Rock and Roll Icon Bruce Springsteen Celebrates His Birthday

His penchant for perfection and desire for control earned singer, songwriter, and musician Bruce Springsteen the nickname The Boss. Now he’s getting another moniker: Birthday Boy.

Happy Birthday, Bruce Springsteen!

And that’s because he was born on September 23, 1949, in Long Beach, New Jersey, which means that this talented multi-hyphen is turning 71 years old today! After being inspired by the likes of Frank Sinatra, Elvis Presley, and The Beatles, Springsteen decided to become a music maker himself.

He began by learning to play the guitar and honing his songwriting skills. For the majority of the mid-1960s and early ’70s, Springsteen would vacillate from band to band (The Rogues, The Castiles, Earth, Steel Mill, and Dr. Zoom & the Sonic Boom among the many) before finally forming his own – The E Street Band.

Their debut album Greetings from Asbury Park, N.J., and its successor, The Wild, the Innocent & the E Street Shuffle, were lauded by critics but slow to sell. Born to Run, the groups third effort, proved to be their breakthrough. It peaked at Number 3 on the Billboard 200 and catapulted Springsteen – the face of the group – to worldwide fame.

Subsequent albums included Darkness on the Edge of Town, No Nukes, The River and, (arguably) Springsteen’s greatest achievement, Born in the U.S.A. That release sold 15 million copies in the U.S., 30 million worldwide, and contained seven singles that charted on the Billboard Top 10.

For his musical endeavors, Springsteen has been awarded 20 Grammys, two Golden Globes, an Academy Award, and a Tony Award. He has been inducted into both the Songwriters Hall of Fame and the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, and he has received the Kennedy Center Honors and the Presidential Medal of Freedom – the latter for his socially conscious lyrics and his devotion to the plight of working-class Americans.

Springsteen was briefly married to actress Julianne Phillips but has been married to Patti Scialfa since June 8, 1991. Together the couple has welcomed three children: Evan James (born July 25, 1990), Jessica Rae (born December 30, 1991), and Samuel Ryan (born January 1994).

Soap Hub would like to wish Bruce Springsteen a very happy birthday and you can too by clicking on the Twitter link below.