Over the course of rock and roll history, there have been hundreds, if not thousands of stars, but very few true legends - those rare performers whose impact is so substantial on the art form that they merit their own category. And any honest list would have to include Bruce Springsteen, a man whose body of impressive work is represented by decades, whose tireless live performance leave audiences physically and emotionally exhausted. A true working class hero, not only to rabid fans that inhabit his stomping ground of New Jersey, but to anyone who has ever demanded integrity and honesty from a rock and roll song. If Bruce Springsteen is not a legend, there simply is no such thing.

Born in 1949, Bruce caught the music bug early after catching a performance by Elvis at the age of nine. As a teenager, he was already haunting the New Jersey club scene and earning a solid reputation in bands such as Dr. Zoom, Steel Mill and Sonic Boom. He began forging friendships with numerous musicians, some of which would eventually comprise his infamous E-Street band. An admirer of Bob Dylan, he also spent his time honing in his songwriting skills, often penning ambitious narratives that were heavy on the poetic imagery and clever word play of his prolific idol. Presenting some of his ideas to a record label in the early 70s, they quickly recognized his talent and signed him to a deal. His first album Greetings From Asbury Park, N.J. was released in 1972.

Critical praise for his debut soon followed, and would continue in regard to his second album, The Wild, The Innocent, and the E-Street Shuffle. Celebrated rock music critic Jon Landau happened to be in the audience for one of Springsteen’s early shows and famously remarked, “ I saw rock and roll’s future, and its name is Bruce Springsteen.” When Bruce was working on his next album, Born to Run, he would call upon Landau, also a record producer, to lend his experience. It was a smart move. Together, they crafted a masterpiece, utilizing atmospheric orchestrations, almost cinematic in nature, to bring songs such as “Jungleland” and “Thunder Road” to life in ways never heard before on a rock and roll album.

The response to Born To Run was nothing short of overwhelming. From hard-driving rock and roll in its purest form to beautiful and brutally honest balladry, many consider it a pristine example of what a rock and roll record should be. The title track, a narrative plea to escape the boredom of life quickly became a Top-30 hit and propelled the album to the #3 spot on the charts. Within a week, the flannel-shirt, blue jean wearing everyman was on the cover of both Time and Newsweek.

Contractual conflicts would prevent Springsteen from releasing a follow-up album for almost two years. In the meantime, he took the stellar E-Street Band on the road, playing to packed houses filled with rabid fans, who didn’t mind in the least that he was occasionally testing future material on them. Nor did they mind his involved narration at the shows, where he would share stories and anecdotes to lead into his songs. Mind? No, they listened to every word. “Mesmerized” would be a far more descriptive word.  

While Springsteen wouldn’t release any new material until 1978, that didn’t stop him from getting his material heard through the aid of other artists. Two songs, “Blinded By the Light” and “Spirit of the Light” would become huge hits for Manfred Mann. The Pointer Sisters would enjoy the same result from “Because the Night” and “Fire.” Finally, Sprinsteen was allowed back into the spotlight, releasing Darkness on the Edge of Town, where he reflected heavily on his newfound fame, as well as his legal battles in such cuts as “Adam Raised a Cain” and “Badlands.” Then it was back on the road through much of 1979, before returning to the studio to begin work on an ambitious double-album that would be released under the name, The River. At times filled with passionate energy, other times with broody interspection, the album’s delicate balance between the two was hailed as another masterpiece. His pleas for love set to a background of bombastic rock and roll energy sent the single “Hungry Heart” climbing up the charts as the album’s biggest hit. The album itself was a milestone for the artist, his first #1 record.

Springsteen would show a starkly different side for his next release, the critically acclaimed Nebraska. Gone were the lofty arrangements for the time being; this was Springsteen and an acoustic guitar, all recorded on a four-track tape machine in his living room. While it might not have been brimming with mass-market appeal, there are many that consider this poignant and bittersweet collection of songs to be his best work ever. Tracks like “Highway Patrolman” and “Atlantic City” were filled with lonely desperation and anger towards the often-empty promise of the American dream. For a serious student of the art of songwriting, it was simply awe-inspiring.

Springsteen returned to a more radio-friendly sound with his next record in 1984, Born in the USA. But while the collection of songs might have seemed more accessible on the surface, a careful study of the lyrics painted a different picture. Sure, there were some toe-tappers, such as the energetic “Dancing in the Dark” and  “Glory Days, ” but they were complimented by the haunting “I’m On Fire” and the pain-filled “My Hometown.” Even the title track seemed like a happy patriotic tune on the surface (and was ironically used as such on many occasions.) but a closer inspection told a very different tale. No matter how the songs were interpreted by this listener, the result was a smash hit for Springsteen with Born in the USA staying in the #1 position for seven weeks, and staying on the charts for a total of 139 weeks. The album boasted seven Top-10 singles and sold 15 million copies.

It would take another three years for Springsteen to release a new album, titled Tunnel of Love. Springsteen was back to being his introspective self, seemingly reflecting on his failed marriage in tunes such as “Brilliant Disguise,” “Two Faces” and “One Step Up. For his efforts, the album went triple-platinum, with “Brilliant Disguises” reaching #5 and the title track making the Top-10 as well. Springsteen embarked upon an ambitious tour in support of the album, then retreated into seclusion, focusing on his family and his new love interest, E-Street backup singer, Patty Scialfa. Meanwhile, the members of the E-Street Band occupied their time in a variety of other projects.

It would be a long five years for his loyal fans before they had new Springsteen album in their hands. Perhaps as a peace offering, he released not one, but two albums in 1992, Lucky Town and Human Touch. Both were similarly mellow, in the tradition of his last album, although perhaps not quite as melancholy. One of the more poignant songs was a beautifully haunting song called “The Streets of Philadelphia,” the story of a person afflicted with the AIDS virus. It served as the theme song for the Tom Hanks film, Philadelphia, and earned the songwriter an Academy Award for Best Song. Perhaps to lighten the overall mood a tad, Springsteen’s next release was a collection of Greatest Hits, featuring some of his most beloved prior material, and a few new ones prominently featuring his E-Street cohorts.

In 1995, he released an album similar to Nebraska, acoustic in instrumentation, although not quite as bitter lyrically. Based on the John Steinbeck character from The Grapes of Wrath, The Ghost of Tom Joad reflected a new maturity as he embraced his life as a family man for all to hear. He embarked on a rare solo acoustic tour in support of the record and picked up a Grammy Award that year for contributing the theme song to Dead Man Walking – a film that starred Sean Penn and Susan Sarandon about a nun and her relationship with a death row inmate.

If fans were on edge about the five years they wait for another Bruce Springsteen album in 1992, they were even more eager for his next release, which wouldn’t come for seven years. In 2002, he released The Rising, an album based on his reflection of the 9/11 tragedy in such poignant songs as “The City in Ruins.” It would be the first album to feature the E-Street band throughout in 18 years and would win a Grammy Award for Best Rock Album. It was expected that Bruce would also take home the coveted Album of the Year award, thanks to its combined commercial and critical success, but Norah Jones just happened to have a great album that year as well. Still, the album sold over 2 million units and rose to the #1 position on the charts. Again, the performer embarked on an extensive tour in support of the record.

His next album, Devils and Dust, again debuted in the top position on the Billboard charts in 2005. It was the fourth time he had accomplished this feat.  The album would also mark the third entirely acoustical offering in his career as it effortlessly wove imagery that simultaneously suggested both old west and the 2003 Iraq War. He received five Grammy nominations for Devils and Dust, taking home one for Best Rock Vocal.

In 2006, Springsteen did something quite out of the ordinary – he released an album of material not written by himself. Rather, he turned to the catalog of legendary folk singer, Pete Seeger, reinterpreting 13 of his songs for We Shall Overcome: The Seeger Sessions. While not an overwhelming commercial success, although it did still manage to go gold, some critics called it his best work since Nebraska. He took home a Grammy for Best Traditional Folk Album for the collection of material that used lesser known musicians in place of his traditional E-Street Band.

The E-Street Band was back in full force, however, for his 2007 offering, Magic, their first appearance with Bruce on an album in five years. Returning to his rock and roll roots, Springsteen delivered a hard-hitting collection of material revolving around the songwriter’s disillusionment with the state of affairs in America today, namely the US’s continued involvement in the Iraq War. It was his eighth album to debut at #1, although it would soon drop, thanks in no small part to radio stations that were ordered not to play tracks from it due to the controversial messages contained within. Regardless, the album still went platinum.

Springsteen is currently finishing up his next album, Working on a Dream, that is scheduled for release in January, 09. It will mark the sixteenth album of original material from the iconic songwriter, 36 years after his debut album. Whether or not Springsteen will add to his already-earned 18 Grammy Awards is yet to be seen, but one thing is for certain – if history is any indication, it will contain the same honesty, integrity and artistry that has made Springsteen on of the most formidable songwriting and performing forces in the history of Rock and Roll. The legend continues on.