Bruce Springsteen is an American musician, singer, and songwriter best known for his work with the E Street Band: his backing band. Nicknamed “The Boss”, his music is regarded for it’s Americana, working class, and sometime political sentiments that center around his native New Jersey. One of the world’s best selling artists, he has sold over 184 million albums during his career with his most successful albums being Born to Run and Born in the U.S.A. Over his the course of his career—beginning in 1964—he has earned many awards and was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1999.
Born in New Jersey, Springsteen was raised in a working class family living in the Freehold Borough Branch. Inspired to take up music at the age of seven, he started playing for small audiences. He signed his first record deal with Columbia Records in 1972 with his first album released in 1973 to great critical success. During this time, his music became less folksy and more R&B with lyrics that romanticized teenage life. His breakthrough album, Born to Run, dropped in 1975 and sealed his fate as a successful musical artist, and many of the songs on the album get continued radio play today. 1984 is marked by the release of the album Springsteen is best for, Born in the U.S.A, and became one of the best selling albums of all time with seven singles hitting the top ten. The album makes a bitter commentary of the treatment of Vietnam Veterans, and marked the pinnacle of Springsteen’s career.
