Artist in Residence Introduction: Bruce Springsteen

In a career spanning a half-century and counting, Bruce Springsteen has fulfilled virtually every role or achievement possible in the realm of popular music. A lyrical poet and a dominant chart presence. A box-office stadium draw and a critic’s darling. A powerful solo musician and a legendary bandleader. A social activist and outspoken political voice. The man’s own records have become classics, and his songs have been covered by a wide-ranging scope of artists from virtually every genre of music. He’s done anything and everything deemed possible for both a popular music icon and creative artist, and even today at the age of 75, he refuses to rest on these laurels. He’s the living definition of the rare ageless rock & roll star, continuing to carry the flag for the music’s rich past, and remaining a guiding beacon for the music’s future.

Unlike previous AIR subjects, The Beatles, Springsteen was not an immediate cultural sensation, nor was his body of work limited to serving as a time capsule for a specific era in time. It took him five albums to secure his first top-ten single, and his commercial heyday wouldn’t occur until a full decade into his recording career. And once it reached that pinnacle, his career would sustain its quality and relevance for decades to come. His discography serves as a pivotal roadmap through the various musical eras of the six decades that would unfold since the arrival of his 1973 debut. From the remnants of the folk-rock movement and the classic rock era, to the heights of the MTV era and rock’s swing toward adult alternative sounds in the 1990s, to the roots revivals and sociopolitical tensions of the new millennium. The Boss has always been at the forefront of important creative voices who have evolved through their art to help society both escape and reckon with the every-man dreams and fears of the given moment.

His vast catalog of music has served as a definitive American music melting pot of the core formative sounds that have comprised the popular music experience for the past century. This can be accredited to his diverse influences, ranging from the primitive folk of men like Woody Guthrie and Pete Seeger and the early rock and pop of Elvis Presley and Roy Orbison, to the sixties folk, rock and country of Bob Dylan, The Beatles and Johnny Cash and the rich soul of James Brown and Sam Cooke. Anchoring all of these vibrantly varied roots would be his masterful pen, which would produce hundreds of gripping narratives uniquely capable of tapping into the restless passions and pains of the general public. He did so with a combination of graceful poetry and relatable blue-collar simplicity that made him both an adulated hero and an accessible friend among millions of everyday listeners.

Finally, we’d be remiss to not revisit his aforementioned impact as the bandleader and founding member of the legendary E-Street Band, the electric and eclectic ensemble that has served as the heart of his most popular recordings and his decades-long reign as one of modern music’s most dominant box-office concert draws. Comprising legendary musicians like saxophonist Clarence Clemons, guitarists Steven Van Zandt, Nils Lofgrin, and Patti Scialfa, bassist Gary Tallent, keyboardists Roy Bittan and Danny Federici, drummer Max Weinberg, and others, this sensational group impressively matched Springsteen’s inimitable showmanship, stylistic range, charisma, and vision in every way imaginable. In the process, they helped reshape and further define the identity of rock & roll, using the influences of the past to help it evolve toward the future. In terms of flat-out entertainment value, as well as camaraderie, the high bar set by Bruce Springsteen & The E-Street Band remains an elusive bar for every other modern band to aspire to.

So, without further ado, prepare to be both moved and entertained in a way that no other act in rock & roll can match, as we journey through the five-plus decades of classic records from The Boss himself, Bruce Springsteen. Links to the various reviews will be added below as they are published over the forthcoming weeks and months. ‘Cause baby, we were indeed born to run.

Albums