NEWARK, N.J. - In a faceoff between the Chairman of the Board, The Boss and Bon Jovi, the victor is . . . Ol' Blue Eyes.
More New Jersey adults chose Frank Sinatra when asked to select music from seven New Jersey artists they would bring on a desert island, according to a poll released yesterday.
Sinatra, originally from Hoboken, got 21 percent of the votes, followed by Bon Jovi and Bruce Springsteen, both at 16 percent, the Monmouth University/New Jersey Monthly Poll found.
Right on their heels was Whitney Houston, with 15 percent. Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons got 10 percent; Lauryn Hill and Count Basie - "The Red Bank Kid" - each had 7 percent.
"The fact that each of these artists, who are from such different styles and eras, garners a respectable amount of popularity in the poll says much about the wealth of talent produced by New Jersey as well as the diversity of our state's population," said Patrick Murray, director of the Monmouth University Polling Institute.
Not surprisingly, Bon Jovi is the favorite among those ages 18 to 34, Springsteen and Sinatra tie as the top choice for those 35 to 54, and Sinatra is the pick of those over 55.
The telephone poll of 801 adults was conducted Sept. 27 to 30. It had a margin of sampling error of plus or minus 3.5 percentage points.