Here’s a look into the life of musician and songwriter Bruce Springsteen.
Personal:
Birth date: September 23, 1949
Birth place: Freehold, New Jersey
Birth name: Bruce Frederick Joseph Springsteen
Father: Douglas Springsteen, a bus driver
Mother: Adele (Zerilli) Springsteen, a legal secretary
Marriages: Patti Scialfa (June 8, 1991-present); Julianne Phillips (May 13, 1985-March 1, 1989, divorce)
Children: with Patti Scialfa: Sam, 1994; Jessica, 1991; Evan, 1990
Education: Attended Ocean County Community College for one semester, 1967
Other Facts:
Known as “The Boss.”
Has played with the E Street Band on and off since the early seventies.
Nominated for two Academy Awards, has won once.
Nominated for 46 Grammy Awards, has won 20 times.
The cover of “Born in the U.S.A.” was photographed by Annie Leibovitz.
Timeline:
1965 – Springsteen became the lead guitarist in the band “The Castiles.” He would later become the group’s lead singer.
1969-1971 – Performs in the band “Child.”
1972 – Signs a record deal with Columbia Records.
January 5, 1973 – Columbia Records releases Springsteen’s debut album “Greetings from Asbury Park, N.J.” This album features musicians who would eventually become members of the E Street Band.
October 10, 1975 – Springsteen appears on the covers of Time and Newsweek magazines at the same time, a rare honor previously only held by world leaders.
1988 – Springsteen tours with Amnesty International’s Human Rights Now! benefit concerts. The concerts take place in the United States, England, France and various developing countries.
October 18, 1989 – Springsteen decides to take a break from playing with the E Street Band.
March 21, 1994 – Wins an Academy Award for Original Song for “The Streets of Philadelphia.”
March 15, 1999 – Is inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and officially reunites with the E Street Band.
January 18, 2009 – Springsteen performs Woody Guthrie’s “This Land is Your Land” with Pete Seeger at Barack Obama’s inauguration ceremony.
February 2, 2009 – Springsteen and the E Street Band play Super Bowl half-time show.
December 10, 2009 – Receives the Kennedy Center Honors.
November 2, 2012 – An NBC telethon, “Hurricane Sandy: Coming Together,” features Springsteen, Billy Joel, Jon Bon Jovi and other musicians to help raise money for the victims of the storm.
August 25, 2015 – Springsteen celebrates the 40th anniversary of his mega hit “Born to Run.”
August 30, 2016 – Springsteen breaks his own US record for concert length with the third show of a three-night concert run at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey. The concert enters the record books with 34 songs lasting four hours and one minute.
September 27, 2016 – Simon and Schuster releases Springsteen’s autobiography “Born to Run.”
November 22, 2016 – President Barack Obama awards Springsteen with the Presidential Medal of Freedom.
August 9, 2017 – Springsteen announces “Springsteen on Broadway,” a new solo show at New York’s Walter Kerr Theatre set to open later this year that will chronicle his life and music. These shows mark Springsteen’s Broadway debut.