Christie Declares Clarence Clemons Day in NJ

One of the Jersey Shore's most iconic figures will be honored annually with "Clarence Clemons Day" each Jan. 11.

Gov. Chris Christie signed a resolution declaring the musician's birthday Clarence Clemons Day, according to a report on Philly.com.

State Sen. Jennifer Beck (R-11) proposed the resolution, which was passed by the state Senate in December 2012. The resolution memorializes the legendary saxophonist from Bruce Springsteen’s E Street Band. Clemons died last year at the age of 69 after suffering a stroke.

“The New Jersey Shore would not be the same without the music of Bruce Spingsteen’s E- Street Band,” Beck previously said.

Beck called Clemons was an “icon” and “an inextricable part of the shoreline’s cultural history.”

Clemons was a founding member of the E- Street Band, playing with the group from its inception in 1972 until his death in 2011. He attended the former Maryland State College (University of Maryland Eastern Shore), where he played football until a knee injury ended his career.

Before Clemons joined the E-Street Band, he worked as a youth counselor in Newark.

His other professional endeavors included solo recordings, collaboration with artists from Aretha Franklin to Lady Gaga, several movie roles, and a stint operating a music club in Red Bank called Big Man’s West.

Christie has been to more than 130 Springsteen concerts, according to Philly.com.