born Sept. 23, 1949, Freehold, N.J., U.S.
U.S. singer and songwriter.
He played guitar in several bar bands on the Jersey Shore before forming the E Street Band in the early 1970s. His third album, Born to Run (1975), was a huge success and landed "the Boss" on the covers of Time and Newsweek magazines. Even more successful was his Born in the USA (1984). Springsteen's sensitive lyrics, often voicing his working-class sympathies, and marathon concerts won him a devoted following. He addressed Americans' concerns over the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, in The Rising (2002).