Facts about Bruce Springsteen
Bruce Springsteen Biography
Bruce Springsteen released his debut album Greetings from Asbury Park in 1973, but it was his second album, The Wild, The Innocent & The E Street Shuffle (1974), that really kicked off his career.
That same year rock critic Jon Landau saw a Springsteen concert in Boston and wrote, “I saw rock and roll’s future and its name is Bruce Springsteen.” Springsteen released Born to Run in 1975, with singles like “Thunder Road” and “Tenth Avenue Freeze-Out,” and it was a critical and popular hit. The title song “Born to Run” became a classic rock anthem, and Springsteen was suddenly a bona fide rock star with the nickname of “The Boss.”
Bruce Springsteen’s energetic live concerts were legendary affairs, with The Boss and The E Street Band pumping out Jersey-style rock and roll to ecstatic fans for three hours or more.
In 1980 he released The River to huge success, and his 1984 blue-collar album, Born in the U.S.A., was on top of the charts for seven weeks. Springsteen left the E Street Band in 1989 and recorded solo, but by the end of the 1990s he was touring with the band again.
One of rock’s top acts for nearly four decades, Springsteen remains known for his songs about working-class Americans and for his still-generous live performances. His 2005 album, Devils & Dust earned five Grammy nominations, winning one for best solo rock performance, and his later albums include Magic (2007) and Working on a Dream (2009). He was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1999.
Extra credit
Bruce Springsteen was married to actress Julianne Phillips from 1985 until their divorce in 1989; they had no children. He married his longtime girlfriend and backup singer Patty Scialfa in 1991. They have three children: son Evan (b. 1990), daughter Jessica Rae (b. 1991), and son Samuel (b. 1994)… Members of the E Street Band have included Clarence Clemons (the “Big Man”) on saxophone, Steve Van Zandt and Nils Lofgren on guitar, and Max Weinberg on drums. Clemons died in 2011. Van Zandt also acted on the TV series The Sopranos, and Weinberg has headed TV show bands for talk show host Conan O’Brien… Patti Smith‘s biggest hit, 1978’s “Because the Night” was co-written with Springsteen.