Bruce Springsteen - Rock and Roll life
Born in 1949 in Freeholden, New Jersey, Bruce Springsteen grew up among the working class heroes who would go on to populate many of his songs. He learned to play guitar in garage and blues outfits, taking his inspiration from Bob Dylan, The Byrds, and The Beatles. By the time of his 1973 debut, Greetings From Asbury Park, NJ, he’d already forged his own unique identity.
Though he spent time playing the New York City folk circuit in the early ’70’s, Springsteen’s true home was the lonesome back streets and industrialized wasteland of New Jersey. Girding himself with some of his closest musical compatriots (dubbed the E Street Band after a location in Belmar, New Jersey), he caught the attention of Columbia Records and had his first deal by 1972. His first album immediately established him as a social commentator on the order of Bob Dylan.