Bruce Springsteen is now an American icon, the single figure in which is encapsulated nearly the entire stylistic history of rock and roll, a respected storyteller whose rock credentials are unassailable. His ascent to popular acceptance was a long one, but it also provided him the freedom to experiment with different rock styles in isolation before incorporating them into his idiosyncratic style. He began fronting garage rock and blues-rock bands in his native Asbury Park, New Jersey, in the mid 1960s and in the early 1970s moved to New York City to work as a singer/songwriter in the coffee houses of Greenwich Village. After returning to New Jersey and joining the E Street Band he was signed by Columbia records in 1973 to a three-album deal. The first two—Greetings from Asbury Park, NJ and The Wild, the Innocent, and the E Street Shuffle—were better received by critics than consumers, but he and the E Street Band toured extensively and built a reputation as an exciting live band playing a kind of straight-ahead rock and roll that was different from anything else on the charts. The new fans created during this period were enough to push his third album (and last chance), Born to Run, onto the charts and into the spotlight. Unfortunately, the fawning critical notices and popular press declarations of Springsteen as the "savior of rock and roll" turned off some potential listeners, who assumed it was all music industry hype.
It might have been possible to overcome this impression with a strong follow-up album, but a conflict with his management led to an involuntary three-year hiatus; by the time he released Darkness at the Edge of Town in 1978, punk rock, new wave, and disco dominated the charts, and it seemed his moment had passed. However, by 1980 the pop landscape had changed yet again, and his next two albums sold well; additionally, other acts were entering the Top Ten with his songs—Manfred Mann's Earth Band with "Blinded by the Light," the Pointer Sisters with "Fire," and the Patti Smith Group's "Because the Night." The runaway success of Born to Run, released in 1984, which generated seven hit singles and sold ten million copies, did more than prove that Springsteen was a major force in American popular music; it also affirmed that rock and roll still had a significant commercial audience.
Springsteen has consistently explored several musical styles, and his popularity has waxed and waned over the years. His deeply introspective records in the singer/songwriter and folk styles are often less well received than his harder rocking ones, but his commitment to writing about normal people and everyday experiences remains. His reputation as a rock bard was enhanced by the success of The Rising, an album released in response to the tragedy of September 11.
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Bob Dylan, Johnny Cash, Woody Guthrie, Roy Orbison, Van Morrison, Chuck Berry
Must Haves:
 "Hungry Heart"
"Born to Run"
"Rosalita"
"Backstreets"
"Downbound Train"
John Mellencamp, Southside Johnny and the Amboy Dukes, Tom Petty, Eddie Money
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