It's not easy replacing an icon. When Ronnie James Dio succeeded Ozzy Osborne as Black Sabbath's vocalist in 1980, the metal icon was not initially accepted.
"It took awhile to be embraced," Dio said during a 2009 interview. "But early on in Philadelphia, somebody unfurled a banner, which said, 'Welcome the Reverend Ronnie James Dio.' It was fine after that."
Part of the reason Dio succeeded was due to the fact that he was different from Osbourne and he enabled Sabbath to morph.
Glenn Alexander can relate to the late icon.
When Alexander took over as guitarist for Southside Johnny in 2007, he replaced Bobby Bandiera, who is Jersey Shore rock royalty.
"It was hard initially," Alexander recalled from his Scotch Plains home. "The fans hated me early on. Bobby had been there for 24-years. People were giving me the finger and spitting at me because they wanted Bobby."
The charismatic Bandiera was an integral part of the Southside band, particularly during the early years back in the '70s. However, the show had to go on and Southside Johnny Lyon told Alexander what to do as he dealt with the difficult early days. Prior to Southside's annual New Year's Eve show at the Basie in 2007, he laid it out for Alexander.
"Johnny said, 'You're not Bobby Bandiera but you bring something totally different to this band,' Alexander recalled. "Johnny believed that I changed the band for the better. It was a little rough at first. But I think I was part of one of the better Southside lineups. We worked together. I was there to serve Johnny. That wasn't the way it was before I arrived. We became a good working band for Johnny. It took me a minute to fully embrace it but Southside was ready for a change. I was told by some people not to join the band. I was told Johnny can't function without Bobby since it's the Bobby Bandera band with Southside Johnny. But when I joined the band, Johnny took control and he was so great to work with."
The show went on until December of 2024. Lyon retired from touring after the group's final show in Alexandria, Virginia.
Alexander, 67, who has played with the Max Weinberg 7 on "Late Night With Conan O'Brien," Bruce Springsteen, Elvis Costello, Levon Helm and La Bamba's Big Band, among other recording artists, pivoted.
The veteran guitar hero records and plays with his band, Shadowland and his vocalist daughter Oria. "We're up there tearing it up," Alexander said. "I love playing with Shadowland and with Oria."
Oria Alexander, 30, has been around music her entire life. "It's so much fun doing this with my dad," Oria Alexander said.
Her father concurs. "It's great and it's always been so much fun," Alexander said. "We started doing gigs when Oria was super young. By the time she was 13 she started writing songs. I was like, 'Man, we should record these songs. We made her first album when she was 16. It's been a fun life in music."
Alexander, who runs the jazz and blues department at Sarah Lawrence, left his native Kansas for New York City in 1987.
"I was born and raised in Kansas and there was no education or culture," Alexander said. "I moved to New York City and learned from some of the greatest jazz musicians. It's been amazing working with Southside Johnny and now I work with my daughter. I couldn't be happier."
Glenn Alexander's October dates
Oct. 3 - Hopewell Fare, 6 p.m., Hopewell
Oct 4 – Transparent Clinch Gallery, 4 p.m.,Asbury Park
October 18 – Hailey’s Harp & Pub, 8:30 p.m., Metuchen Glenn & Oria Band , with Jukes Bassist John Conte & drummer Gary Dates
October 26 – Pig Gig 10 FCF Cancer Benefit, 2 p.m., Italian American Hall, Scotch Plains Glenn & Oria Band, John Conte & Gary Dates
It's been amazing working with Southside Johnny and now I work with my daughter. I couldn't be happier.