Bruce Springsteen

Bruce Frederick Joseph Marty Springsteen (born September 23, 1949) is an American singer, songwriter, and guitarist. He has frequently recorded and toured with The E Street Band. Springsteen is most widely known for his brand of heartland rock, rock and roll infused with Americana sentiments. His eloquence in expressing ordinary, every-day problems has earned him a huge fan base. His most famous albums, Born to Run and Born in the USA, epitomize his penchant for writing about the struggles of a young man growing up in the streets of New Jersey. Comparisons are inevitably made between him and Bob Dylan http://home.theboots.net/theboots/articles/bangs_btr_review.html because of his folk rock roots. Springsteen, however has become popular in his own right because of the appeal of his songs.

Early years

Bruce Frederick Joseph Springsteen was born September 23, 1949 in Freehold Borough, New Jersey. His father, Douglas, was a bus driver of Dutch and Irish ancestry and his mother, Adele Zirilli Springsteen, an Italian-American legal secretary. He was inspired to become a musician when he saw Elvis Presley on the Ed Sullivan Show. At the age of 13, he bought his first guitar for US$ 18. In 1965, he went to the house of Tex and Marion Vinyard, who sponsored young bands in his town. They helped him become the lead guitarist of The Castiles, and later became the lead singer of the group. The Castilles recorded two original songs at a public recording studio in Bricktown, New Jersey, and played a variety of venues, including Cafe Wha? in Greenwich Village. Marion Vinyard said that even when Springsteen was a young man, she believed him when he said he was going to make it big. http://newstranscript.gmnews.com/news/2002/0417/Front_page/003.html. Bruce's sister, Pamela Sue Springsteen, had a brief film career, but walked away from acting for good to pursue her still photography career full time.

Related Topics:
Freehold Borough, New Jersey - Dutch - Irish - Italian-American - Secretary - Elvis Presley - Ed Sullivan Show - Guitar - US$ - 1965 - Recording studio - Cafe Wha? - Greenwich Village

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He began performing in Richmond, Virginia in late 1969 and through 1970 with singer Robbin Thompson in a band called Steel Mill. They went on to perform some memorable shows at Virginia Commonwealth University in Richmond. Before being discovered nationally, he returned to Asbury Park, New Jersey, and performed regularly at small nightclubs there and along the Jersey shore. His New Jersey shows quickly gathered cult-like appeal for their energy, passion and longevity, most lasting in excess of three hours.

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Richmond, Virginia - 1969 - 1970 - Virginia Commonwealth University - Asbury Park, New Jersey - Jersey shore

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Even after gaining international acclaim, Springsteen's New Jersey roots would reverberate in his music, with him routinely praising "the great state of New Jersey" in his live shows. Drawing on his extensive local appeal, his appearances in major New Jersey and Philadelphia venues routinely would sell out for consecutive nights and, much like the Grateful Dead, his show's song lists would vary significantly from night to night. He would also make many surprise appearances at The Stone Pony and other shore nightclubs over the years.

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Philadelphia - Grateful Dead - The Stone Pony

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He began his recording career with the E Street Band in 1973. He signed a solo record deal with Columbia Records in 1972 with the help of John A. Hammond, who signed Bob Dylan to the same record label. Springsteen brought many of his New Jersey-based musician friends, including guitarist Steven Van Zandt, into the studio with him, many of them forming the E Street Band. His debut album, Greetings From Asbury Park, N.J., from January 1973, established him as a critical favorite http://www.rollingstone.com/reviews/album/_/id/107193, though sales were slow. Manfred Mann's Earth Band subsequently turned one song from the album, "Blinded by the Light", into a number one hit. Later in 1973 his second album, The Wild, The Innocent, & The E Street Shuffle came out, again to critical acclaim but no commercial profit. The long, full-of-life "Rosalita" from this album would go on to become one of Springsteen's most beloved concert numbers.

Related Topics:
1973 - Columbia Records - 1972 - John A. Hammond - Bob Dylan - Record label - Steven Van Zandt - Greetings From Asbury Park, N.J. - January - Manfred Mann's Earth Band - The Wild, The Innocent, & The E Street Shuffle

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