1. BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN

2. "I spent most of my life as a musician measuring the distance between the American Dream and American reality." —Bruce Springsteen

3. Born September 23, 1949 in Long Branch, New Jersey Working-class parents At age 7, inspired by Elvis Presley Received first guitar at age 13; It cost $18 Got his start in a band called The Castiles (1965) Earned “The Boss” nickname while playing with a band called Earth. THE EARLY YEARS

4. ACCOMPLISHMENTS Released 17 Albums Received 20 Grammy Awards Won Two Golden Globes: “Streets of Philadelphia” (1994) “The Wrestler” (2009) Received One Academy Award “Streets of Philadelphia” Rock and Roll Hall of Fame (1999) Rolling Stone’s 23 rd Greatest Artist of All Time (2004)

5. TALENTS Guitar Harmonica Vocals Composition Lyrics Songs written for other artists: “Blinded by the Light” by Manfred Manns Earth Band (No. 1 in the US in 1977) “Because the Night” by Patti Smith (No. 13 in 1978) “Fire” by The Pointer Sisters. (No. 2 in 1979)

6. Heartland Rock: Developed in the 1970’s, Heartland Rock is defined as a “straightforward musical style, a concern with the average, blue collar American life, and a conviction that rock music has a social or communal purpose beyond just entertainment.” COMPOSITION STYLE Instrumentation: Guitars, drums, keyboards and occasional horn sections like a saxophone. Lyrics are often raspy and unpolished.

7. Folk Influence Heavy emphasis on guitar Story-telling, imaginative lyrics Songs based on current events Harmonica Urban Blues Influence: Piano and/or keyboard, saxophone, bass and drums Subject matter covers a range of human experience: Work (or lack of), Love and Loss, Depression INFLUENCES Bob Dylan Woody Guthrie Elvis Presley Chuck Berry INSPIRATIONS

8. BORN IN THE USA (1984) Album: Born in the USA Widely mistaken for a patriotic song. Written about mistreatment of Vietnam veterans. Listening Guide Lyrics that tell a story, ostinato in keyboard, strained vocal quality https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EPh WR4d3FJQ

9. BORN IN THE USA (1998) Album: Tracks Re-recorded in acoustic format to convey message more clearly. Listening Guide Acoustic: Protest music more obvious with clearer projection of lyrics and message, somber tone. Blues-influenced bottleneck technique on guitar https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PYin X7XpG2U

10. MY FATHER’S HOUSE (1982) Album: Nebraska Recorded at home on a 4-track cassette recorder. Originally meant as a demo tape LISTENING GUIDE Raw, unproduced quality. Story-telling lyrics with vivid imagery. Sentimental lyrics https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DbA _5IpiAyU

11. SOURCES http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bruce_springsteen http://rockhall.com/inductees/byyear/1999/ http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0819803/bio http://www.biography.com/people/bruce-springsteen-9491214?page=1 http://www.mtv.com/artists/bruce-springsteen/biography/ http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Heartland_rock