Bruce Springsteen Biography

Bruce Springsteen, full name Bruce Frederick Joseph Springsteen, is an American singer-songwriter. He was born on September 23, 1949 to Douglas Frederick Springsteen and Adele Annin Long Branch, New Jersey, at Monmouth Medical Center.

He attended Freehold Borough High School. 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 grew up hearing fellow New Jersey singer Frank Sinatra on the radio. He became interested in being involved in music himself when, in 1956 at the age of seven, he saw Elvis Presley on The Ed Sullivan Show. In 1964, Springsteen bought his first guitar.

On January 5, 1973, the Columbia Records released Bruce Springsteen’s debut album, Greetings from Asbury Park, N.J. MAY 22, 1974, Jon Landau’s “Growing Young with Rock and Roll” was published in The Real Paper. Columbia singled out one line from Landau’s lengthy column to be used in a marketing campaign: “I have seen the future of rock and roll, and its name is Bruce Springsteen.”

October 27, 1975, in a publicity coup engineered by producer Mike Appel, Springsteen appeared simultaneously on the covers of Time (“Rock’s New Sensation”) and Newsweek (“Making of a Rock Star”) magazines. JULY 8, 1978, Springsteen’s first music video, “Rosalita,” and additional songs were later released as part of the Promise box set.

OCTOBER 4, 1982 saw the release of Nebraska, a stripped-down and disturbing solo album that, while a major left turn for a mainstream rock artist, became lauded by critics and beloved by fans. Bruce had attempted to revisit the songs himself and with his band throughout the year, but the music captured on the record is what he originally recorded on acoustic guitar and harmonica in January, 1982 ­ stark, intimate, and uncompromising.

The album Born in the U.S.A. was released on June 4, 1984. The album turned out to be the best-selling album of 1985 in the U.S.A. and Springsteen’s most successful album ever, producing a record-tying string of seven Top 10 hits. Rolling Stone faithfully defined the album’s spirit, calling Springsteen the “Voice of the Decade” “Like Nebraska, Born in the U.S.A. was about people who come to realize that life turns out harder, more hurtful, more close-fisted than they might have expected. But in contrast to Nebraska’s killers and losers, Born in the U.S.A.’s characters hold back the night as best they can, whether it’s by singing, laughing, dancing, yearning, reminiscing or entering into desperate love affairs. There was something celebratory about how these people face their hardships. It’s as if Springsteen were saying that life is made to endure and that we all make peace with private suffering and shared sorrow as best we can.” The album’s cover, photographed by Annie Leibovitz, became an iconic image of the era.

OCTOBER 6, 1987, Springsteen’s studio follow-up to Born in the U.S.A., Tunnel of Love, shipped double platinum. Richard Harrington reviews Tunnel of Love for the Washington Post: “It’s not that Springsteen is the first writer to address the confusions of the heart…but putting out such an introspective and intimate collection on the heels of the hard-charging Born in the U.S.A. and the heroically structured Live set is an intriguing move. It contains some of Springsteen’s most personal work and could very well provide the demythologizing he must crave.”

SEPTEMBER 2, 1988, following the Tunnel of Love Express Tour, Bruce and the E Street Band went out to more far-flung locales on the Amnesty International Human Rights Now! Tour. The six-week worldwide jaunt begins on this night in London, soon bringing Springsteen and the E Streeters (along with Sting, Peter Gabriel, Tracy Chapman, and Youssou N’Dour) to Greece, India, South Africa, and Central and South America.

On March 21, 1994, Springsteen won the Best Original Song Academy Award for “Streets of Philadelphia,” from Jonathan Demme’s film Philadelphia, becoming the first rock ’n roll artist to win an Oscar in this category.

On January 9, 1995, Springsteen reconvened the E Street Band, including both Nils Lofgren and Steve Van Zandt, at the Hit Factory in NYC to record new tracks for his first Greatest Hits effort. For Clarence Clemons, who was most shocked by the band’s break-up, “standing in front of the microphone playing with the E Street Band was the best present I ever got in my life.” The band spent Clemons’s January 11 birthday in the studio, recording together for the first time in nearly ten years. Ernie Fritz’s feature-length documentary, Blood Brothers, captures the studio reunion, as well as the Big Man’s cake.

After years of inducting others and jamming with rock legends at the annual ceremony, Bruce Springsteen was officially welcomed into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame on March 15, 1999. On July 30, 2002, three years after the band’s rededication, Springsteen’s twelveth studio album, The Rising became the first E Street album in 18 years, since 1984’s Born the U.S.A. The Rising is a moving artistic response to the attacks of September 11, 2001. Debuting at #1 on the Billboard chart, The Rising went gold in its first week, led by its powerful title track, which presents both the real-world terror confronted by first responders and a spiritually transcendent “dream of life.”

Springsteen and his new Sessions Band hit the road on April 30, 2006 to support We Shall Overcome: The Seeger Sessions, beginning in the birthplace of their sonic gumbo, New Orleans. March 23, 2009 saw Part II of the E Street Band’s Magic Tour, featuring the sign-collection set, full-album performances, multiple festival dates, and the scorching debut of Jay Weinberg.

Springsteen’s 17th studio album, Wrecking Ball, was released on March 5, 2012. The album debuted at #1 in 16 countries, marking his 10th #1 album in the US, led by the first single “We Take Care Of Our Own.” The album focused largely on the American experience following the economic crash of 2008, and would later earn three Grammy nominations and spark the year-and-a-half long Wrecking Ball Tour that saw performances across North and South America, Europe, and Australia.

On February 8, 2013, MusiCares honored Bruce Springsteen as the 2013 MusiCares Person of the Year, celebrating his exceptional artistic achievements as well as his philanthropic work. Proceeds from the event provided essential support for MusiCares, which ensures that music people have a place to turn in times of financial, medical, and personal need. The event, hosted by The Daily Show’s Jon Stewart, included tribute performances from Elton John, Neil Young, Sting, Eddie Vedder, and Mumford & Sons amongst others, plus a moving acceptance speech from Bruce himself.

Capping off the seemingly neverending Wrecking Ball World Tour in late 2013, Springsteen began 2014 with the release of his 18th studio album, High Hopes, earning him the 11th #1 album debut of his career.

Bruce Springsteen Autobiography

Springsteen’s autobiography Born To Run was released on September 27, 2016. Over the course of seven years, Springsteen has privately devoted himself to writing the story of his life, bringing to the pages the same honesty, humor, and originality found in his songs.

The book was released with its musical companion Chapter and Verse, a collection of 18 songs chosen by Springsteen that trace his musical history from its earliest days with five previously unreleased tracks including two tracks from The Castiles, featuring a teenaged Springsteen on guitar and vocals.

Bruce Springsteen Age

He was born on September 23, 1949.

Bruce Springsteen Wife

Bruce Springsteen married Patti Scialfa in 1991.

Bruce Springsteen Photos

Bruce Springsteen

Bruce Springsteen Kids – Bruce Springsteen Children

Bruce Springsteen together with Patti Scialfa have three children:  Evan James, Jessica Rae and Sam Ryan.

Bruce Springsteen Son – Bruce Springsteen Daughter

Bruce Springsteen’s son, Evan, graduated from Boston College. He writes and performs his own songs and won the 2012 Singer/Songwriter Competition held during the Boston College’s Arts Festival. His daughter Jessica is a nationally ranked champion equestrian, and graduated from Duke University. She made her show-jumping debut with the Team USA in August 2014. The younger son, Sam, is a firefighter.

Bruce Springsteen First Wife

Bruce Springsteen’s first wife was Julianne Phillips, model and actress. The two met in October 1984, and they were married in her native Lake Oswego on May 13, 1985. The marriage ended in divorce in 1989.

Bruce Springsteen Family

His father, Douglas Frederick Springsteen, was of Dutch and Irish ancestry, and worked as a bus driver, among other vocations, although he was mostly unemployed. His mother, Adele Ann, a legal secretary and of Italian ancestry, was the main breadwinner. His maternal grandfather was born in Vico Equense, a town near Naples.

He has two younger sisters, Virginia and Pamela. Pamela had a brief film career, but left acting to pursue still photography full-time; she took photos for his Human Touch, Lucky Town and The Ghost of Tom Joad albums.

Bruce Springsteen Height

Bruce Springsteen height is 5 feet 9.5 inches (176.5 cm).

Bruce Springsteen Net Worth

Bruce Springsteen has an estimated net worth of $460 million.

Bruce Springsteen Albums

• Greetings from Asbury Park, N.J. (1973)
• The Wild, the Innocent & the E Street Shuffle (1973)
• Born to Run (1975)
• Darkness on the Edge of Town (1978)
• The River (1980)
• Nebraska (1982)
• Born in the U.S.A. (1984)
• Tunnel of Love (1987)
• Human Touch (1992)
• Lucky Town (1992)
• The Ghost of Tom Joad (1995)
• The Rising (2002)
• Devils & Dust (2005)
• We Shall Overcome: The Seeger Sessions (2006)
• Magic (2007)
• Working on a Dream (2009)
• Wrecking Ball (2012)
• High Hopes (2014)

Bruce Springsteen Songs

• 4th of July, Asbury Park
• 57 Channels
• Adam Raised a Cain
• Ain’t Got You
• American Skin (41 Shots)
• Atlantic City
• Backstreets
• Badlands
• Because The Night
• Better Days
• Blinded By The Light
• Blood Brothers
• Bobby Jean
• Book Of Dreams
• Born In The U.S.A.
• Born To Run
• Brilliant Disguise
• Cadillac Ranch
• Candy’s Room
• Cautious Man
• Cover Me
• Dancing In The Dark
• Darkness On The Edge Of Town
• Darlington County
• Death to My Hometown
• Devils & Dust
• Does This Bus Stop At 82nd Street?
• Down In The Hole
• Downbound Train
• Dream Baby Dream
• Easy Money
• Factory
• Fire
• For You
• Frankie Fell In Love
• Freedom Cadence
• Girls in Their Summer Clothes
• Glory Days
• Growin’ Up
• Harry’s Place
• Heaven’s Wall
• Held Up Without A Gun
  High Hopes
• Highway Patrolman
• Human Touch
• Hungry Heart
• Hunter Of Invisible Game
• Hurry Up Sundown
• I Wanna Marry You
• I’m A Rocker
• I’m Goin’ Down
• I’m On Fire
• If I Should Fall Behind
• Incident On 57th Street
• Independence Day
• Into The Fire
• It’s Hard To Be A Saint In The City
• Jack of All Trades
• Johnny 99
• Johnny Bye Bye
• Jungleland
• Kingdom of Days
• Land of Hope and Dreams
• Last to Die
• Light of Day
• Livin’ In The Future
• Living Proof
• Local Hero
• Lucky Town
• Magic
• Mansion On The Hill
• Matamoros Banks
• Meeting Across the River
• Murder Incorporated
• My City Of Ruins
• My Father’s House
• My Hometown
• Nebraska
• New York City Serenade
• No Surrender
• One Step Up
• Open All Night
• Out in the Street
• Outlaw Pete
• Pink Cadillac
• Point Blank
• Prove It All Night
• Queen of the Supermarket
• Racing In The Street
• Radio Nowhere
• Ramrod
• Real World
• Reason To Believe
• Red-Headed Woman
• Rocky Ground
• Roll Of The Dice
• Rosalita (Come Out Tonight)
• Roulette
• Save My Love
• Secret Garden
• Shackled and Drawn
• She’s The One
• Sherry Darling
• Souls Of The Departed
• Spare Parts
• Spirit In The Night
• State Trooper
• Stolen Car
• Straight Time
• Streets Of Fire
• Streets Of Philadelphia
• Tenth Avenue Freeze-out
• Terry’s Song
• The E Street Shuffle
• The Ghost Of Tom Joad
• The Last Carnival
• The Price You Pay
• The Promised Land
• The Rising
• The River
• The Ties That Bind
• The Wall
• The Wrestler
• This Depression
• This Hard Land
• This Is Your Sword
• Thunder Road
• Tougher Than The Rest
• Tunnel of Love
• Two Hearts
• Used Cars
• We Are Alive
• We Take Care of Our Own
• What Love Can Do
• When You’re Alone
• Wild Billy’s Circus Story
• Working on a Dream
• Working On The Highway
• Wreck On The Highway
• Wrecking Ball
• You Can Look (But You’d Better Not Touch)
• You’ve Got It
• Youngstown

Bruce Springsteen Music Video