JON BON JOVI and COUNT BASIE STUN New Jersey: Epic Walk of Fame Induction at Basie Center Leaves Fans SPEECHLESS—Celebrities Flock, Secrets Unveiled, and SHOCKING Moments Ignite Red Bank! What Bon Jovi Revealed Will ROCK the Music World FOREVER—You WON’T Believe Who Joined Him!

RED BANK – Count Basie and Jon Bon Jovi may have made their impacts generations apart, but the two legends have left lasting marks on the music world — and now are forever imprinted side-by-side on the streets where they launched their careers.

The Bon Jovi frontman and bandleader William James “Count” Basie became the inaugural inductees on the Count Basie Center for the Arts’ Walk Of Fame on Thursday, Sept. 25, kicking off a cornerstone of the storied venue’s centennial celebrations.

“I really do appreciate you inducting me along with the great Count Basie, who was the original Monmouth County rock star,” said Bon Jovi during the induction ceremony. “There are so many names who are just as deserving today. I look forward to the future generations who will continue the legacy of New Jersey and of Red Bank.”

The Walk of Fame “honors New Jersey artists who have performed at the historic venue, made an indelible impact on culture and whose contributions reflect the enduring power of the arts,” the Basie said.

©Provided by Count Basie Center for the Arts

The Count Basie Center for the Arts launches its Walk of Fame with an inaugural ceremony honoring (pictured) Jon Bon Jovi and William “Count” Basie in Red Bank, New Jersey, Thursday, September 25, 2025.

William James ‘Count’ Basie

Count Basie was honored with words from musician T.S. Monk, who is the son of jazz legend Thelonius Monk.

“When you talk about Count Basie, you’re not just talking about a guy that played piano,” he said. “You’re talking about a sound. You’re talking about a feeling, you’re talking about a leader. You’re talking about a group that started right here in Red Bank, New Jersey, and went on to circle the globe.

“In the middle of the last century, when people were trying to find out what this American thing was all about, jazz was the crucial export that we sent all over the world.”

Count Basie performs during a Royal Variety performance on Nov. 18, 1957, at the London Palladium.© Bob Haswell, Getty Images

Monk said the music that Basie brought around the world was the music of freedom.

“His music just didn’t sit on the stage either, it jumped off the stage … it made the world smile. It broke barriers. It lifted spirits in really hard times,” he said.

Honoring Jon Bon Jovi

Sen. Vin Gopal introduced Bon Jovi, calling him “a kid from New Jersey with a dream, a guitar and determination to share his music with the world.”

He said much of Bon Jovi’s music has become the “soundtracks of our lives.”

Despite his success, Bon Jovi always embodies the ideals of his song “Who Says You Can’t Go Home,” Gopal said, not only returning home, but giving back.

Senator Vin Gopal sits beside Jon Bon Jovi after introducing him to speak during JBJ’s Walk of Fame ceremony at the Count Basie Center for the Arts, in Red Bank. September 25, 2025© Brian Johnston/Asbury Park Press

“What so many of us love about Jon Bon Jovi’s story is that he always, always comes back home and back to the Count Basie,” he said. “For years in the 1990s, no matter how much touring Bon Jovi did, no matter how many millions of fans they entertained in city after city, they would always return to the Basie Center for their legendary Christmas shows,” as well as giving back in other ways including HOPE concerts, Sept. 11 benefits, the JBJ Soul Kitchen and more.

“Throughout their partnership with the Basie Center, (Bon Jovi and his family have) shown us all collectively how arts and service don’t just coexist, they actually strengthen each other,” Gopal said.

‘Center of our musical community’

Adam Philipson, president and CEO of the Basie, said permanently etching the contributions of the theater and the many talents that bring it alive is a special honor.

“For nearly 100 years, this venue has been a place where people gather and stories are told. It’s a place where the arts come alive, talent is born and magic happens,” he said. “Our Walk of Fame helps us memorialize some of that magic. Years from now, our children’s children will look at the names carved in these stones and be reminded of the artists who not only helped shaped the Basie Center, they helped shape our world.”

Tom Arnone, director of the Monmouth County Board of County Commissioners, called the day “legendary” for the county. Red Bank Mayor Billy Portman said the Basie is the perfect spot for such a memorial, calling the theater “the cultural heartbeat” of the town.

“This is the place where creativity, culture and community come together, and a place where talent can touch the world,” Portman said, adding that Bon Jovi and Count Basie are two “shining examples” of that reach.

Basie “brought this town’s rhythm to every corner of the globe,” he added, while Bon Jovi “continues to share the sound of New Jersey with billions of fans around the world.”

The newly unveiled Walk of Fame honor for Jon Bon Jovi outside The Count Basie Center for the Arts, in Red Bank. September 24, 2025© Brian Johnston/Asbury Park Press

“For as long as I can remember, the Count Basie theater was at the center of our musical community,” Bon Jovi said. “Now this theater has grown and it has grown and it has grown.”

He recalled visiting a nearby Krauszer’s that now has become part of the theater complex and that “the dressing rooms left a lot to be desired,” noting that it’s “fantastic” to see all that has changed as the theater flourished.

“Thank you very much for this honor,” he said before stepping outside into the misty morning air to officially unveil the Walk of Fame marker bearing his name.

Ilana Keller is an award-winning journalist and lifelong New Jersey resident who loves Broadway and really bad puns. Reach out: [email protected].

This article originally appeared on Asbury Park Press: Jon Bon Jovi, William ‘Count’ Basie receive Basie Center Walk of Fame honors in Red Bank