Bruce Springsteen Biography

Bruce Springsteen, singer, songwriter, guitarist

Birthdate: September 23, 1949

Birthplace: Freehold, New Jersey

Sign: Libra

The sound of the American road at night, Bruce Springsteen's combination of garage rock, British Invasion classic rock, gritty urban poetry, and humble blue-collar roots and aspirations have formed the backbone of a catalog more steeped in Americana than any other troubadour of the modern era.

His charging rockers and arena-wooing anthems alike have become as much a part of the pantheon of American drifters, dreamers, and adolescents as Jack Kerouac, Marlon Brando, or Woody Guthrie. And at the same time he can rock like the Stones and turn a phrase as well as anybody this side of Bob Dylan.

Born September 23rd, 1949 in Freehold, New Jersey the obvious influences of rampant rock n' roll drove the teenage Springsteen to blues-based garage bands, folkish excursions into the scene of Greenwich Village, and eventually, a record deal with Columbia in 1972.

But his greasy, down-Jersey roots were never far from his voice, and this distinction seemed to especially separate his songwriting from that of his oh-so-many peers on the 1973 debut "Greetings from Asbury Park."

Full of sprawling boogie, and endless poetic ejaculations of surrealist bombardment, the album was an obvious Dylan-reacher, but also established a sax-squalling, insistent, and raggedly-driving backing-band. Springsteen also emerged loose, scraggly, earnest and funny as all get-out.

This along with it's successor, "The Wild, The Innocent, and the E Street Shuffle," despite critical acclaim, were widely ignored, and it wasn't until "Born To Run" that the cult of 'The Boss' was born. An instant rock hit in an era of emerging soft rock, metal, and art-rock; it captured the dreams of blue-collar America, the nostalgia of aging rockers, and returned the music to a simpler, more straightforward time. It also ensured Springsteen's stature as one of the most widely followed stars of the '70's as the album hit the Top 10 and "Born to Run" hit the Top 40 and became the oft-quoted Word of every blue-blooded Harley rider, Bud-swiller, and nomad in America.

But the overwhelming commercial success of "Born to Run" may have pushed Springsteen more into the mainstream than he ever wanted, or deserved. An emerging punk and new wave scene demeaned the rebellious nature of his classic rock songs, and aligned him more with established aging strummers such as Bob Seger.

Reception aside though, his songwriting work ethic and unwavering devotion to massive arena-selling-out tours never wavered; and despite unflagging commitment to rough vocals, hook-less melodies, and a stock of characters unending in their failures, miseries, and lost dreams, the hits kept coming for Springsteen.

"Darkness on the Edge of Town" made for a worthy, albeit somber and subdued follow-up to "Born to Run;" after this was "The River," an ambitious double-disc effort that offered his first Top 10 hit, "Hungry Heart."

Then came "Nebraska," practically a demo tape that offered hushed, naked whispers of songs from the Boss adorning little more than an acoustic guitar. An interesting experiment, and a nice picture of Springsteen without any of his songwriting clothes on - it will still be remembered as a mere pre-cursing footnote to 1984's "Born in the U.S.A."

His most bombastic, anthemic effort ever, the album sold over 10 million copies and offered seven hit singles. Springsteen's crowning commercial success, it also quickly established consecrated status as the American soundtrack to roadhouse drinking and late-night drives with the window down.

Springsteen followed this, his most hard-rocking project, with another introspective slow-burner, "Tunnel of Love" - the alternating scope of recording projects becoming his modus operandi that continues to this day.

The rustic, autumnal folk-rock of 2005's "Devils and Dust" offered some of the most intimate Boss musings since "Nebraska," and likewise came slowly on the heels of the E-Street charged response to 9/11 - 2002's "The Rising."

Getting the band back together, 2007's "Magic" was heralded by critics as a driving, energetic return to the Springsteen of the late 70's and early 80's.