# Bruce Springsteen

| Bruce Springsteen |
| --- |
| Bruce Springsteen in 2025 |
| Background information |
| Also known as | The Boss |
| Born |  (1949-09-23) September 23, 1949 Long Branch, New Jersey, United States |
| Genres | Rock, heartland rock, roots rock, folk rock |
| Occupation(s) | Musician, singer-songwriter |
| Instruments | Vocals, guitar, harmonica, piano |
| Years active | 1972–present |
| Labels | Columbia |
| Website | brucespringsteen.net |

**Bruce Frederick Joseph Springsteen** (born September 23, 1949) is an American rock musician from New Jersey. His songs include "Born to Run" and "Born in the USA". For more than 30 years he has been a singer along with the
E-Street Band. Also, he is a member in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Springsteen won an Oscar for his song "Streets Of Philadelphia", written for the Tom Hanks' movie *Philadelphia*.

## Early life

Springsteen was born in Long Branch, New Jersey, and spent his childhood and high school years in Freehold Borough. His father, Douglas Frederick Springsteen, was a bus driver. His mother, Adele Ann (née Zirilli), was a legal secretary. He has two younger sisters, Virginia and Pamela. Pamela was an actor but left this profession and became a photographer. She took photos for the *Human Touch* and *Lucky Town* albums.

Raised Catholic, Springsteen attended the St. Rose of Lima Catholic school in Freehold Borough. Old teachers have said he was a "loner, who wanted nothing more than to play his guitar." He completed high school, but felt so uncomfortable that he skipped his own graduation ceremony. He briefly went to Ocean County College but had no degree.

## Early career

Till the early 1970s he played with different bands in the Atlantic area. In 1972 he signed a record contract with Columbia Records. His first album *Greetings from Asbury Park, N.J.*, released in January 1973, was commercially not a success but was highly favored by music critics. Also his second album *The Wild, the Innocent & the E Street Shuffle* was more acclaimed than sold.

In the May 22, 1974, issue of Boston's *The Real Paper*, music critic Jon Landau wrote after seeing a performance at the Harvard Square Theater, "I saw rock and roll future, and its name is Bruce Springsteen. And on a night when I needed to feel young, he made me feel like I was hearing music for the very first time." Landau became Springsteen's manager and producer.

## Breakthrough

The commercial breakthrough was his third album *Born to Run*, which was released on August 25, 1975. Due to this Springsteen was on the covers of Time magazine and Newsweek. After a legal battle with his old manager Mike Appel, he could release his third album *Darkness on the Edge of Town* not earlier than 1978. In 1978, he worked together with Patti Smith, who had a hit with Springsteen's song "Because the Night". Also Manfred Mann ("Blinded by the Light") and the Pointer Sisters ("Fire") had success with songs of Bruce Springsteen. The next album was *The River*. The single from this album "Hungry Heart" was his first Top 10 hit. *The River* brought Bruce Springsteen in a wide range of styles from ballads to rock songs.

His next album was *Nebraska* (1982) which he recorded in a studio at his home. The only instruments in this record were guitar and harmonica. The songs are about outsiders of the US society. Despite its commercial flop it is regarded by critics as one of Springsteen's best albums.

He is probably best known for his next album *Born in the USA* which sold 15 million copies in the USA. It contains 7 hit singles which all reached the Top 10. The following tour was also a huge success. The title track of the album was widely misunderstood as patriotic hymn. In fact it was a comment on the poor treatment of Vietnam veterans. In later years Springsteen performed the song only with acoustic guitar to make the meaning of the song more clear. An acoustic version also appeared on *Tracks*, a later album. Videos for the album were made by famous movie directors Brian De Palma and John Sayles.

The next album was *Live/1975–85*, which summed up the powerful live performances of Bruce Springsteen. It was a five records box-set and was the first set which reached #1 in the charts.

After *Born in the USA*, Springsteen recorded again more sedate and contemplative albums like *Tunnel of Love* (1987). In late 1989 he dissolved the E-Street Band and married Patti Scialfa. The couple relocated to California. In 1992 he released two albums at once, *Human Touch* and *Lucky Town*. After he had received many Grammy Awards he also was winner of the Academy Award in 1994 for his song "Streets of Philadelphia", which appeared on the soundtrack to the movie *Philadelphia*.

In 1995, he released his second solo guitar album, *The Ghost of Tom Joad*, inspired by John Steinbeck's *The Grapes of Wrath*. Following the album he made a solo acoustic tour where he played the new songs but also many of his older songs in acoustic form. After the tour he and his family went back to New Jersey.

In 1999, the E Street Band and Springsteen officially played together again. They made a reunion tour which lasted over one year. The last two concerts of the tour were recorded for an HBO Concert also a DVD and album was released under the title *Bruce Springsteen & the E Street Band: Live in New York City*. The same year Springsteen was inducted to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.
About the 1990s Springsteen said: "I didn't do a lot of work. Some people would say I didn't do my best work."

In 2002 the artist released *The Rising* the first studio album with the E Street Band for 19 years. The 2005 album *Devils & Dust* was again mostly acoustic and recorded without the band. In November 2005, Sirius Satellite Radio started a 24-hour, seven-day-a-week radio station on Channel 10 called "E Street Radio". This channel brings commercial-free Bruce Springsteen music, including rare tracks, interviews, and daily concerts of Bruce Springsteen & the E Street Band recorded throughout their career. In April 2006, Springsteen released *We Shall Overcome: The Seeger Sessions*, a project with folk songs which were made popular by Pete Seeger. It was recorded with a large ensemble of musicians including only Patti Scialfa, Soozie Tyrell, and The Miami Horns from past efforts. The end of the decade brought three albums. (*Magic* (#1), *Working on a Dream* (#1) and *The Promise* (#16), which featured again outtakes of different songs). On January 11, 2009, Springsteen won the Golden Globe Award for Best Song for "The Wrestler", from the Mickey Rourke movie by the same name.

## Politics

In September 1979, Springsteen and the E Street Band joined the Musicians United for Safe Energy (MUSE), an anti-nuclear power collective at Madison Square Garden for two nights, playing a short set and two songs from his next album. In 1988, Springsteen joined the worldwide *Human Rights Now!* Tour for Amnesty International. In 2004, along with other artists, he toured in the *Vote for Change* tour in support of John Kerry's presidential campaign. In 2008,he supported Barack Obama's presidential campaign. Springsteen was the musical opener for the Obama Inaugural Celebration on January 18, 2009. He performed "The Rising" with a female choir. Later he performed Woody Guthrie's "This Land Is Your Land" with Pete Seeger. In 2025, in his *Land of Hope and Dreams* European Tour, he openly criticized Donald Trump's second administration. In 2026, as a response to ICE deployment in Minneapolis, Minnesota, he released "Streets of Minneapolis".

## E Street Band

He did most of his records with the E Street Band. The band was formed in October, 1972. Although Springsteen played with other bands, the E Street Band was his band for 40 years. The band took the name from a street in Belmar, New Jersey where the mother of a founding member lived and allowed the band to practice. The band members do also solo works and play as session musicians (for example: Bittan and Van Zandt for Bob Dylan on *Empire Burlesque*). Clemons and Lofgren also went on tour with Ringo Starr and his All-Starr Band in 1989.
Although Springsteen informed the band in 1989 that he would not play with them they stayed friends and from 1999 onwards they again played and recorded together.

### Band members

|  |  |
| --- | --- |
| 1972–1973 | * Bruce Springsteen – lead vocals, guitar, piano, harmonica
* Clarence Clemons – tenor, baritone and soprano saxophones, backing vocals, percussion
* Danny Federici – organ, accordion, backing vocals
* Vini Lopez – drums, backing vocals
* Garry Tallent – bass, tuba, backing vocals
 |
| 1973–1974 | * Bruce Springsteen – lead vocals, guitar, piano, harmonica, mandolin
* Clarence Clemons – tenor, baritone and soprano saxophones, backing vocals, percussion
* Danny Federici – organ, accordion, piano, backing vocals
* Vini Lopez – drums, cornet, backing vocals
* David Sancious – piano, organ, keyboards, saxophone
* Garry Tallent – bass, tuba, backing vocals
 |
| 1974 | * Bruce Springsteen – lead vocals, guitar, harmonica
* Ernest Carter – drums
* Clarence Clemons – tenor, baritone and soprano saxophones, backing vocals, percussion
* Danny Federici – organ, accordion, glockenspiel, backing vocals
* David Sancious – piano, organ
* Garry Tallent – bass, tuba
 |
| 1974–1975 | * Bruce Springsteen – lead vocals, guitar, harmonica
* Roy Bittan – piano, electric piano, backing vocals
* Clarence Clemons – tenor, baritone and soprano saxophones, backing vocals, percussion
* Danny Federici – organ, accordion, glockenspiel, backing vocals
* Suki Lahav – violin, backing vocals
* Garry Tallent – bass, tuba
* Max Weinberg – drums
 |
| 1975–1983 | * Bruce Springsteen – lead and backing vocals, guitar, harmonica, piano
* Roy Bittan – piano, keyboards, backing vocals
* Clarence Clemons – tenor, baritone and soprano saxophones, backing vocals, percussion
* Danny Federici – organ, piano, accordion, glockenspiel, backing vocals
* Garry Tallent – bass, backing vocals, percussion
* Steven Van Zandt – guitar, mandolin, backing vocals
* Max Weinberg – drums, backing vocals
 |
| 1984–1989 | * Bruce Springsteen – lead vocals, guitar, harmonica
* Roy Bittan – piano, synthesizer
* Clarence Clemons – tenor and baritone saxophones, backing vocals, percussion
* Danny Federici – organ, accordion, synthesizer, backing vocals
* Nils Lofgren – guitar, backing vocals
* Patti Scialfa – vocals, synthesizer
* Garry Tallent – bass
* Max Weinberg – drums, backing vocals
 |
| 1995 | * Bruce Springsteen – lead and backing vocals, guitar, harmonica, piano, synthesizer, glockenspiel
* Roy Bittan – piano, keyboards, backing vocals
* Clarence Clemons – tenor and baritone saxophones, pennywhistle, backing vocals, percussion
* Danny Federici – organ, accordion, keyboards, backing vocals
* Nils Lofgren – guitar, pedal steel guitar, slide guitar, Dobro, banjo, backing vocals
* Patti Scialfa – vocals, acoustic guitar
* Steven Van Zandt – guitar, mandolin, backing vocals
* Garry Tallent – bass, backing vocals
* Max Weinberg – drums, backing vocals
 |
| 1999–2008 | * Bruce Springsteen – lead and backing vocals, guitar, harmonica, piano, synthesizer, glockenspiel
* Roy Bittan – piano, keyboards, backing vocals
* Clarence Clemons – tenor and baritone saxophones, pennywhistle, backing vocals, percussion
* Danny Federici – organ, accordion, keyboards, backing vocals
* Nils Lofgren – guitar, pedal steel guitar, slide guitar, Dobro, banjo, backing vocals
* Patti Scialfa – vocals, acoustic guitar
* Steven Van Zandt – guitar, mandolin, backing vocals
* Garry Tallent – bass, backing vocals
* Max Weinberg – drums, backing vocals

with
* Soozie Tyrell (2002–2008) – violin, backing vocals, percussion, acoustic guitar
 |
| **2008–2011** | * Bruce Springsteen – lead vocals, guitar, harmonica, piano, synthesizer, glockenspiel
* Roy Bittan – piano, keyboards, accordion, backing vocals
* Clarence Clemons – tenor and baritone saxophones, pennywhistle, backing vocals, percussion
* Nils Lofgren – guitar, slide guitar, accordion, backing vocals
* Patti Scialfa – vocals, acoustic guitar
* Steven Van Zandt – guitar, mandolin, backing vocals
* Garry Tallent – bass
* Max Weinberg – drums

with
* Soozie Tyrell – violin, backing vocals, percussion, acoustic guitar
* Charles Giordano – organ, accordion, synthesizer
* Jay Weinberg – drums (substitute during part of 2009 tour)
 |
| **2011–present** | * Bruce Springsteen – lead vocals, guitar, harmonica, piano, synthesizer, glockenspiel
* Patti Scialfa – vocals, acoustic guitar
* Roy Bittan – piano, keyboards, accordion, backing vocals
* Nils Lofgren – guitar, slide guitar, accordion, backing vocals
* Steven Van Zandt – guitar, mandolin, backing vocals
* Garry Tallent – bass
* Max Weinberg – drums

with
* Soozie Tyrell – violin, backing vocals, percussion, acoustic guitar
* Charles Giordano – organ, accordion, synthesizer
 |

## Discography

### Albums

**Major studio albums** (along with their chart positions in the U.S. Billboard 200 at the time of release):

* 1973: *Greetings from Asbury Park, N.J.* (#60)
* 1973: *The Wild, the Innocent & the E Street Shuffle* (#59)
* 1975: *Born to Run* (#3)
* 1978: *Darkness on the Edge of Town* (#5)
* 1980: *The River* (#1)
* 1982: *Nebraska* (#3)
* 1984: *Born in the U.S.A.* (#1)
* 1987: *Tunnel of Love* (#1)
* 1992: *Human Touch* (#2)
* 1992: *Lucky Town* (#3)
* 1995: *The Ghost of Tom Joad* (#11)
* 1998: *Tracks* (#64)
* 2002: *The Rising* (#1)
* 2005: *Devils & Dust* (#1)
* 2006: *We Shall Overcome: The Seeger Sessions* (#3)
* 2007: *Magic* (#1)
* 2009: *Working on a Dream* (#1)
* 2010: *The Promise* (#16)
* 2012: *Wrecking Ball*
* 2014: *High Hopes*
* 2019: *Western Stars*
* 2020: *Letter to You*
* 2022: *Only the Strong Survive*

**Live albums 1986: *Live/1975–85* (#1)
* 1993 *In Concert / MTV Plugged*  (#189)
* 2001 *Live in New York City* (#5)
* 2006 *Hammersmith Odeon, London ’75* (#93)
* 2007 *Live in Dublin(Bruce Springsteen & The Seeger Sessions Band)* (#23)

### Singles

* 1975 Born to Run
* 1978 Prove It All Night
* 1980 Hungry Heart
* 1981 Fade Away
* 1981 The River
* 1984 Dancing in the Dark
* 1984 Cover Me
* 1984 Born in the U.S.A. (song)
* 1985 I’m on Fire
* 1985 Glory Days
* 1985 I’m Goin’ Down
* 1985 My Hometown
* 1985 Santa Claus Is Coming to Town
* 1986 War
* 1987 Fire
* 1987 Born to Run (Live)
* 1987 Brilliant Disguise
* 1987 Tunnel of Love
* 1988 One Step Up
* 1988 Tougher Than the Rest
* 1988 Spare Parts
* 1992 Human Touch
* 1992 Better Days
* 1992 57 Channels (And Nothin’ On)
* 1992 Leap of Faith
* 1993 Lucky Town (live)
* 1994 Streets of Philadelphia
* 1995 Secret Garden
* 1996 The Ghost of Tom Joad
* 1996 Missing
* 2002 The Rising
* 2002 Lonesome Day
* 2003 Waitin’ on a Sunny Day
* 2005 Devils & Dust
* 2007 Radio Nowhere
* 2008 Girls in Their Summer Clothes
* 2008 Working on a Dream
* 2012 We Take Care of Our Own

## Other websites

* Bruce Springsteen – official website
* Idio is now Recommendations - Optimizely
* Highlights of Springsteen at Glastonbury 2009.
* Bruce Springsteen at NPR Music
* "Library of Hope and Dreams":bibliography of published Springsteen scholarship in English.