Reunited Rusty Chain to play hometown show
BY LARRY HLAVENKA JR.
Correspondent

Everyone knows the story of that Monmouth County musician from Freehold Borough whose folksy, working-class charm helped him develop a local following in the late 1960s and allowed him to eventually become known around the world as "The Boss."

However, few people know anything about another group of musicians from the area that seemed poised to accompany Bruce Springsteen to the top of the charts.

That band - The Rusty Chain - took the Jersey Shore by storm in 1966. With all four members hailing from the Morganville section of Marlboro, the group soared during a three-year run which included a record deal with a New York City-based agency, sold out shows and an adoring public.

In 1968, though, Uncle Sam came calling and one of the band's members was drafted into the U.S. Army and the group's promising start was effectively derailed.

But now, almost 40 years later, the star-crossed members of The Rusty Chain will reunite to perform as the opening act for Johnny Maestro and the Brooklyn Bridge at the July 22 installment of the Marlboro Summer Concert Series. The concert will begin at 6:30 p.m. at the Marlboro Recreation Community Center, Wyncrest Road, Marlboro.

Doug Alt, 64, the band's bassist and unofficial spokesman, lives in Ocean Township and carries fond memories of The Rusty Chain.

"Back in 1967 through '68 we had the chance to open for some big groups," he said. "And as far as the audience was concerned, they were just blown away - they liked us better than the main acts - and we were the little guys."

The four members of The Rusty Chain grew up together in Morganville and created the band after their parents bought them musical instruments. The quartet sculpted a sound which fit in with the era, but were able to distinguish themselves with their unique vocals.

Crafting original tunes, guitarist Jack Alt (Doug's brother), now of Milford Township, drummer Charlie Mongano, now of Brick Township, and guitarist Roy Smith, guitar, now of Toms River, all sang the melodies which made them crowd favorites at colleges, bars and clubs.

At the time, Doug said, The Rusty Chain was so popular that he was earning twice as much money as a weekend musician than he was as a full-time teacher in a well-paying suburban school district.

Riding high and just as the band was getting ready to take its next step by embarking on larger tours, Doug received the call to arms: he was heading overseas.

"The air went out of the balloon," he said. "I was crushed, it was terrible."

Despite his favorable experience with the Army during his time in Germany, the band did not survive Alt's tour of duty. Alt said once he returned home, the group tried to recapture its fervor and began playing gigs, but "it was not the same band; we did not have the same spirit."

And just like that, The Rusty Chain could not repair its broken links.

Flash-forward to four years ago: Alt was performing as a solo musician after more than two decades of owning a successful gymnastics school franchise in the area. He seldom spoke with his former band mates, except for his brother, Jack, but as fate would have it The Rusty Chain's drummer, Charlie, showed up at Doug's 60th birthday party.

The lapse in communication did not affect the old friends.

"It was really great," Alt said.

Shortly after someone floated the idea of a band reunion last year, The Rusty Chain was resurrected nearly 40 years after its sudden demise. Alt said playing together now is just like the 1960s, even if the musicians are a bit older and grayer.

"For most of us, it felt like it was just a couple of weeks ago," he said. "We got back together to have fun and we've picked up right where we left off."

Speaking about the band's July 22 performance in their hometown of Marlboro, Alt said the group's anonymity will not disguise the musicians' talent.

"The audience doesn't know who we are, The Rusty Chain will mean nothing to them, so we're hoping to treat them to something they never expected," he said.