Bruce Springsteen.Photo:Ross Marino/Getty
Ross Marino/Getty
Three cheers for The Boss!Over the course ofBruce Springsteen’s decades-long career, he has toured the world, won countless awards and even secured not one — but two — Broadway residencies. The 20-time Grammy award winner, who turns 74 on Sept. 23, 2023,told Howard Stern in 2022that he has no plans of stepping away from his life as a performer.“I can’t imagine [retiring], you know?” he said. “I mean, if I got to a place where I was incapacitated or something but up until then I think I’m … I mean, look atJohnny Cash,Pete Seeger.““I look at those guys and go, ‘Yeah, I don’t know if I’ll [always] be doing three-hour shows, but I have so many different kinds of music that I can play and do,’ " he continued. “The Broadway show I can do for the rest of my life in one form or another if I wanted to. I can’t imagine retirement, no.“So, in honor of all he’s accomplished — and all he’s yet to do — here’s a look back at Springsteen’s life and career in photos.
Three cheers for The Boss!
Over the course ofBruce Springsteen’s decades-long career, he has toured the world, won countless awards and even secured not one — but two — Broadway residencies. The 20-time Grammy award winner, who turns 74 on Sept. 23, 2023,told Howard Stern in 2022that he has no plans of stepping away from his life as a performer.
“I can’t imagine [retiring], you know?” he said. “I mean, if I got to a place where I was incapacitated or something but up until then I think I’m … I mean, look atJohnny Cash,Pete Seeger.”
“I look at those guys and go, ‘Yeah, I don’t know if I’ll [always] be doing three-hour shows, but I have so many different kinds of music that I can play and do,’ " he continued. “The Broadway show I can do for the rest of my life in one form or another if I wanted to. I can’t imagine retirement, no.”
So, in honor of all he’s accomplished — and all he’s yet to do — here’s a look back at Springsteen’s life and career in photos.
01of 18Bruce Springsteen’s Early YearsBruce Springsteen.Pictorial Press Ltd / Alamy Stock PhotoBruce Springsteenwas born on Sept. 23, 1949 and grew up in Freehold, New Jersey. He had his first guitar at the age of 7, perThe Atlantic’s look at his 2016 autobiographyBorn to Run, and was first introduced to rock and roll throughElvis PresleyandThe Beatlesperforming onThe Ed Sullivan Showin the ’50s and ’60s.As a teenager, Springsteen was a member of a band called The Castiles, after a guitarist from his area knocked on the door upon hearing that the would-be rockstar could “play guitar,” he noted in his biography, per theAsbury Park Press.
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Bruce Springsteen’s Early Years
Bruce Springsteen.Pictorial Press Ltd / Alamy Stock Photo
Pictorial Press Ltd / Alamy Stock Photo
Bruce Springsteenwas born on Sept. 23, 1949 and grew up in Freehold, New Jersey. He had his first guitar at the age of 7, perThe Atlantic’s look at his 2016 autobiographyBorn to Run, and was first introduced to rock and roll throughElvis PresleyandThe Beatlesperforming onThe Ed Sullivan Showin the ’50s and ’60s.
As a teenager, Springsteen was a member of a band called The Castiles, after a guitarist from his area knocked on the door upon hearing that the would-be rockstar could “play guitar,” he noted in his biography, per theAsbury Park Press.
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Bruce Springsteen.Michael Ochs Archives/Getty
Michael Ochs Archives/Getty
03of 18Bruce Springsteen and the E Street BandBruce Springsteen with Steven Van Zandt and Max Weinberg.Michael Putland/GettyWhile Springsteen has played with numerous bands over the course of his decades-long career,American Songwriternotes, the E Street Band certainly takes the cake when it comes to his most well-known accompaniment. The band, which first formed in 1972, didn’t take on the now-legendary name until 1974, the outlet explained.Many of the musicians he plays with to this day have been with him for decades, includingSteven Van Zandtand Max Weinberg, who are pictured here with Springsteen in 1975.
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Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band
Bruce Springsteen with Steven Van Zandt and Max Weinberg.Michael Putland/Getty
Michael Putland/Getty
While Springsteen has played with numerous bands over the course of his decades-long career,American Songwriternotes, the E Street Band certainly takes the cake when it comes to his most well-known accompaniment. The band, which first formed in 1972, didn’t take on the now-legendary name until 1974, the outlet explained.
Many of the musicians he plays with to this day have been with him for decades, includingSteven Van Zandtand Max Weinberg, who are pictured here with Springsteen in 1975.
04of 18Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band Hit the RoadClarence Clemons, Bruce Springsteen, Nils Lofgren, Garry Tallent and Patti Scialfa.Brooks Kraft LLC/Corbis via GettyAfter putting out two records in the early 1970s, Springsteen’sBorn To Runreally put him on the map. He and the band showed no signs of slowing down and continued to release record after record — and in 1984,Born in the U.S.A.dropped. That year, the band hit the road on the Born in the U.S.A. Tour (pictured here on their stop in Philadelphia).
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Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band Hit the Road
Clarence Clemons, Bruce Springsteen, Nils Lofgren, Garry Tallent and Patti Scialfa.Brooks Kraft LLC/Corbis via Getty
Brooks Kraft LLC/Corbis via Getty
After putting out two records in the early 1970s, Springsteen’sBorn To Runreally put him on the map. He and the band showed no signs of slowing down and continued to release record after record — and in 1984,Born in the U.S.A.dropped. That year, the band hit the road on the Born in the U.S.A. Tour (pictured here on their stop in Philadelphia).
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Bruce Springsteen and Clarence Clemons
Bruce Springsteen and Clarence Clemmons.Allan Tannenbaum/Getty
Allan Tannenbaum/Getty
06of 18Bruce Springsteen and Patti ScialfaBruce Springsteen and Patti Scialfa.Bob Riha, Jr./GettySpringsteen and Patti Scialfa’s relationship began as a friendship after meeting at a bar in the early ’80s. In 1984, Scialfa became a member of the E Street Band and joined Springsteen on the Born in the U.S.A. Tour as a backup singer. Their relationship did not turn romantic until later in the decade when Springsteen and his first wife, Julianne Phillips, split up. The rocker wed Scialfa in 1991 at their home in Beverly Hills and they now share three grown children together.
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Bruce Springsteen and Patti Scialfa
Bruce Springsteen and Patti Scialfa.Bob Riha, Jr./Getty
Bob Riha, Jr./Getty
Springsteen and Patti Scialfa’s relationship began as a friendship after meeting at a bar in the early ’80s. In 1984, Scialfa became a member of the E Street Band and joined Springsteen on the Born in the U.S.A. Tour as a backup singer. Their relationship did not turn romantic until later in the decade when Springsteen and his first wife, Julianne Phillips, split up. The rocker wed Scialfa in 1991 at their home in Beverly Hills and they now share three grown children together.
07of 18Bruce Springsteen Performs in East BerlinBruce Springsteen performs in East Berlin in 1988.Mehner/ullstein bild via GettyThe year before the Berlin Wall fell, Springsteen performed a four-hour-long set in East Berlin to a crowd of 300,000, Erik Kirschbaum, author ofRocking the Wall,told the BBC.Per the author, Springsteen went against directions and gave a speech to the crowd in German saying, “I am not for or against a government. I’ve come to play rock and roll for you, in the hope that one day all barriers will be torn down.”
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Bruce Springsteen Performs in East Berlin
Bruce Springsteen performs in East Berlin in 1988.Mehner/ullstein bild via Getty
Mehner/ullstein bild via Getty
The year before the Berlin Wall fell, Springsteen performed a four-hour-long set in East Berlin to a crowd of 300,000, Erik Kirschbaum, author ofRocking the Wall,told the BBC.
Per the author, Springsteen went against directions and gave a speech to the crowd in German saying, “I am not for or against a government. I’ve come to play rock and roll for you, in the hope that one day all barriers will be torn down.”
08of 18Bruce Springsteen Takes the Stage with George Harrison and Mick JaggerGeorge Harrison, Bruce Springsteen and Mick Jagger.Sonia Moskowitz/IMAGES/GettyMore than a decade before his own induction, Springsteen took the stage with fellow legendsGeorge HarrisonandMick Jaggerduring the 1988 Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Induction ceremony in New York City.
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Bruce Springsteen Takes the Stage with George Harrison and Mick Jagger
George Harrison, Bruce Springsteen and Mick Jagger.Sonia Moskowitz/IMAGES/Getty
Sonia Moskowitz/IMAGES/Getty
More than a decade before his own induction, Springsteen took the stage with fellow legendsGeorge HarrisonandMick Jaggerduring the 1988 Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Induction ceremony in New York City.
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Bruce Springsteen Is Inducted Into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame
Bruce Springsteen’s induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1999.TIMOTHY A. CLARY/AFP via Getty
TIMOTHY A. CLARY/AFP via Getty
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Bruce Springsteen at the Oscars
Whitney Houston and Bruce Springsteen.Steve Starr/CORBIS/Corbis via Getty I
Steve Starr/CORBIS/Corbis via Getty I
11of 18Bruce Springsteen at the GrammysBruce Springsteen with his Grammy awards.Steve Granitz/WireImageSpringsteen won his first Grammy in 1985 and since then has won a total of 20 golden gramophones.
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Bruce Springsteen at the Grammys
Bruce Springsteen with his Grammy awards.Steve Granitz/WireImage
Steve Granitz/WireImage
Springsteen won his first Grammy in 1985 and since then has won a total of 20 golden gramophones.
12of 18Bruce Springsteen’s Friendship with Barack ObamaBruce Springsteen and Barack Obama.Nikki Kahn/The Washington Post via Getty ImagesSpringsteen and then-senatorBarack Obamabecame pals on the campaign trail in 2008. After performing at Obama’s inaugural celebration in 2009, the two have maintained a friendship and in 2021launched an eight-part podcast seriestitledRenegades, in which they discussed topics like racism, fatherhood and even their unlikely friendship.
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Bruce Springsteen’s Friendship with Barack Obama
Bruce Springsteen and Barack Obama.Nikki Kahn/The Washington Post via Getty Images
Springsteen and then-senatorBarack Obamabecame pals on the campaign trail in 2008. After performing at Obama’s inaugural celebration in 2009, the two have maintained a friendship and in 2021launched an eight-part podcast seriestitledRenegades, in which they discussed topics like racism, fatherhood and even their unlikely friendship.
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Bruce Springsteen Celebrates Obama’s Inauguration
14of 18Bruce Springsteen and His FamilyEvan Springsteen, Patti Scialfa, Bruce Springsteen, Jessica Springsteen and Sam Springsteen.Steven Ferdman/Patrick McMullan via GettySpringsteen and Scialfa have three children together:Evan James, born in 1990,Jessica Rae, born in 1991, andSamuel Ryan, born in 1994. In 2022, the couple became grandparents when Sam welcomed his first child.
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Bruce Springsteen and His Family
Evan Springsteen, Patti Scialfa, Bruce Springsteen, Jessica Springsteen and Sam Springsteen.Steven Ferdman/Patrick McMullan via Getty
Springsteen and Scialfa have three children together:Evan James, born in 1990,Jessica Rae, born in 1991, andSamuel Ryan, born in 1994. In 2022, the couple became grandparents when Sam welcomed his first child.
15of 18Bruce Springsteen Receives a Kennedy Center HonorRobert De Niro, Bruce Springsteen and Barack Obama during a reception for Kennedy Center Honorees in 2009.MANDEL NGAN/AFP via GettyIn 2009, Springsteen was a Kennedy Honors recipient alongsideRobert De Niro(pictured here),Mel Brooks, Dave Brubeck and Grace Bumbry.
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Bruce Springsteen Receives a Kennedy Center Honor
Robert De Niro, Bruce Springsteen and Barack Obama during a reception for Kennedy Center Honorees in 2009.MANDEL NGAN/AFP via Getty
MANDEL NGAN/AFP via Getty
In 2009, Springsteen was a Kennedy Honors recipient alongsideRobert De Niro(pictured here),Mel Brooks, Dave Brubeck and Grace Bumbry.
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Bruce Springsteen Is Awarded the National Medal of Arts
Bruce Springsteen and President Joe Biden.Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images
17of 18Bruce Springsteen on BroadwayBruce Springsteen on Broadway.Taylor Hill/GettyIn 2021,Springsteen on Broadwaywasthe first performance on the Great White Wayafter Broadway went dark due to COVID-19. The residency, which ran from June to September 2021, was his second time bringing his act to Broadway after a run from 2017 to 2018.
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Bruce Springsteen on Broadway
Bruce Springsteen on Broadway.Taylor Hill/Getty
In 2021,Springsteen on Broadwaywasthe first performance on the Great White Wayafter Broadway went dark due to COVID-19. The residency, which ran from June to September 2021, was his second time bringing his act to Broadway after a run from 2017 to 2018.
18of 18Bruce Springsteen Keeps RockingJake Clemons, Bruce Springsteen and Max Weinberg.Manny Carabel/GettyIn May 2022, Springsteen and the band announced they were hitting the road for their first tour in six years. The tour kicked off in February 2023 and continued through the summer, though in early September it was announced that the rest of the month’s gigs would be postponed as Springsteen was"being treated for symptoms of peptic ulcer disease.“Despite the setback, the rocker, who turns 74 on Sept. 23, 2023,told Howard Stern in 2022that he has no plans of stepping back from his life as a performer.“I can’t imagine [retiring], you know?” he said. “I mean, if I got to a place where I was incapacitated or something but up until then I think I’m … I mean, look atJohnny Cash,Pete Seeger.““I look at those guys and go, ‘Yeah, I don’t know if I’ll [always] be doing three-hour shows, but I have so many different kinds of music that I can play and do,’ " he added. “The Broadway show I can do for the rest of my life in one form or another if I wanted to. I can’t imagine retirement, no.”
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Bruce Springsteen Keeps Rocking
Jake Clemons, Bruce Springsteen and Max Weinberg.Manny Carabel/Getty
Manny Carabel/Getty
In May 2022, Springsteen and the band announced they were hitting the road for their first tour in six years. The tour kicked off in February 2023 and continued through the summer, though in early September it was announced that the rest of the month’s gigs would be postponed as Springsteen was"being treated for symptoms of peptic ulcer disease.”
Despite the setback, the rocker, who turns 74 on Sept. 23, 2023,told Howard Stern in 2022that he has no plans of stepping back from his life as a performer.
“I look at those guys and go, ‘Yeah, I don’t know if I’ll [always] be doing three-hour shows, but I have so many different kinds of music that I can play and do,’ " he added. “The Broadway show I can do for the rest of my life in one form or another if I wanted to. I can’t imagine retirement, no.”
source: people.com
