Bruce Springsteen (born on September 23rd, 1949 with Length Branch (and not Freehold, where it grew), New Jersey) is a singer and American composer-songwriter, called “the Boss”.

Beginnings

One evening, whereas it looks at television, Bruce falls by chance on a concert from King, Elvis Presley. It is a true revelation for the young man who will declare a few years later: " Elvis released the bodies whereas Dylan (Bob) released the spirits… ". Springsteen has nothing any more but one idea then at the head: to devote itself, body and heart, with the music. His/her mother offers to him her first guitar, bought at a pawnbroker. From now on, the young man spends the whole days to compose and scrape frantically the cords of his guitar, in spite of the reserve of his father. Nevertheless, Springsteen perseveres and, after some tests in solo, it starts to occur with various groups whose names often will vary: Dr. Zoom And the Sonic Boom, Bruce Springsteen Band and Steel Millet. Its first steps in the universe of the rock'n'roll are worth its very famous nickname to him: The Boss. He started to record with E-Street Band in 1973. In front of the discoverer of talents, John Hammond (who had made sign Bob Dylan a little earlier), it interprête, with the guitar, four titles of its composition, whose Growin' Up and It' S So Hard To Be has Holy In The City . In the tread, it signs a contract for an album with Columbia in 1972. Springsteen brought with him in studio of many friendly musicians originating like him in the New Jersey. The majority of the latter formed the E Street Band. Its first album, Greetings From Asbury Park, New Jersey , left in January 1973, was worth the favor of criticisms to him, although the sales remained with lowest. Manfred Mann and its Earth Band took again a song of this album, Blinded By The Light to make a tube of it. The same year, it leaves The Wild, The Innocent and The E Street Shuffle , an album more succeeded than the precedent but which, once again, meets only one local success. Springsteen is under pressure. Its next album must be a triumph if it wishes to continue its young career with Columbia.

Bossmania (1974-1988)

In the Real Paper of Boston of May 22nd, 1974, the critic musical Jon Landau wrote: “I saw the future of the rock' roll, it is called Bruce Springsteen. One night when I needed to feel me young person, it made me feel as if it were the first time that I heard music. ” Pram became then the manager of Springsteen. With the exit of its album Born to Run in 1975, Springsteen made the covers of Time Magazine and Newsweek the same week, the October 27th of this same year. This disc is a true dedication for the artist and his group. This album lasts only 39 minutes but formed today part of impossible to circumvent as regards rock'n'roll roll with titles loans of ardor like the song titrates Born To Run. However, at the time, a legal battle with its former manager Mike Appel prevented Springsteen from composing for one long period, and probably contributed to its album much darker Darkness one the Edge off Town in 1978.

In the line of Darkness Bruce Springsteen composed Because the night , a hit for Patti Smith (signal 5 British)

The album To rivet , left in 1980, falls under the same register with poignant titles like Point Blank. In 1979, it takes part in the concert No Nukes against the nuclear energy utilization.

In 1981, moved by the reading by the book by Joe Klein " Woody Guthrie - has life" appeared in the United States the previous year, Bruce Sprinsteen interprets " This Land Is Your Land" at the time of the majority in the concerts of its long world tour with its group the E Street Band, thus making discover a name and a work with tens of thousands of young fans of rock'n'roll; the song is found in the box of Springsteen " Live 1975-85" , prolonging and multiplying its impact.

Bruce Springsteen also takes part in the collective album " Folkways - has Shared" Vision; in 1988 devoted to the giants of the folk-music, Leadbelly and Guthrie. (extracts of the Foreword of Vassal Jacques to the autobiography of Guthrie " On the way for the gloire")

In 1982, it composed an album much more intimate, Nebraska , than it recorded with only one guitar, a harmonica and a tambourine on a tape recorder four tracks. In the beginning, it was only about one demonstration. On the councils of his manager, John Pram, Springsteen leave this album without the contribution the E Street Band. It was its first album solo, but thereafter it will rather often arrive that it is detached from the E Street Band to return there later. In fact, it will find its group shortly after the recording of Nebraska.

The fame of Springteen probably comes to him from its album to the million specimens Born in the USA (1984), and the world tour with success which followed it. George Bush used even the song titrates album like anthem for its countryside of 1988. A few years before, Ronald Reagan had tried réapproprier the words of Born In The USA for its electoral campaign. This title was victim of incredible besides mistakes. Much saw through its words an anthem with the glory of the United States, a patriotic declaration preaching American hegemony. Springsteen did not appreciate this patriotic tone allotted for this reason. Actually, Born in the USA tells the return to the country of a veteran of the Guerre of Vietnam and the rejection which it undergoes on behalf of his fellow-citizens. The call to the country of the refrain is tinted more of bitterness than of national pride. Springsteen declared besides, at the time of the concerts of its world tour of 2002, before interpreting its interplanetary tube “I sang this song to denounce the consequences of the war of Vietnam, today I sing it for peace”. Replaced in the international context of 2002, that was worth judgment of the intentions of armed intervention in Iraq with George W. Bush, wire of that which had denatured the message of the song.

For the period 1985-1988, Bruce Springsteen gained in maturity. Always accompanied by the E Street Band, he played of tens of concerts in stages, in particular on September 30th, 1985 in Los Angeles Coliseum. Its style is more contemplative and calmer, with the image of the album Tunnel off Coils (1987), a mature reflection on the multiple faces of the love found, lost and wasted.

The years solo (1988-1995)

After 1989, it separates from its E Street Band (besides its pianist Roy Bittan, his saxophonist Clarence " Big Man" Clemons and his wife guitarist Patti Scialfa) and leave two albums solo in 1992 Human Touch and Lucky Town , continuing same research roughly that Tunnel Off Coils . Many criticisms rose by regretting the growing conformism of these albums.

Gaining Grammy Awards on several occasions, it also accepted a Oscar in 1993 for its song Streets off Philadelphia , of the original soundtrack of the film Philadelphia.

The provisional reformation of the E Street Band to record four news on the Greatest Hits of 1995 seemed to give again breath with the Boss. Indeed, the critic greeted her album of 1995 unanimously The Ghost off Tom Joad , taken again topics of the book the Grapes of Anger of John Steinbeck. The artist launches out in a world tour, in solo, simply armed with a guitar and a harmonica. In this album, Springsteen underlines the parallels obvious between this work and the current time and thus joins again with a more committed tone. Born in a working medium, Bruce Springsteen frequently takes the defense of the misfits. Thus, at the time of its round in France in 1985, it made a check of: 10000 dollars at the Office of social security of Saint-Etienne, disaster victim city by the economic crisis with the closing of the Manufrance factory.

The return to the sources (2000-2007)

After the exit of a compilation of left news on side throughout its career, Tracks in 1998, the reformation awaited so much of the E Street Band on scene took place on April 9th, 1999, in Barcelona, at the time of a world tour. It was in particular marked by the new polemical song American Skin (41 Shots) denouncing the murder of a young black by the police force of New York. It was found died, the sifted body of 41 balls. Springsteen accepted many anonymous threats before its concert in New York, enjoignant to him not to interpret this title there. Springsteen refused to fold in front of the pressure and awaited the end in the concert to interpret in a very intense way this song.

In 2002, the exit of the album The Rising constituted an event for two reasons. First of all, the album had been the first album studio of the Boss and the E Street Band for more than 15 years. Then, most of the songs of the album relates to the Attentats of September 11th, 2001 (indeed, " my city off ruins" was made up at the time of Nebraska, and " further up one the road" is present on the DVD " Live in NY of 1999). A new world tour followed, where all the ardor of the Boss was found.

In 2005, Springsteen joins again with the intimist kind while leaving the album Devils And Dust . Ten years earlier, the price of the academy Charles Cros had rewarded it for poetry for the texts for the album The Ghost Of Tom Joad . The singer carries out a world tour, in solo, and offers to the public acoustic versions of his larger titles ( Racing In The Street , The River or Point Blank ).

In 2006, the Boss decides to pay homage to the American folk, incarnated by Pete Seeger, of which it was often inspired (but also Woody Guthrie or Hank Williams). It leaves the album We Shall Overcome , then, share in round with the Seeger Band Session and interprête of traditional of the American repertory folk. During this round, it is accompanied by a troop of 17 musicians (coppers, banjo, violin…). The album underlines all the talents of musical arranger of Springsteen and its deep attachment with the American culture folk, its roots. Bruce protests against the American foreign policy and takes part in with dimensions artists like Neil Young, Esther Galil…. with the movement anti-war during the American invasion of Iraq.

October 2nd, 2007, day out of the album Magic, Springsteen starts a new world tour with E-Street band. The group will occur with Bercy on December 17th.

Current members of the E Street Band

  • Roy Bittan - piano (David Sancious in 1975 replaces)
  • Clarence Clemons - saxophone
  • Danny Federici - organ, glockenspiel, synthé
  • the Nile Lofgren - guitar (replaces Steven van Zandt in 1984; remain in the group after the return of Van Zandt)
  • Patti Scialfa - guitar (woman of Springsteen - arrived in 1984)
  • Gary W. Tillers - low
  • Soozie Tyrell - violin (records with Springsteen in 1995, joined the group officially in 2002 for the album The Rising and the round)
  • Steven van Zandt - guitar, mandoline (replaces Sukia Levy in 1977; party in 1984 for a career solo under the name of Little Steven; income in 1995)
  • max Weinberg - battery (replaces Clarence “Boom” Casing in 1975, which had replaced Vinnie “Mad Dog” Lopez in 1974 or 1975)

Discography

Videotex

Concerts of Springsteen in France

External bonds

  • Official site of Bruce Springsteen
  • Category Dmoz Bruce Springsteen
  • http://perso.orange.fr/city.lights/spiritinthenight/index.html
  • French-speaking http://hopeanddreams.aceboard.fr/i-286628.htm/Forum on Bruce Springsteen

Simple: Bruce Springsteen

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