Bruce Springsteen

Bruce Frederick Joseph Springsteen (born September 23, 1949), nicknamed "The Boss", is an American singer-songwriter who records and tours with the E Street Band. Springsteen is widely known for his brand of Heartland rock infused with pop hooks, poetic lyrics, and Americana sentiments centered on his native New Jersey.

Springsteen's recordings have included commercially accessible rock albums and somber folk ^{folk music} -oriented works. He is known for putting on electrifying live performances that often last more than three hours .

His most successful studio albums, Born to Run and Born in the U.S.A., showcase a talent for finding grandeur in the struggles of daily American life. The latter album made him one of the world's most recognized musicians and he has sold more than 65 million albums in the United States and 120 million worldwide. and he has earned numerous awards for his work, including 20 Grammy Awards, two Golden Globes and an Academy Award.

He is married to Patti Scialfa, a member of the E Street Band. They have three children.

 
1962–1972: Early years

Springsteen had been inspired to take up music at the age of seven after seeing Elvis Presley on The Ed Sullivan Show. At 13, he bought his first guitar for $18; later, his mother took out a loan to buy the 16-year-old Springsteen a $60 Kent guitar, as he later memorialized in his song "The Wish".

In 1965, he went to the house of Tex and Marion Vinyard, who sponsored young bands in town. They helped him become lead guitarist and subsequently the lead singer of The Castiles. The Castiles recorded two original songs at a public recording studio in Brick Township ^{Brick Township, New Jersey} and played a variety of venues, including Cafe Wha? in Greenwich Village. Marion Vinyard said that she believed the young Springsteen when he promised he would make it big.

Springsteen supported Barack Obama's 2008 presidential campaign ^{Barack Obama presidential campaign, 2008} , announcing his endorsement in April 2008 and going on to appear at several Obama rallies as well as performing several solo acoustic performances in support of Obama's campaign throughout 2008, culminating with a November 2 rally where he debuted "Working On A Dream ^{Working on a Dream (song)} " in a duet with Scialfa. At an Ohio rally, Springsteen discussed the importance of "truth, transparency and integrity in government, the right of every American to have a job, a living wage, to be educated in a decent school, and a life filled with the dignity of work, the promise and the sanctity of home...But today those freedoms have been damaged and curtailed by eight years of a thoughtless, reckless and morally-adrift administration."

Following Obama's electoral victory on November 4, Springsteen's song "The Rising" was the first song played over the loudspeakers after Obama's victory speech in Chicago's Grant Park ^{Grant Park (Chicago)} . Springsteen was the musical opener for the Obama Inaugural Celebration ^{We Are One: The Obama Inaugural Celebration at the Lincoln Memorial} on January 18, 2009 which was attended by over 400,000. He performed "The Rising" with an all-female choir. Later he performed Woody Guthrie's "This Land Is Your Land" with Pete Seeger.

On June 18, 2008, Springsteen appeared live from Europe at the Tim Russert tribute at the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C., to play one of Russert's favorite songs, "Thunder Road." Springsteen dedicated the song to Russert, who was "one of Springsteen's biggest fans."

On January 11, 2009, Springsteen won the Golden Globe Award for Best Song for "The Wrestler ^{The Wrestler (song)} ", from the Mickey Rourke film by the same name ^{The Wrestler (2008 film)} .

Springsteen performed at the halftime show ^{Super Bowl halftime shows} at Super Bowl XLIII on February 1, 2009, agreeing to do it after many previous offers A few days before the game, Springsteen gave a rare press conference, where he promised a "twelve-minute party." His 12:45 set, with the E Street Band and the Miami Horns, included abbreviated renditions of "Tenth Avenue Freeze-Out", "Born to Run ^{Born to Run (song)} ", "Working on a Dream ^{Working on a Dream (song)} ", and "Glory Days ^{Glory Days (song)} ", the latter complete with football references. The set of appearances and promotional activities led Springsteen to say, "This has probably been the busiest month of my life."

Springsteen's Working on a Dream album was released in late January 2009 and the supporting Working on a Dream Tour ran from April 2009 until November 2009. The tour featured few songs from the new album, with instead set lists dominated by classics and selections reflecting the ongoing late-2000s recession. The tour also featured Springsteen playing songs requested by audience members holding up signs as on the final stages of the Magic Tour. and Hard Rock Calling in the UK. Several shows on the tour featured full album presentations of Born to Run, Darkness on the Edge of Town, or Born in the U.S.A. The band performed a stretch of five final shows at his homestate Giants Stadium, opening with a new song highlighting the historic stadium, and his Jersey roots, named "Wrecking Ball". The tour ended as scheduled in Buffalo, NY in November 2009 amid speculation that it was the last performance ever by the E Street Band, but during the show Springsteen said it was goodbye “for a little while.” A DVD from the Working of a Dream Tour entitled London Calling: Live in Hyde Park was released in 2010.

In addition to his own touring, Springsteen made a number of appearances at tribute and benefit concerts during 2009, including The Clearwater Concert, a celebration of Pete Seeger's 90th birthday, the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame's 25th anniversary benefit concert, a benefit for the charity Autism Speaks at Carnegie Hall. On January 22, 2010, he joined many well-known artists to perform on Hope for Haiti Now: A Global Benefit for Earthquake Relief‎, organized by George Clooney to raise money to help the victims of the 2010 Haiti earthquake.

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In 2009, Springsteen performed in The People Speak ^{The People Speak (film)} a documentary feature film that uses dramatic and musical performances of the letters, diaries, and speeches of everyday Americans, based on historian Howard Zinn's "A People's History of the United States”.

Springsteen was among the recipients of the Kennedy Center Honors, an annual award to figures from the world of arts for their contribution to American culture, in December 2009. President Obama gave a speech in which he talked about how Springsteen has incorporated the life of regular Americans in his expansive pallette of songs and how his concerts are beyond the typical rock-and-roll concerts, how apart from being high-energy concerts they are "communions". and ended the remark "while I am the president, He is The Boss". Tributes were paid by several well-known celebrities including Jon Stewart (who described Springsteen's "unprecedented combination of lyrical eloquence, musical mastery and sheer unbridled, unadulterated joy"). A musical tribute featured John Mellencamp Ben Harper and Jennifer Nettles, Rob Mathes band. Melissa Etheridge Eddie Vedder and Sting ^{Sting (musician)} , The Joyce Garrett Choir

The 2000s ended with Springsteen being named one of eight Artists of the Decade by Rolling Stone magazine and with Springsteen's tours ranking him fourth among artists in total concert grosses for the decade.

In September 2010, a documentary about the making of his 1978 album "Darkness of The Edge of Town" was premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival. The film, The Promise: The Making of Darkness on the Edge of Town, will be included in a box set reissue of the album, entitled The Promise: The Darkness on the Edge of Town Story to be released in November 2010.Bruce Springsteen draws on many musical influences from the reservoir of traditional American popular music, Folk, Blues and Country. From the beginning, rock and roll has been the dominant influence. On his debut LP the folk-influence is clear to hear. An example of the influence of this music genre to Springsteen's music is his song This Hard Land which demonstrates a clear influence of the style of Woody Guthrie.

He expanded the range of his musical compositions on his second album The Wild, the Innocent & the E Street Shuffle. Elements of Latin American music, Jazz-Soul- and Funkinfluences can be heard, the song New York City Serenade is even reminiscent of the music of George Gershwin. These two records were featured pianist David Sancious, who left the band shortly into the recording of Bruce's third album, Born To Run. The music of this period reflects ethnic and cultural diversity of New Jersey and New York against those who grew up in the Springsteen.

Later in his career, Springsteen has focused more on the rock elements of his music. He initially compressed the sound and developed Darkness On The Edge Of Town just as straightforward as concise musical idiom, for the simple riffs and clearly recognizable song structures are dominant. His music has been categorised as Heartland rock, a style typified by Springsteen , John Fogerty, Tom Petty, Bob Seger, John Mellencamp. This music has a lyrical reference to the U.S. everyday and the music is kept rather simple and straightforward. This development culminated with Springsteen's hit album Born in the USA, the title song of which has a constantly repeating, fanfare-like keyboard riff and a pounding drum beat. These sounds fit with Springsteen's voice: it cries to the listener the unsentimental story of a disenchanted angry figure. His quiet songs have also enjoyed some chart success, as shown by titles like My hometown and I'm on fire , in which the drum line is formed from subtle hi-hat and rim-clicks-shock (shock at the edge of the snaredrum).

In recent years, Springsteen has changed his music further. There are more folk elements up to the Gospel to be heard. On his last solo album Devils and Dust , he impressed not only by complex songwriting, but also as an expressive and sensitive singer.

On the album We Shall Overcome: The Seeger Sessions Springsteen performs folk classics. At the concerts to this album, he also transformed his own songs into a folk style.

The 2007 album Magic was a reflection on the old stadium rock attitude and with its lush arrangements was almost designed to be performed at large stadiums, which also succeeded on the corresponding tour.}}

Springsteen's lyrics have often explored personal themes such as dissatisfaction and dismay with life in a context of every day situations.

It has been recognised that there was a shift in his lyrical approach starting with the album "Darkness on the Edge of Town", in which he focussed on the emotional struggles of working class life.Springsteen's music has often contained political themes, and he has publicly campaigned for several causes, including his opposition to the Iraq war and support for the presidential campaigns of Senator John Kerry and President Barack Obama. He is also noted for his support of various relief and rebuilding efforts in New Jersey and elsewhere, and for his response to the September 11 attacks in 2001, on which his album The Rising ^{The Rising (album)} reflects. A Democrat ^{Democratic Party (United States)} , his work has often stirred controversy and caused some to identify his music with modern American liberalism.

In 1988, Springsteen headlined the worldwide Human Rights Now! tour for Amnesty International.

It is well known that Springsteen has been associated with various local food banks, particularly with the New Jersey Food bank for many years. During concerts, he usually breaks the routine to announce his support and later matches the total collection during the concert with his own money. During his Charlotte, NC concert on November 3, 2009, he started with a $10,000 donation for the local food bank to start the collections process - which he again matched later., in 2005.

Springsteen was born in Long Branch ^{Long Branch, New Jersey} , New Jersey,
and spent his childhood and high school years in Freehold Borough ^{Freehold Borough, New Jersey} . He lived off East Street in Freehold Borough and attended Freehold Borough High School. His father, Douglas Frederick Springsteen, was of Dutch ^{Dutch American} and Irish ^{Irish American} ancestry and worked, among other vocations, as a bus driver; his surname is Dutch for stepping stone. His mother, Adele Ann (née Zerilli), was a legal secretary and was of Italian ^{Italian American} ancestry. Overall, his heritage is 50% Italian, 37% Irish and 13% Dutch. His maternal grandfather was born in Vico Equense, a city near Naples. He has two younger sisters, Virginia and Pamela. Pamela ^{Pamela Springsteen} had a brief film career, but left acting to pursue still photography full time; she took photos for the Human Touch and Lucky Town albums.

Raised a Roman Catholic ^{Catholic Church} , Springsteen attended the St. Rose of Lima Catholic school in Freehold Borough, where he was at odds with both the nuns and other students, even though much of his later music reflects a deep Catholic ethos and included many rock-influenced, traditional Irish-Catholic hymns.

In ninth grade, he transferred to the public Freehold Regional High School ^{Freehold High School} , but did not fit in there, either. 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 attended Ocean County College, but dropped out.

Springsteen married Julianne Phillips (born May 6, 1960) in Lake Oswego, Oregon on May 13, 1985.
The marriage helped her acting career flourish, although the two were opposites in background, and his traveling took its toll on their relationship. The final blow came when Bruce began an affair with Patti Scialfa (born July 29, 1953), whom he had dated briefly in 1984 shortly after she joined the band. Phillips and Springsteen separated in the spring of 1988, and on August 30, 1988, Julianne filed for divorce. The Springsteen/Phillips divorce was finalized on March 1, 1989.

After his wife filed for divorce in 1988, Bruce began living with Scialfa. Springsteen received much criticism for the hastiness in which he and Scialfa took their relationship. In a 1995 interview with The Advocate, Springsteen spoke about the negative publicity the couple subsequently received. "It's a strange society that assumes it has the right to tell people whom they should love and whom they shouldn't. But the truth is, I basically ignored the entire thing as much as I could. I said, "Well, all I know is, this feels real, and maybe I have got a mess going here in some fashion, but that's life." In 1990, Springsteen and Scialfa welcomed their first child, son Evan James. They were expecting their second child, daughter Jessica Rae (born December 30, 1991), when Bruce and Patti married on June 8, 1991.
"I went through a divorce, and it was really difficult and painful and I was very frightened about getting married again. So part of me said, Hey, what does it matter? But it does matter. It's very different than just living together. First of all, stepping up publicly- which is what you do: You get your license, you do all the social rituals- is a part of your place in society and in some way part of society's acceptance of you...Patti and I both found that it did mean something."
They have three children: Evan James (b. 1990), Jessica Rae (b. 1991) and Sam Ryan (b. January 5, 1994). The family lives in Rumson, New Jersey, and owns a horse farm in nearby Colts Neck ^{Colts Neck Township, New Jersey} . Springsteen also owns two adjacent homes in Wellington, Florida, a wealthy horse community near West Palm Beach. His eldest son, Evan, is currently a sophomore at Boston College in Chestnut Hill ^{Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts} , a village in Newton, Massachusetts. His daughter Jessica Springsteen is a nationally-ranked champion equestrian ^{Equestrianism} and is currently attending Duke University.

In November 2000, Springsteen filed legal action against Jeff Burgar which accused him of registering the domain brucespringsteen.com (along with several other celebrity domains) in bad faith to funnel web users to his Celebrity 1000 portal site. Once the legal complaint was filed, Burgar pointed the domain to a Springsteen biography and message board. In February 2001, Springsteen lost his dispute with Burgar. A WIPO ^{World Intellectual Property Organization} panel ruled 2 to 1 in favor of Burgar.

Springsteen has led a relatively quiet and private life for a well-known popular performer and artist. He moved from Los Angeles to New Jersey in the early 1990s specifically to raise a family in a non-paparazzi environment. It has been reported that the press conference regarding the 2009 Super Bowl XLIII half-time show was his first press conference for more than 25 years. However, he has appeared in a few radio interviews, most notably on NPR and BBC. 60 minutes aired his last extensive interview on TV before his tour to support his album, Magic.Bruce Springsteen has been a member of, or has been backed by, several bands during his career, most notably The E Street Band.

Prior to signing his first record deal in 1972, Springsteen was a member of several bands including Steel Mill. In October 1972 he formed a new band for the recording of his debut album Greetings from Asbury Park, N.J., which became known as The E Street Band, although the name was not officially introduced until September 1974. The E Street Band performed on all of Springsteen's recorded works from his début until 1982's Nebraska ^{Nebraska (album)} , a solo album on which Springsteen himself played all the instruments. The full band returned for the next album Born in the USA, but there then followed a period from 1988 to 1999 in which albums were recorded with session musicians. The E Street band were briefly reunited in 1995 for new contributions to the Greatest Hits ^{Greatest Hits (Bruce Springsteen album)} compilation, and on a more permanent basis from 1999, since which time they have recorded 3 albums together (The Rising, Magic ^{Magic (Bruce Springsteen album)} and Working on a Dream) and performed a number of high profile tours.

The 2005 album Devils & Dust was largely a solo recording, with some contribution from session musicians and the 2006 folk rock We Shall Overcome: The Seeger Sessions album was recorded and toured with another band, known as The Sessions Band.


E Street Band



Current members:
*Bruce Springsteen – lead vocals, guitar, harmonica, piano
*Garry Tallent – bass guitar, tuba
*Clarence "Big Man" Clemons ^{Clarence Clemons} – saxophone, percussion, backing vocals
*Max Weinberg – drums, percussion
*Roy Bittan – piano, keyboards
*Steven Van Zandt – lead guitar, backing vocals, mandolin
*Nils Lofgren – guitar, pedal steel guitar, backing vocals
*Patti Scialfa – backing ^{backup vocalist} and duet ^{duet (music)} vocals ^singer , acoustic guitar, percussion
*Soozie Tyrell – violin, acoustic guitar, percussion, backing vocals
*Charles Giordano – organ ^{organ (music)} , accordion, glockenspiel
Music used in films


Springsteen's music has been used in many films and he has also written and performed several works specifically for films, examples include Philadelphia, Dead Man Walking and The Wrestler.




Films inspired by music

In turn, films have been inspired by his music, including The Indian Runner, written and directed by Sean Penn, which Penn has specifically noted as being inspired by Springsteen's song "Highway Patrolman".

In September 2010, a documentary about the making of his 1978 album "Darkness of The Edge of Town" was premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival.

Acting

Springsteen made his first on-screen appearance as a cameo in High Fidelity ^{High Fidelity (film)} in 2000 and it was voted "Best Cameo in a Movie" at the MTV Movie Awards.in Ivory Coast during Amnesty International's 1988 Human Rights Now! Tour.

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 ^{The River (album)} (#1)
* 1982: Nebraska ^{Nebraska (album)} (#3)
* 1984: Born in the U.S.A. (#1)
* 1987: Tunnel of Love ^{Tunnel of Love (album)} (#1)
* 1992: Human Touch (#2)
* 1992: Lucky Town (#3)
* 1995: The Ghost of Tom Joad (#11)
* 2002: The Rising ^{The Rising (album)} (#1)
* 2005: Devils & Dust (#1)
* 2006: We Shall Overcome: The Seeger Sessions (#3)
* 2007: Magic ^{Magic (Bruce Springsteen album)} (#1)
* 2009: Working on a Dream (#1)
Grammy Awards

:Springsteen has won 20 Grammy Awards, as follows (years shown are the year the award was given for, not the year in which the ceremony was held):

* Best Rock Vocal Performance, Male ^{Grammy Award for Best Male Rock Vocal Performance} , 1984, "Dancing in the Dark ^{Dancing in the Dark (Bruce Springsteen song)} "
* Best Rock Vocal Performance, Male ^{Grammy Award for Best Rock Vocal Performance, Solo} , 1987, "Tunnel of Love ^{Tunnel of Love (Bruce Springsteen song)} "
* Song of the Year ^{Grammy Award for Song of the Year} , 1994, "Streets of Philadelphia"
* Best Rock Song ^{Grammy Award for Best Rock Song} , 1994, "Streets of Philadelphia"
* Best Rock Vocal Performance, Solo ^{Grammy Award for Best Male Rock Vocal Performance} , 1994, "Streets of Philadelphia"
* Best Song Written Specifically for a Motion Picture or Television ^{Grammy Award for Best Song Written for a Motion Picture, Television or Other Visual Media} , 1994, "Streets of Philadelphia"
* Best Contemporary Folk Album ^{Grammy Award for Best Contemporary Folk Album} , 1996, The Ghost of Tom Joad
* Best Rock Album ^{Grammy Award for Best Rock Album} , 2002, The Rising ^{The Rising (album)}
* Best Rock Song ^{Grammy Award for Best Rock Song} , 2002, "The Rising ^{The Rising (Bruce Springsteen song)} "
* Best Male Rock Vocal Performance ^{Grammy Award for Best Male Rock Vocal Performance} , 2002, "The Rising ^{The Rising (Bruce Springsteen song)} "
* Best Rock Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal ^{Grammy Award for Best Rock Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal} , 2003, "Disorder in the House" (with Warren Zevon)
* Best Solo Rock Vocal Performance ^{Grammy Award for Best Solo Rock Vocal Performance} , 2004, "Code of Silence"
* Best Solo Rock Vocal Performance ^{Grammy Award for Best Solo Rock Vocal Performance} , 2005, "Devils & Dust ^{Devils & Dust (song)} "
* Best Traditional Folk Album ^{Grammy Award for Best Traditional Folk Album} , 2006, The Seeger Sessions: We Shall Overcome
* Best Long Form Music Video ^{Grammy Award for Best Long Form Music Video} , 2006, Wings For Wheels: The Making Of Born to Run
* Best Solo Rock Vocal Performance ^{Grammy Award for Best Solo Rock Vocal Performance} , 2007, "Radio Nowhere"
* Best Rock Song ^{Grammy Award for Best Rock Song} , 2007, "Radio Nowhere"
* Best Rock Instrumental Performance ^{Grammy Award for Best Rock Instrumental Performance} , 2007, "Once Upon a Time in the West"
* Best Rock Song ^{Grammy Award for Best Rock Song} , 2008, "Girls in Their Summer Clothes"
* Best Solo Rock Vocal Performance ^{Grammy Award for Best Rock Vocal Performance, Solo} , 2009, "Working on a Dream ^{Working on a Dream (song)} "
Only one of these awards has been one of the cross-genre "major" ones (Song, Record, or Album of the Year); he has been nominated a number of other times for the majors, but failed to win.


Golden Globe Awards

*Golden Globe Award for Best Original Song for "Streets of Philadelphia" in 1994.


Emmy Awards

* The Bruce Springsteen & the E Street Band: Live In New York City HBO special won two technical Emmy Awards in 2001.


Other recognition

October 27, 1975: Bruce Springsteen appears simultaneously on the covers of 'Newsweek' and 'Time'

* Polar Music Prize in 1997.
* Inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, 1999.
* Inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame, 1999.
* Inducted into the New Jersey Hall of Fame, 2007.
* "Born to Run ^{Born to Run (song)} " named "The unofficial youth anthem of New Jersey" by the New Jersey state legislature; something Springsteen always found to be ironic, considering that the song "is about leaving New Jersey".
*The minor planet 23990, discovered Sept. 4, 1999, by I. P. Griffin at Auckland, New Zealand, was officially named in his honor.
*Ranked #23 on Rolling Stone magazine s 2004 list of the 100 Greatest Artists of All Time.
*Ranked #36 on Rolling Stone magazine s 2004 list of the 100 Greatest Singer Of All Time.
*Made Time magazine's 100 Most Influential People Of The Year 2008 list.
*Won Critic's Choice Award for Best Song with "The Wrestler ^{The Wrestler (song)} " in 2009.
*Performed at the Super Bowl XLIII half time show.
*Kennedy Center Honors ^{Kennedy Center Honors#2000s} , 2009.
* Rolling Stone magazine also ranked 8 out of 16 Springsteen's studio albums in their 500 Greatest Albums Of All Time list.
* Rolling Stone magazine ranked Born to Run and Thunder Road in its 500 Greatest Songs Of All Time list, in 21st and 86th, respectively.
* Forbes ranked him 6th in The Celebrity 100 in 2009In addition to his noted influence on music in his native New Jersey, Springsteen is also cited as an influence by Bon Jovi, Arcade Fire, The Gaslight Anthem, The Constantines, The Hold Steady, The National ^{The National (band)} , Kings of Leon, The Killers, U2, Willy DeVille, Johnny Cash in his later recordings, and countless others. His songs have been covered by diverse artists such as Melissa Etheridge, Johnny Cash, McFLY, Tegan and Sara, Damien Jurado, Vampire Weekend, Aimee Mann, Social Distortion, Rage Against The Machine, Ben Harper, Eric Bachmann, Josh Ritter, Frank Turner, Hank Williams III, and Adam Green, in addition to above-noted bands like Arcade Fire and The National ^{The National (band)} .