen Chapman, director of the Bruce Springsteen Archives expected to be open next spring on the campus of Monmouth University. West was the leading force in promoting Springsteen’s musical career.
But it was Vini Lopez, also known as Mag Dog, who ended this week’s formal program honoring West, which also included cocktails and dinner, by asking everyone to “close your eyes, for a few minutes and think.”
Lopez was the drummer in the original E Street Band and has been friends with West since the 1960s when West managed and mentored the Steel Mill band as well. A native of Neptune, Lopez also played drums with several other Jersey Shore bands, during and after his time with the E Street Band. He was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as a member of the E Street Band.
One of the pioneers of the historic Jersey Shore music scene, Lopez is known for his ‘rousing performances’ and ‘distinctive musical interpretations.’ Recognized in trade journals for his almost supernatural and mistake-free technique, he has become a true folk legend in both culture and style.
Lopez, one of the found members of the E Street Band, is known for his distinctive musical presentations,
Calling on the guests at West’s celebration of life, he asked hem to recall West as he sang Warren Zevon’s famed “Keep Me in Your Heart for Awhile.”
Zevon, a rock singer and song writer from Chicago who is also in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, wrote the song referring to himself in the months between when he was diagnosed with mesothelioma until his death nine months later. The most popular musical guest on the former David Letterman late night show, Zevon introduced the song on that program and gave Letterman his guitar as a remembrance in what was then his last appearance on the program.
This week, in referring to Tinker West, Lopez sang the song calling on the guests to remember “When you get up in the mornin’ and see the crazy sun, Keep me in your heart for a while,” and “Sometimes when you’re don’ simple things around the house, Maybe you’ll think of me and smile” and “Hold me in your thoughts, Take me to your dreams, touch me as I fall into view, when the winter comes, keep the fires lit and I will be right next to you, “ ending with “Keep me in your heart for awhile,” all verses from Zevon’s song.
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