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This WatchMojo video takes a look at the life and career of singer-songwriter, Bruce Springsteen.

Transcript

The Life and Career of Bruce Springsteen [Music Playing] He is the boss. Welcome to watchmojo.com and today we are taking a look at the life and career of singer/song writer Bruce Springsteen. Bruce Frederick Joseph Springsteen was born on September 23, 1949 in Long Branch, New Jersey. It was at the age of seven that Springsteen saw Elvis Presley on the Ed Sullivan Show and this prompted his interest in music. Buying his first guitar at 13, it wasn’t long before he started playing in bands. These included the trio Earth with whom he acquired his nick name ‘The Boss’ and ‘Steel Mill’, a band that featured the core members of what would later become the E Street Band. Aside from his band experience, Springsteen was also playing solo shows at various nightclubs. In 1972, he signed a deal with Columbia Records. His debut greetings from Asbury Park, New Jersey was recorded with the E Street Band and released in January 1973. Springsteen’s sophomore record The Wild, The Innocent and The E Street Shuffle was release in September of that same year. Though it was widely accepted by critics, the album sold poorly much like his first record. The next year, music critic John Landau become Springsteen’s manger and co-produced what would become the singer’s breakthrough record 1975’s Born to Run. The album was a critical and commercial success and both its title track and the song Thunder Road become rock radio staples. The E Street Band stayed on tour for much of the next year while a lawsuit between Springsteen and his former Manager was settled. He returned to the studio in 1977 to record Darkness on the Edge of Town, an album that showcased his political awareness more than previous efforts. He continued wit the theme of working class life on his 1980 album The River and the record produced ‘The Boss’s’ first top 10 hit Hungry Heart. In 1982, Springsteen released the solo acoustic record Nebraska. This was followed up with one of his biggest album to date 1984’s Born in the U.S.A. This record spanned seven top 10 singles including the popular Dancing in the Dark. Two years later, a box set entitled Live 1975 to 1985 further cemented his reputation as a solid performer and became one of the most commercially successful live albums of all time. In 1987, Springsteen came out with Tunnel of Love, an album that focused on love’s ups and downs. During the subsequent tour, news of an affair between Springsteen and backup singer Patti Scialfa lead to his divorce from his first wife Julian Philips in 1988. Soon after, Springsteen dissolved the E Street Band, moved to California and married Scialfa in 1991. In March ’92, Springsteen released two albums; Lucky Town and Human Touch. The next year, he wrote Streets of Philadelphia for the movie Philadelphia. This song won him a Golden Globe, an Oscar and several Grammy Awards. His first greatest hits album came out in 1995 and was followed by his 11th studio albu, The Ghost of Tom Joad. By 1999, Springsteen had reformed the E Street Band to the delight of fans. Together, they went on a massive reunion tour. Springsteen’s first album with the full band in almost two decades was release shortly after. 2002 is The Rising was released in the wake of the September 11th attacks. Proving his status as a hardworking music man, a solo record called Devils and Dust was released in 2005. And a Pete Seeger cover album entitled We Shall Overcome, the Seeger Sessions followed a year later. In 2007, he went back into the studio with the E Street Band and recorded his 15th album Magic. The next year, Springsteen showed his support for President Barrack Obama by playing material that would soon be released on his 2009 album Working on a Dream at rallies. In 2010, re-released of his 1978 album Darkness on the Edge of Town, the album was accompanied by documentary called ‘The Promise: The Making of Darkness on the Edge of Town’. This singer/song writer, guitarist, social activist and a family man has been one of rocks top acts since the 1970’s. With his own version of heartland rock featuring poetic yet accessible lyrics and link the live shows, Bruce Springsteen’s music has influenced many and his likely to continue doing so for generations to come.