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Article: Before They Were Rock Stars: Bruce Springsteen

Before They Were Rock Stars: Bruce Springsteen

It’s officially The Boss Day here at RB HQ. Why? It’s Bruce Springsteen’s birthday AND we officially release Lullaby Renditions of Bruce Springsteen today! To celebrate the 1949 and 2014 arrivals of The Boss, here are a few tidbits about his life before he became one of America’s most treasured rockers.

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Bruce’s first guitar cost under $20. After realizing her son’s interest in music, Springsteen’s mother Adele went out and bought the 13-year-old an $18 guitar. She later took out a loan to purchase him a $60 Kent for his 16th birthday. What a mom, right?! The first song Bruce learned to play on the guitar was The Beatles’ cover of “Twist and Shout.” Elvis had a huge influence on Bruce’s decision to become a musician, but after seeing The Beatles on The Ed Sullivan Show in 1964, he found the courage to play for audiences.

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Lullaby Renditions of Bruce Springsteen is available now!

Catholic school (and school in general) was not for Bruce. A bit of a recluse, Bruce never quite fit in, and often rebelled again the strict rules of his Catholic school. He even skipped his own high school graduation ceremony. At 18, Springsteen was drafted for military service in Vietnam. On his way to his physical, he thought to himself “I ain’t goin.’” Sure enough, due to his behavior and recent concussion after a motorcycle accident, he was classified as “unfit for military service.” So where does his nickname “The Boss” come from? When he and his band played local clubs in the 1960s, Springsteen took it upon himself to collect their nightly earnings and distribute the money among the members. Thus, “The Boss” was born —and stuck!

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