Bruce Springsteen
Bruce Springsteen, (1949- ). US rock singer and songwriter. Born in New Jersey, Springsteen played in rock bands from the late 1960s onwards and gained a reputation as an energetic live performer. Although his first album, Greetings from Asbury Park (1973), earned him comparisons with Bob Dylan, his real breakthrough came with Born to Run (1975), which shows Springsteen at his most exuberant. Darkness on the Edge of Town (1978) and The River (1981) took a more sombre view of US blue-collar life. He then enjoyed his greatest commercial success with Born in the USA (1984), the album that lifted him into the superstar bracket. The 1980s also saw a series of gruelling tours. Subsequent releases, such as Tunnel of Love (1988) and The Ghost of Tom Joad (1995), have been somewhat bleak and low-key.
