Springsteen is lauded as one of the best songwriters of all time. His lyrics deal with working-class struggles, values, and desires. The verses in Springsteen’s songs often tell stories about people who have fallen on hard times. Known for his political and social activism, his song lyrics repeatedly address those issues within the context of the everyday struggles of the common man.
Springsteen is considered an originator of heartland rock, a subgenre of rock music associated with the working class in the Rust Belt and Midwestern US. Other prominent heartland rock musicians include Tom Petty and Bob Segar.
Springsteen grew up in Freehold, New Jersey, with his parents and two younger sisters, Virginia and Pamela. His father held numerous working-class jobs during his lifetime and struggled with mental health issues that became more severe as he aged. Springsteen was a loner throughout his childhood and adolescence, preferring to play his guitar over socializing with his classmates and peers. His family eventually moved to California when Springsteen was 19 years old, but he chose to remain in New Jersey.
After watching an Elvis Presley performance on The Ed Sullivan Show in 1956, a 13-year-old Springsteen felt inspired to take up music, and his mother bought him his first guitar. Springsteen began to play publicly at trailer parks and local venues like Elks Lodges. In his early 20s he performed in a string of bands, including the Beatles-influenced Castiles, the hard rock bands Earth and Cream, and the big band Dr. Zoom & the Sonic Boom. He later created the Bruce Springsteen Band, which was the first group to feature legendary saxophonist Clarence Clemons.
Springsteen signed to Columbia Records in 1972 and released two albums in 1973: Greetings from Asbury Park, N.J. and The Wild, the Innocent & the E Street Shuffle. The albums were both recorded with his backing band, featuring Danny Federici, Vini Lopez, David Sancious, Garry Tallent, and Clemon. The two albums were met with critical acclaim, but neither was a financial success. Lopez and Sancious soon departed, making way for drummer Max Weinberg and pianist Roy Bittan. The revised line-up, now dubbed The E Street Band, made its debut on Springsteen’s breakthrough album Born to Run in 1975.
Following years of financial and contractual legal disputes with producers, Springsteen didn’t release any material until 1978 with the album Darkness of the Edge of Town. Despite a fresh wave of heartland rock musicians and a new trend toward the punk/new wave scene, the album performed well in the charts and earned good reviews.
Springsteen’s career took off in the 80s. He released the two-LP The River in 1980, featuring the hits “Hungry Heart” and “Fade Away,” the experimental Nebraska in 1982, and the hugely-popular and internationally-acclaimed Born in the U.S.A. in 1984. All performed well, and Born in the U.S.A. sold over 15 million copies and earned the songwriter his first of 20 Grammy Awards.
At the same time, Springsteen and the band staged a long series of impressive and energetic live shows. Springsteen released a five-LP CD box set titled Bruce Springsteen & the E Street Band Live/1975-85, which became certified platinum 13 times.
With a swelling fan base, consistent critical acclaim, and considerable commercial success, it seemed Springsteen could do no wrong. The singer continued this trend with the release of Tunnel of Love in 1987, then simultaneously released Human Touch and Lucky Town in 1992. The latter two were recorded with a new back up after Springsteen dissolved the E Street Band in 1989.
Following the release of a Greatest Hits album in early 1995 and another low-key folk album in the same vein as Nebraska titled The Ghost of Tom Joad, Springsteen released a whopping four-CD box set of unreleased material that highlighted the songwriter’s prolific talents. The E Street Band returned for a performance upon Springsteen’s induction into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, which was followed by a world tour and the album Live in New York City.
Springsteen subsequently released the albums The Rising in 2001, a reflection on the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, the folk-styled Devils & Dust in 2005, the rock-inspired Magic in 2007 Working on a Dream in 2009; a box-set rerelease of Darkness on the Edge of Town in 2010, Wrecking Ball in 2012, and High Hopes in 2014.
Springsteen released a compilation album titled Chapter and Verse in September 2016 that contained previously-unheard material dating back to the mid-1960s. Following the album’s release, Springsteen embarked on The River 2016 Tour. The tour became the highest-grossing global tour of 2016, pulling in nearly US $3 million worldwide. Springsteen penned an autobiography in 2016 as well. The book, titled Born to Run, climbed to the top of the New York Times Best Sellers List.
In late 2018, a live album Springsteen on Broadway was released. The album reached number 11 on the US Billboard chart.
In 2020, Springsteen released the singles “Letter to You” and “Ghosts,” leading up to the release of his 20th studio album, Letter to You.
On December 14, 2021, Springsteen gave a surprise performance at the John Henry’s Friends benefit concert for autistic children.
Following the release of the singles “Turn Back the Hands of Time,” “Do I Love You (Indeed I Do),” “Don’t Play That Song,” and “Nightshift,” Springsteen’s most recent studio album was announced in September 2022 and was released that November. Only the Strong Survive featured multiple covers of classic soul songs from the ’60s and ’70s.
After 40 years of cultivating a reputation as a relentless, high-energy performer, Springsteen is still touring regularly. He’s headlined nearly 20 tours over the course of his musical career, and is known for his marathon performances. One of his shows at Citizens Bank Park lasted an astonishing 4 hours and 4 minutes.
The singer and musician has maintained remarkable popularity over his prolific career, selling over 64 million albums in the US, 120 million albums worldwide. He has earned 20 Grammy awards, two Golden Globes, and is an inducted member of both the Rock & Roll and the Songwriters Hall of Fame. President Barack Obama awarded Springsteen the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2016.
In May 2022, Springsteen announced a 2023 international tour with the E Street Band, the first since 2017. The tour will continue across the US through 2023 before heading to Europe. To keep up with Bruce Springsteen tour dates and venues, check out his official website.
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