Bruce Frederick Joseph Springsteen (born September 23, 1949), nicknamed "The Boss," is an American singer-songwriter who records and tours with the E Street Band. Springsteen is widely known for his brand of heartland rock, poetic lyrics, and Americana sentiments centered on his native New JerseySpringsteen's recordings have included both commercially accessible rock albums and more sombre folk-oriented works. His most successful studio albums, Born to Run and Born in the U.S.A., showcase a talent for finding grandeur in the struggles of daily American life; he has sold more than 65 million albums in the United States and 120 million worldwideand he has earned numerous awards for his work, including 20 Grammy Awards, two Golden Globes and an Academy Award.* 1 Early life * 2 Career history o 2.1 1962–1972: Early years o 2.2 1972–1974: Initial struggle for success o 2.3 1975–1983: Breakthrough o 2.4 1984–1991: Commercial and popular phenomenon o 2.5 1992–2001: Artistic and commercial ups and downs o 2.6 2002–2007: Return to mainstream success o 2.7 2008–present: Recent events * 3 Musical style * 4 Lyrical themes * 5 Politics and activism * 6 Personal life * 7 Bands o 7.1 E Street Band * 8 Film o 8.1 Music used in films o 8.2 Films inspired by music o 8.3 Acting * 9 Discography * 10 Awards and recognition o 10.1 Grammy Awards o 10.2 Golden Globe Awards o 10.3 Academy Awards o 10.4 Emmy Awards o 10.5 Other recognition * 11 Influence * 12 See also * 13 Notes * 14 References * 15 Sources * 16 Further reading * 17 External linksSpringsteen was born in Long Branch, New Jersey, and spent his childhood and high school years in Freehold Borough. He lived on South Street in Freehold Borough and attended Freehold Borough High School. His father, Douglas Frederick Springsteen, was of Dutch and Irish ancestry and worked, among other vocations, as a bus driver; his surname is Dutch for jump stone His mother, Adele Ann (née Zirilli), was a legal secretary and was of Italian ancestry Overall, his heritage is 50% Italian, 37% Irish and 13% Dutch.His maternal grandfather was born in Vico Equense, a city near Naples. He has two younger sisters, Virginia and Pamela. Pamela had a brief film career, but left acting to pursue still photography full time; she took photos for the Human Touch and Lucky Town albums.Raised a Roman Catholic Springsteen attended the St. Rose of Lima Catholic school in Freehold Borough, where he was at odds with the nuns and rejected the strictures imposed upon him, even though some of his later music reflects a Catholic ethos and included a few rock-influenced, traditional Irish-Catholic hymnsIn ninth grade, he transferred to the public Freehold Regional High School, but did not fit in there, either. Old teachers have said he was a "loner, who wanted nothing more than to play his guitar." He completed high school, but felt so uncomfortable that he skipped his own graduation ceremony.He briefly attended Ocean County College, but dropped outSpringsteen had been inspired to take up music at the age of seven after seeing Elvis Presley on The Ed Sullivan Show. At 13, his mother bought him his first guitar for $18; later, she took out a loan to buy the 16-year-old Springsteen a $60 Kent guitar, as he later memorialized in his song "The Wish".In 1965, he went to the house of Tex and Marion Vinyard, who sponsored young bands in town. They helped him become lead guitarist and subsequently the lead singer of The Castiles. The Castiles recorded two original songs at a public recording studio in Brick Township and played a variety of venues, including Cafe Wha? in Greenwich Village. Marion Vinyard said that she believed the young Springsteen when he promised he would make itCalled for induction when he was 18, Springsteen failed his physical examination and did not serve in Vietnam. In an interview in Rolling Stone magazine in 1984, he said, "When I got on the bus to go take my physical, I thought one thing: I ain't goin'." He had suffered a concussion in a motorcycle accident when he was 17, and this together with his "crazy" behaviour at induction and not taking the tests, was enough to get him a 4FBruce SpringsteenBruce SpringsteenBruce SpringsteenBruce SpringsteenBruce SpringsteenBruce SpringsteenBruce SpringsteenBruce SpringsteenBruce SpringsteenBruce SpringsteenBruce SpringsteenBruce SpringsteenBruce SpringsteenBruce SpringsteenBruce SpringsteenBruce Springsteen
