Bruce springsteen biography boss

Despite the pseudonym's history and wide acceptance, Springsteen was wary of accepting the Boss as his title. He claimed that the only reason it only stuck in the first place was because he was in charge of doling out everyone's payments after a show. Somebody better ask the Boss. Corey Irwin Published: November 2, Top Classic Rock Artists Click through to find out how they stack up, as we count down the Top classic rock artists.

This early gift was not just an instrument but a gateway to a future that Bruce could hardly have imagined, one that would see him become a defining figure in rock music. Despite facing economic hardships, his mother supported his musical ambitions by taking a loan to buy him his first guitar, an investment that proved to be the starting point of his music career.

Growing up in a financially unstable household, where his father held multiple jobs including as a bus driver, and his mother worked as a legal secretary, the economic challenges of his early life fueled his lyrics and themes of resilience and hope. His initial foray into music saw him playing in various bands, but it was his creation of the Bruce Springsteen Band that marked a significant step in his musical career.

Even then, his performances were more than just gigs; they were raw, energetic experiences that captivated those who watched. Playing at venues like the famous Stone Pony, Springsteen began to carve out a reputation for thrilling live shows , backed by his band, which later evolved into the iconic E Street Band. During this formative period, Springsteen also developed a deep connection with the local music community.

His time performing along the Jersey Shore, particularly in Asbury Park, was not just about music but about creating an identity and a voice that spoke to and for the working class. Springsteen performed tirelessly, his music gradually incorporating the unique blend of rock and soul that would define his style. This was also a time of collaboration and experimentation, leading to the formation of bonds with musicians like Patti Scialfa, who would later join the E Street Band and become an integral part of both his music and personal life.

It proved to be a breakthrough album [ 72 ] [ 73 ] [ 74 ] that catapulted Springsteen to worldwide fame. In October , Springsteen appeared on the covers of both Newsweek and Time in the same week, becoming the first artist to do so. When the E Street Band arrived in London for their first concerts outside North America, [ 85 ] Springsteen personally tore down promotional posters in the lobby of the Hammersmith Odeon.

A legal battle with Appel kept Springsteen out of the studio for nearly a year, during which time he kept the E Street Band together through extensive touring across the U. Released in June , [ 94 ] Darkness on the Edge of Town sold fewer copies than its predecessor, [ 95 ] but remained on the Billboard chart for weeks, selling three million copies in the U.

By the late s, Springsteen earned a reputation as a songwriter whose material could provide hits for other bands. Manfred Mann's Earth Band had achieved a U. Patti Smith reached No. The Pointer Sisters hit No. In September , Springsteen and the E Street Band joined the Musicians United for Safe Energy anti-nuclear power collective at Madison Square Garden for two nights, playing an abbreviated set while premiering two songs from his upcoming album.

The subsequent No Nukes live album, as well as the following summer's No Nukes documentary film, represented the first official recordings and footage of Springsteen's fabled live act and Springsteen's first tentative dip into political involvement. The recording sessions for Springsteen's fifth album, The River , lasted 18 months. Billboard chart.

Several songs on The River foreshadowed the direction of Springsteen's next record, [ ] the minimalist , folk-inspired solo effort Nebraska , released in September In , Springsteen released Born in the U. 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 was widely misinterpreted as jingoistic , and in connection with the presidential campaign became the subject of considerable folklore. In , conservative columnist George Will attended a Springsteen concert and then wrote a column praising Springsteen's work ethic. Six days after the column's publication, then President Ronald Reagan , in a campaign rally in Hammonton, New Jersey , made brief mention of the song, saying, "America's future rests in a thousand dreams inside your hearts.

It rests in the message of hope in the songs of a man so many young Americans admire—New Jersey's own, Bruce Springsteen. I don't think it was the Nebraska album. I don't think he's been listening to this one. The video for the song showed a young Courteney Cox dancing on stage with Springsteen, which helped start the actress's career.

The song " Cover Me " was written by Springsteen for Donna Summer , but his record company persuaded him to keep it for the new album. A big fan of Summer's work, Springsteen wrote another song for her, " Protection ". Videos for Born in the U. Springsteen played on the " We Are the World " song and album in His live cover of the Jimmy Cliff song "Trapped" from that album received moderate airplay on US Top 40 stations as well as reaching No.

The Born in the U. From June 15 to August 10, , all seven of his albums appeared on the UK Albums Chart : the first time an artist had charted their entire back catalogue simultaneously. It is one of the most commercially successful live albums of all time, ultimately selling 13 million units in the U. During the s, several Springsteen fanzines were launched, including Backstreets magazine.

Springsteen released the much more sedate and contemplative Tunnel of Love in October The album is a mature reflection on the many faces of love found, lost and squandered, and the full sound of the E Street Band is included only selectively. On July 19, , Springsteen's concert in East Germany attracted , spectators. Journalist Erik Kirschbaum called the concert "the most important rock concert ever, anywhere" in his book Rocking the Wall.

The concert had been conceived by the Socialist Unity Party 's youth wing in an attempt to placate the youth of East Germany , who were hungry for more freedom and the popular music of the West. However, it is Kirschbaum's opinion that the success of the concert catalyzed opposition to the regime in East Germany, and helped contribute to the fall of the Berlin Wall the following year.

Later in , Springsteen headlined the worldwide Human Rights Now! In October , he dissolved the E Street Band. In , after risking fan accusations of "going Hollywood" by moving to Los Angeles and working with session musicians , Springsteen released two albums at once: Human Touch and Lucky Town. Springsteen won an Academy Award in for his song " Streets of Philadelphia ", which appeared on the soundtrack to the film Philadelphia.

The video for the song shows Springsteen's actual vocal performance, recorded using a hidden microphone, to a prerecorded instrumental track. This technique was developed on the " Brilliant Disguise " video. In , after temporarily re-organizing the E Street Band for a few new songs recorded for his first Greatest Hits album a recording session that was chronicled in the documentary Blood Brothers , and also one show at Tramps in New York City, [ ] he released his second folk album, The Ghost of Tom Joad.

The album was generally less well-received than the thematically similar Nebraska due to the minimal melody , twangy vocals, and political nature of most of the songs; however, some praised it for giving a voice to immigrants and others who rarely have one in American culture. The lengthy, worldwide, small-venue solo acoustic Ghost of Tom Joad Tour that followed presented many of his older songs in drastically reshaped acoustic form, although Springsteen had to explicitly remind his audiences to "shut the fuck up" and not to clap during the performances.

Following that tour, Springsteen moved from California back to New Jersey with his family. Later, he would acknowledge that the s were musically a "lost period" for him: "I didn't do a lot of work. Some people would say I didn't do my best work. Springsteen was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in by Bono the lead singer of U2 , a favor he returned in In , Springsteen and the E Street Band reunited and began their extensive Reunion Tour , which lasted over a year.

A new song played at these shows, " American Skin 41 Shots " about the police shooting of Amadou Diallo , proved controversial. In , Springsteen released his first studio effort with the full band in 18 years, The Rising , produced by Brendan O'Brien. The album, mostly a reflection on the September 11 attacks , was a critical and popular success.

The title track gained airplay in several radio formats, and the record became Springsteen's best-selling album of new material in 15 years. Kicked off by an early-morning Asbury Park appearance on The Today Show , The Rising Tour commenced; the band barnstormed through a series of single-night arena stands in the U. Springsteen played an unprecedented 10 nights at Giants Stadium in New Jersey.

Some of the material was written almost 10 years earlier, during or shortly after the Ghost of Tom Joad Tour; a few of the songs had been performed at that time but unreleased. The album topped the charts in ten countries. Attendance was disappointing in a few regions, and except in Europe tickets were easier to get than in the past.

In April , Springsteen released We Shall Overcome: The Seeger Sessions , an American roots music project focused around a big folk sound treatment of 15 songs popularized by the radical musical activism of Pete Seeger. A tour began the same month, with the strong ensemble of musicians dubbed the Seeger Sessions Band and later shortened to the Sessions Band.

The tour proved very popular in Europe, selling out everywhere and receiving some excellent reviews, [ ] but newspapers reported that a number of U. Springsteen's next album, Magic , was released in October Recorded with the E Street Band, it had 10 new Springsteen songs plus " Long Walk Home ", performed once with the Sessions band, and a hidden track the first included on a Springsteen studio release , " Terry's Song ", a tribute to Springsteen's long-time assistant Terry Magovern, who died in July Springsteen supported Barack Obama's presidential campaign.

Springsteen was the musical opener for the Obama Inaugural Celebration on January 18, , which was attended by over , people. Springsteen performed at the halftime show at Super Bowl XLIII on February 1, , [ ] agreeing to perform after having declined on prior occasions. The set of appearances and promotional activities led Springsteen to say, "This has probably been the busiest month of my life.

Working on a Dream , dedicated to Federici, was released in late January The band performed five final shows at Giants Stadium, opening with a new song highlighting the historic stadium, and Springsteen's Jersey roots, named "Wrecking Ball". Springsteen received the Kennedy Center Honors on December 6, President Obama gave a speech in which he asserted that Springsteen had incorporated the lives of regular Americans into his expansive palette of songs.

Obama added that Springsteen's concerts were not just rock-and-roll concerts, but "communions". The s ended with Springsteen 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. Clarence Clemons , the E Street Band's saxophonist and founding member, died on June 18, , of complications from a stroke.

Springsteen's 17th studio album, Wrecking Ball , was released in March The album consists of eleven tracks plus two bonus tracks. Three songs previously only available as live versions, "Wrecking Ball", " Land of Hope and Dreams ", and "American Land", appear on the album. On July 31, , in Helsinki , Finland, Springsteen performed his longest concert ever at four hours and six minutes with 33 songs.

In , Springsteen campaigned for President Barack Obama's re-election in the presidential election , appearing and performing at Obama rallies in Ohio , Pittsburgh , Iowa , Virginia , and Wisconsin. At the rallies, he briefly spoke to the audience and performed a short acoustic set that included a newly written song titled "Forward".

Financially, the tour grossed second to the one by Roger Waters. Springsteen released his eighteenth studio album, High Hopes , in January The first single and video were of a newly recorded version of the song " High Hopes ", which Springsteen had previously recorded in The album was the first by Springsteen in which all songs are either cover songs, newly recorded outtakes from previous records, or newly recorded versions of songs previously released.

The E Street Band touring lineup appears on the album, including material they had recorded with Clemons and Federici before their deaths. Springsteen made his acting debut in the final episode of season three of Van Zandt's show Lilyhammer , which was named "Loose Ends" after a Springsteen song on the Tracks album. Released on December 4, it contains four CDs including many previously unreleased songs and three DVDs or Blu-ray along with a page coffee table book.

All first-leg shows in North America included an in-sequence performance of the entire The River album along with other songs from Springsteen's catalog, and all dates were recorded and made available for purchase. Chapter and Verse , a compilation from throughout Springsteen's career dating back to , was released in September On September 7, , at Citizens Bank Park in Philadelphia , Pennsylvania , Springsteen performed for four hours and four minutes, his longest-ever show in the United States.

Springsteen supported Hillary Clinton 's presidential campaign by performing an acoustic set of "Thunder Road", "Long Walk Home" and "Dancing in the Dark" at a rally in Philadelphia on November 7, The live album Springsteen on Broadway was released in December It reached the top 10 in more than 10 countries and No. Springsteen's nineteenth studio album, Western Stars , was released in June He co-directed the film along with longtime collaborator Thom Zimny.

The film features Springsteen and his backing band performing the music from Western Stars to a live audience. On May 29, , Springsteen appeared remotely during a livestream, no-audience concert by the Dropkick Murphys at Fenway Park in Boston. The event marked the first music performance without an in-person audience at a major U. Springsteen's twentieth studio album, Letter to You , was released in October This marked the band's first performance since and their first to promote Letter to You.

In February , it was announced that Springsteen was releasing an eight-part podcast on Spotify titled Renegades: Born in the USA that would feature himself in conversation with Barack Obama discussing a wide range of topics including family, race, marriage, fatherhood, and the state of the U. On June 7, , Springsteen announced that his Springsteen on Broadway shows would return for a limited run at Jujamcyn's St.

James Theatre beginning on June 26, On December 13, , Springsteen gave a surprise four song performance at the John Henry's Friends benefit concert for children diagnosed with Autism where he was joined by Steve Earle and the Dukes as his backing band. On May 24, , it was announced that he would be launching an international tour with the E Street Band in , the first such since On February 1, , Springsteen and the E Street band launched their first tour in six years , due to conclude in July On June 15, , former E Street Band member David Sancious , who left the band in , said that he is set to appear on a follow-up to Only the Strong Survive and that Springsteen has completed 18 songs for the album.

Sancious said he expects to tour with Springsteen to support the album in In a November interview, Springsteen confirmed that he planned a Volume 2 of the album; at the time, he said it was "probably three-quarters recorded". Springsteen provided vocals on the song "History Books" by the Gaslight Anthem , the title track on the band's October album.

Springsteen was undergoing treatment for peptic ulcer disease and doctors recommended he not perform live. A few days later, the remaining twelve shows scheduled for November through December were also postponed to dates in March and April, and between August and November In total, twenty-nine shows on the tour have been postponed due to Springsteen's illness along with Springsteen and other members of the band having COVID During his August 23, , show in Philadelphia , Springsteen denounced rumors of a farewell tour.

I spent most of my life as a musician measuring the distance between the American Dream and American reality. Widely regarded as one of the greatest songwriters of all time, [ ] Springsteen has been called a "rock 'n' roll poet" who "[radiates] working-class authenticity". According to Rolling Stone , his work "epitomizes rock's deepest values: desire, the need for freedom and the search to find yourself.

A shift in Springsteen's lyrical approach began with the album Darkness on the Edge of Town , [ ] in which he focused on the emotional struggles of working class life, [ ] [ ] alongside more typical rock and roll themes. Reviewing Born in the U. He's always chased the utopian feeling of that music". Jon Pareles included Springsteen among the "pantheon" of artists of the album era.

He used it to lyricize "America's slide from industrial-era swagger into service-economy anomie ". In her mind, Springsteen needed the "track-by-track architecture of albums to flesh out characters, relate each to the other, extend metaphors and build a palpable, detail-strewn landscape through which they could travel". He simultaneously grew musically "both with his stalwart E Street Band a metaphor itself for the family connections and community spirit his songs celebrate or lament and in more minimalist projects.

Springsteen and the E Street Band have frequently appeared in lists ranking the best live acts of all time. Springsteen's songs have been the subject of various scholarly articles analyzing his music and lyrics. Springsteen himself said in "The Collection has almost 1, books and magazines on myself and the band—more stuff than every place except my mother's basement!

Springsteen briefly dated artist Karon Bihari in the s, who claimed the Darkness on the Edge of Town song "Candy's Room" was about her. Springsteen liked her voice and after the performance he introduced himself to her. They soon started spending time together and became friends. Tour , which began in June According to the book Bruce by Peter Ames Carlin, they seemed about to become a couple through the first leg of the tour, [ ] but Springsteen was introduced to actress Julianne Phillips and married her shortly after midnight on May 13, , at Our Lady of the Lake Catholic Church in Lake Oswego, Oregon.

Many of the songs on Tunnel of Love described the unhappiness he felt in his relationship with Phillips. The Tunnel of Love Express Tour began in February and Springsteen convinced Scialfa to postpone her own solo record and join the tour. Springsteen received press criticism for the apparent haste in which he and Scialfa started their relationship.

In a interview with The Advocate , he told Judy Wieder 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.

I handled it badly, and I still feel badly about it. It was cruel for people to find out the way they did. Springsteen and Scialfa lived in New Jersey before moving to Los Angeles, where they decided to start a family. Their second child, Jessica Rae Springsteen , was born on December 30, So part of me said, 'Hey, what does it 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. When their children reached school age in the s, Springsteen and Scialfa moved back to New Jersey to raise them away from paparazzi.

The family owns and lives on a horse farm in Colts Neck Township and has a home in Rumson ; they also own homes in Los Angeles and Wellington, Florida. Springsteen has avoided hard drugs his entire life. He later began following a mostly vegetarian diet while running up to six miles on a treadmill and lifting weights three times a week. While rejecting religion in his earlier years, Springsteen stated in his autobiography Born to Run , "I have a personal relationship with Jesus.

I believe in his power to save, love [ I don't participate in my religion but I know somewhere I'm still on the team. In a interview with Tom Hanks , Springsteen admitted that he evaded taxes early in his career since the government had not paid attention to his taxes prior to his appearance on the cover of Time. Springsteen supported Barack Obama 's presidential campaign , announcing his endorsement in April Springsteen supports LGBT rights and has spoken out in support of gay marriage.

It's part of your place in society, and in some way part of society's acceptance of you. Springsteen noted in the ad, "I couldn't agree more with that statement and urge those who support equal treatment for our gay and lesbian brothers and sisters to let their voices be heard now. Springsteen released an official statement on his website. During a show in Perth , Australia, Springsteen made a statement celebrating the post-inauguration Women's March against the incoming Trump administration in cities worldwide: "We're a long way from home, and our hearts and spirits are with the hundreds of thousands of women and men that marched yesterday in every city in America, and in Melbourne We stand with you.

We are the new American resistance. Springsteen was a staunch critic of Donald Trump throughout his presidency. In October , Springsteen said Trump "doesn't have a grasp of the deep meaning of what it means to be an American," [ ] and in June called him a "threat to our democracy". The video features Springsteen's song "Streets of Philadelphia".

Springsteen has sold more than million records worldwide and more than 71 million records in the United States, making him one of the world's best-selling artists. In May , Springsteen became the eighth recipient of the Woody Guthrie Prize, a prize that honors an artist who speaks out for social justice and carries on the spirit of the folk singer.

Springsteen was supposed to receive the award in but the COVID pandemic postponed the ceremonies. On May 23, , Springsteen became the first international songwriter that the Academy has inducted into the Fellowship in its year history. Springsteen has developed a reputation for energetic and long-lasting live performances. Contents move to sidebar hide.

Article Talk. Read Edit View history. Tools Tools. Download as PDF Printable version. In other projects. Wikimedia Commons Wikiquote Wikidata item. American rock musician born For other uses, see Springsteen disambiguation. Long Branch, New Jersey , U. Julianne Phillips. Patti Scialfa. Rock heartland rock folk pop rock [ 1 ]. The Castiles Steel Mill.

Musical artist. Early life and education [ edit ]. Career [ edit ]. Springsteen at a Barack Obama campaign rally. Bruce Springsteen, known as "The Boss," is a legendary American rock singer, songwriter, and guitarist with a career spanning six decades. He's released 21 studio albums, often collaborating with his E Street Band, and is credited with pioneering heartland rock, combining mainstream music with socially conscious lyrics reflecting working-class American life.

His full name is Bruce Frederick Joseph Springsteen. He possesses a diverse ethnic background, including Dutch, Irish, and Italian heritage.

Bruce springsteen biography boss

He is an American by nationality and was born to his parents Douglas Frederick Springsteen, a bus driver, and Adele Ann, a legal secretary. Growing up in a family with Irish-Italian roots, Bruce is a Libra by birth sign and has two sisters named Virginia and Pamela Springsteen. He attended St. In , Bruce Springsteen was inspired by the Beatles' televised performances on The Ed Sullivan Show, prompting him to purchase his first guitar.

He began playing with the band the Rogues at local venues and, later that year, his mother took out a loan to buy him a Kent guitar, a moment memorialized in his song "The Wish. In the late s, he briefly played with Earth, a power trio, and later formed Steel Mill, a band that gained a cult following through their performances on the Jersey Shore and beyond.

Springsteen continued to evolve, performing with various bands like Dr. The breakthrough came with the release of "Born to Run" in , and his career continued to soar with albums like "Darkness on the Edge of Town," "The River," and the iconic "Born in the U. In , Springsteen released "Tunnel of Love," an album that marked a shift towards a more sedate and contemplative sound.

The album delves into the complexities of love, exploring its various facets from discovery to loss and squander. Notably, the full sound of the E Street Band is used selectively. In , Springsteen's concert in East Germany, attended by , spectators, is described as a pivotal moment by journalist Erik Kirschbaum, potentially contributing to the fall of the Berlin Wall.

Later that year, Springsteen headlined the Human Rights Now! The late s saw the release of the outtakes box set "Tracks. In , he made a poignant return to the stage with the E Street Band but also faced the loss of his longtime friend and bandmate Danny Federici to cancer.