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His multiple Grammy Awards (five for the soundtrack album to Philadelphia alone) evidence the esteem he’s held in, but it’s likely that Springsteen is far more concerned with connecting to his audience than dusting his baubles.Īfter early teenage forays with local bands The Castiles, Earth and the groundbreaking Steel Mill, Springsteen hit on the sound and style of The E Street Band in 1971, drawing on the travelling troupe ethic of Joe Cocker’s Mad Dogs And Englishmen, Dylan and Van Morrison with side orders of church gospel and soul, R&B and the rock’n’roll roots he absorbed watching Elvis Presley and The Beatles. Springsteen’s most recent studio disc, High Hopes, became his 11th No.1 US album (tenth in the UK) and saw him join company with the likes of The Beatles, The Rolling Stones, U2 and Jay Z for similar achievements. Also, his Live 1975-85 box set is the second-best-selling live anthology of all time.
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Long nicknamed The Boss (a very early sobriquet that he is said to endure through gritted teeth), Springsteen is also a gentleman of the road, as the ten archival live releases that he’s released since 2012 make clear. Never easy with corporate marketing, Springsteen has still achieved superstardom in his own way. If it’s invidious to single out specific albums, it’s foolish to overlook landmark recordings such as Born To Run, The River, Born In The USA and The Rising, though his fanbase would also make the case for The Ghost of Tom Joad or the equally acoustic Devils & Dust. Not quite a voice in the wilderness, Springsteen is still a spokesman for the downtrodden and overlooked – dignity and integrity are his watchwords. He intersperses his more commercial solid rock albums, recorded with the fabled E Street Band, with darker, gothic folk material that keeps him fresh and honest. Using the dictum “write about what you know”, Springsteen’s persuasive voice brings the ordinary to life and makes it thrilling.