Bruce Springsteen

***Bruce Springsteen*** (born September 23, 1949) is an American singer-songwriter, known for his work with the E Street Band. Nicknamed "The Boss", he is widely known for his brand of poetic lyrics, Americana, working class, sometimes political sentiments centred on his native New Jersey, his distinctive voice, and his lengthy and energetic stage performances—with concerts from the 1970s to the present decade running at up to four hours in length. His artistic endeavours reflect both his personal growth and the zeitgeist of the times.

Springsteen's recordings have included both commercially accessible rock albums and more sombre folk-oriented works. His most successful studio albums, Born to Run (1975) and Born in the U.S.A. (1984) find pleasures in the struggles of daily American life. He has sold more than 120 million records worldwide and more than 64 million records in the United States, making him one of the world's best-selling artists of all time. He has earned numerous awards for his work, including 20 Grammy Awards, two Golden Globes, and an Academy Award as well as being inducted into both the Songwriters Hall of Fame and the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame in 1999.

He married Patti Scialfa in 1991, and the couple have had three children – Evan James, Jessica Rae and Sam Ryan.

### 1964-72

In 1964, Springsteen bought his first guitar for $18 and he started playing for audiences with a band called the Rogues at local venues such as the Elks Lodge in Freehold. In 1965, Springsteen's mother bought her 16-year-old son a $60 Kent guitar, an act he subsequently memorialised in his song "The Wish" (an outtake from the 'Tunnel of Love' album). In the same year, he went to the house of Tex and Marion Vinyard, who sponsored young bands in town. They helped him become the lead guitarist and subsequently one of the lead singers of the Castiles. The Castiles recorded two original songs ("Baby I", and "You Can't Judge a Book by the Cover") at a public recording studio in Brick Township and played a variety of venues, including Cafe Wha? in Greenwich Village.

In the late-1960s, Springsteen performed briefly in a power trio known as Earth, playing in clubs in New Jersey, with one major show at the Hotel Diplomat in New York City. Earth consisted of John Graham on bass, and Mike Burke on drums. Bob Alfano was later added on organ, but was replaced for two gigs by Frank 'Flash' Craig. Springsteen acquired the nickname "The Boss" during this period; when he played club gigs with a band he took on the task of collecting the band's nightly pay and distributing it amongst his bandmates. The nickname also reportedly sprang from games of Monopoly that Springsteen would play with other Jersey Shore musicians. Springsteen is not fond of this nickname, due to his dislike of bosses, but seems to have since tacitly accepted it. Previously he had the nickname "Doctor".

From 1969 through early 1971, Springsteen performed with Steel Mill (originally called Child), which included Danny Federici, Vini Lopez, Vinnie Roslin and later Steve Van Zandt and Robbin Thompson. During this time he performed regularly at venues on the Jersey Shore, in Richmond, Virginia, Nashville, Tennessee, and a set of gigs in California, quickly gathering a cult following. San Francisco Examiner music critic Philip Elwood gave Springsteen credibility in his glowing assessment of Steel Mill: "I have never been so overwhelmed by totally unknown talent." Elwood went on to praise their "cohesive musicality" and, in particular, singled out Springsteen as "a most impressive composer". Listen to "He's Guilty (The Judge Song)".

Other acts followed over the next two years, as Springsteen sought to shape a unique and genuine musical and lyrical style: Dr. Zoom & the Sonic Boom (early- to mid-1971), the Sundance Blues Band (mid-1971), and the Bruce Springsteen Band (mid-1971 to mid-1972). With the addition of pianist David Sancious, the core of what would later become the E Street Band was formed, with occasional temporary additions such as horn sections, the Zoomettes (a group of female backing vocalists for Dr. Zoom) and Southside Johnny Lyon on harmonica. Musical genres explored included blues, R&B, jazz, church music, early rock 'n' roll, and soul, with major influences being Joe Cocker's Mad Dogs and Englishmen, Leon Russell and Van Morrison.

### 1972-74

Springsteen was signed to Columbia Records in 1972. Despite the expectations of Columbia Records' executives that Springsteen would record an acoustic album, he brought many of his New Jersey-based colleagues into the studio with him, thus forming the E Street Band (although it would not be formally named for several months).

#### Greetings from Asbury Park, NJ (1973)

His debut album ***Greetings from Asbury Park, N.J.***, released on January 5, 1973, established him as a critical favourite though sales were slow.

* UK #41, Silver; US #60, 2x Platinum
* February 1973: "Blinded by the Light"
	+ Commercially unsuccessful for Springsteen, Manfred Mann's Earth Band released a version in 1976, which went to #1 on the Billboard Hot 100, and went to #6 in the UK.
* May 1973: "Spirit in the Night"
	+ Also a failure for Springsteen, Manfred Mann's Earth Band released a version in 1975, which went to #97 in the US. Manfred Mann's Earth Band re-recorded and re-released the song as "Spirits in the Night" the following year. This time, it peaked at #40 on the Billboard Hot 100.

#### The Wild, the Innocent and the E Street Shuffle (1973)

On September 11, 1973, Springsteen's second album ***The Wild, the Innocent & the E Street Shuffle*** was released, again to critical acclaim but no commercial success. Springsteen's songs became grander in form and scope, with the E Street Band providing a less folksy, more R&B vibe, and the lyrics often romanticised teenage street life. "4th of July, Asbury Park (Sandy)" and "Incident on 57th Street" would become fan favourites, and the long, rousing "Rosalita (Come Out Tonight)" continues to rank among Springsteen's most beloved concert numbers.

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 helped to finish the epic new album Born to Run and subsequently became Springsteen's manager and producer. Given an enormous budget in a last-ditch effort at a commercially viable record, Springsteen became bogged down in the recording process while striving for a "Wall of Sound" production. But fed by the release of an early mix of "Born to Run" to nearly a dozen radio stations, anticipation built toward the album's release.

### 1975-83

The album took more than 14 months to record, with six months spent on the song "Born to Run". During this time, Springsteen battled with anger and frustration over the album, saying he heard "sounds in [his] head" that he could not explain to the others in the studio. It was during these recording sessions that "Miami" Steve Van Zandt would stumble into the studio just in time to help Springsteen organise the horn section on "Tenth Avenue Freeze-Out". Van Zandt, who would eventually join the E Street Band, had been a longtime friend of Springsteen, as well as a collaborator on earlier musical projects, and understood where he was coming from, which helped him to translate some of the sounds Springsteen was hearing. Still, by the end of the gruelling recording sessions Springsteen was not satisfied, and upon first hearing the finished album, threw it into the alley and told Jon Landau he would rather just cut it live at The Bottom Line (a place he often played).

#### Born to Run (1975)

With the release of ***Born to Run*** on August 25, 1975, Springsteen finally found success.

* UK #36 (re-entry 1985 #17), Platinum; US #3, 6x Platinum
* August 25, 1975: "Born to Run"
	+ US #23

Almost every track on the album received album-oriented rock airplay, especially "Born to Run", "Thunder Road", "Tenth Avenue Freeze-Out," and "Jungleland", all of which remain perennial favourites on many classic rock stations.

#### Darkness on the Edge of Town (1978)

Released on June 2, 1978, ***Darkness on the Edge of Town*** marked the end of a three-year gap between albums brought on by contractual obligations and legal battling with former manager Mike Appel. Although the album did not produce high-charting singles it remained on the charts for 97 weeks.

* May 23, 1978: "Prove it All Night"
	+ US #33
* August 1978: "Badlands"
	+ US #42

#### The River (1980)

Springsteen continued to focus on working-class life with the 20-song double album ***The River*** released October 17, 1980, which included an intentionally paradoxical range of material from good-time party rockers to emotionally intense ballads, and finally yielded his first hit Top Ten single as a performer, "Hungry Heart". Like the previous two albums, musical styles on The River were derived largely from rock 'n' roll music of the 50s and 60s, but with a more explicit pop-rock sound than earlier albums. This is apparent in the adoption of Eighties pop-rock hallmarks like the reverberating-tenor drums, very basic percussion/guitar and repetitive lyrics apparent in many of the tracks. The title song pointed to Springsteen's intellectual direction, while a couple of the lesser-known tracks presaged his musical direction. The album sold well and a long tour in 1980 and 1981 followed, which included Springsteen's first extended tour of Europe and ending with a series of multi-night arena stands in major cities in the U.S.

* UK #2, Platinum; US #1; 5x Platinum
* October 21, 1980: "Hungry Heart"
	+ US #5
* January 22, 1981: "Fade Away"
	+ US #20
* May, 1981: "The River"
	+ UK #35

#### Nebraska (1982)

The River was followed in 1982 by the stark solo acoustic ***Nebraska***. During the recording process Springsteen and producer Jon Landau realised the songs worked better as solo acoustic numbers than full band renditions. Although the recordings of the E Street Band were shelved, other songs from these sessions would later be released, including "Born in the U.S.A" and "Glory Days". According to the Marsh biographies, Springsteen was depressed when he wrote this material, and the result is a brutal depiction of American life. While Nebraska did not sell as well as Springsteen's three previous albums, it garnered widespread critical praise (including being named "Album of the Year" by Rolling Stone magazine's critics) and influenced later works by other major artists, including U2's album The Joshua Tree. Springsteen did not tour in conjunction with Nebraska's release.

* #UK #3, Gold; US #3, Platinum

### 1984-91

#### Born in the USA (1984)

Springsteen is probably best known for his album ***Born in the U.S.A.***, which was released on June 4, 1984 and sold 15 million copies in the U.S., 30 million worldwide, and became one of the best-selling albums of all time with seven singles hitting the Top 10.

* UK #1, 3x Platinum; US #1, 15x Platinum

The title track was a bitter commentary on the treatment of Vietnam veterans, some of whom were Springsteen's friends. The lyrics in the verses were entirely unambiguous when listened to, but the anthemic music and the title of the song made it hard for many, from politicians to the common person, to get the lyrics—except those in the chorus, which could be read many ways. The song made a huge political impact, as he was advocating for the rights of the common working-class man.

* May 3, 1984: "Dancing in the Dark"
	+ UK #4, Silver; US #2, Platinum
* July 31, 1984: "Cover Me"
	+ US #7, Gold
* October 31, 1984: "Born in the USA"
	+ UK #5; US #9, Gold
* February 6, 1985: "I'm On Fire"
	+ UK #5; US #6
* May 31, 1985: "Glory Days"
	+ UK #17; US #5
* August, 1985: "I'm Goin' Down"
	+ US #9
* November 21, 1985: "My Hometown" (backed by "Santa Claus is Comin' to Town")
	+ UK #9; US #6

During the Born in the U.S.A. Tour, Springsteen met actress Julianne Phillips, whom he would marry in 1985. He also that year took part in the recording of the USA For Africa charity song "We Are The World"; however he declined to play at Live Aid. He later stated that he "simply did not realise how big the whole thing was going to be". He has since expressed regret at turning down Bob Geldof's invitation, stating that he could have played a couple of acoustic songs had there been no slot available for a full band performance.

The Born in the U.S.A. period represented the height of Springsteen's visibility in popular culture and the broadest audience he would ever reach (aided by the release of Arthur Baker's dance mixes of three of the singles). From June 15 to August 10, 1985, all seven of his albums appeared on the UK Albums Chart: the first time an artist had charted their entire back catalogue simultaneously.

#### Live 1975-85 (1986)

**Live/1975–85**, a five-record box set (also on three cassettes or three CDs), was released November 10, 1986 and became the first box set to debut at No. 1 on the U.S. album charts. It is one of the most commercially successful live albums of all time, ultimately selling 13 million units in the U.S. Live/1975–85 summed up Springsteen's career to that point and displayed some of the elements that made his shows so powerful to his fans: the switching from mournful dirges to party rockers and back; the communal sense of purpose between artist and audience; the long, intense spoken passages before songs, including those describing Springsteen's difficult relationship with his father; and the instrumental prowess of the E Street Band, such as in the long coda to "Racing in the Street". Despite its popularity, some fans and critics felt the album's song selection could have been better. Springsteen concerts are the subjects of frequent bootleg recording and trading among fans.

* UK #4, Gold; US #1, 13x Platinum (Diamond)
* November 10, 1986: "War"
	+ UK #19; US #8

#### Tunnel of Love (1987)

After this commercial peak, Springsteen released the much more sedate and contemplative ***Tunnel of Love*** album on October 9, 1987, a mature reflection on the many faces of love found, lost and squandered, which only selectively used the E Street Band. It presaged the breakup of his marriage to Julianne Phillips and described some of his unhappiness in the relationship. The subsequent Tunnel of Love Express Tour shook up fans with changes to the stage layout, favourites dropped from the set list, and horn-based arrangements. During the European leg in 1988, Springsteen's relationship with backup singer Patti Scialfa became public. Phillips and Springsteen filed for divorce in 1988.

* UK #1, Platinum; US #1, 3x Platinum
* October 3, 1987: "Brilliant Disguise"
	+ UK #20; US #5
* October 17, 1987: "Tunnel of Love"
	+ UK #45; US #1
* February 27, 1988: "One Step Up"
	+ US #13
* June 23, 1988: "Tougher Than the Rest"
	+ UK #13

Later in 1988, Springsteen headlined the worldwide Human Rights Now! tour for Amnesty International. In late 1989 he dissolved the E Street Band, and he and Scialfa relocated to California, marrying in 1991.