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This complete list of Bruce Springsteen’s E Street Band members looks at all the musicians that have come and gone in Bruce Springsteen’s E Street Band. If you have ever seen Bruce Springsteen in concert, you undoubtedly know this band is one of the best in rock and roll history. Bruce Springsteen is a performer who shifts many gears in concert. He’s always been known to try out a song for the first time in front of a live audience. If he’s feeling it, he will go with it, and he expects his band to follow along. That’s no easy task. You must know your stuff, and the E Street Band has consistently proven themselves worthy.
Beyond the musicianship, the talent and the ability surround the boss with everything he needs on stage. This is a group of musicians who are also longtime friends of the boss. Standing by your side as one of the lead guitarists in the band, Steven Van Zandt, grew up with Bruce Springsteen. They share a bond of friendship. Anyone who has ever been in a band clearly understands musicians have to get along together. Otherwise, it just doesn’t last. The E Street Band defines the concept of friendship in a musical group all led by its leader Bruce Springsteen.
CURRENT OFFICIAL E STREET BAND MEMBERS
Bruce Springsteen
Well, we can’t mention the E Street Band without first presenting its storied leader, Bruce Springsteen. The man his fans call the Boss is indeed the Boss of the E Street Band. Bruce Springsteen led the E Street Band from the times when they were just a club band until 1993, when he fired the group with the exception of Roy Bittan. That was probably the biggest mistake Springsteen had ever made in his career. Just a few years later, he put the group back together, and they have been with him ever since.
Steven Van Zandt
Steven Van Zandt has been by Bruce Springsteen’s side since his days playing clubs on the Jersey Shore. In the early days, he was known as Miami Steve. He was also a member of Southside Johnny’s Asbury Jukes, in which he was the band’s chief songwriter for the group’s first three albums. He is Bruce Springsteen’s closest friend and confidant. He left the E Street Band in 194 to pursue a solo career in which he became known as Little Steven and the Disciples of Soul. He would later rejoin the E Street Band in the 1990s.
Outside of music, he became well-known for acting as Silvio on The Sopranos. Steven Van Zant also broke ground on Netflix, where he starred and produced the first original Netflix series called Lilyhammer.
Garry Tallent
If there has even been one E Street Band member who doesn’t get the credit he deserves, it has been Garry Tallent. The man on the bass guitar has kept it all together for the group since its beginning. If you have watched Springsteen concerts closely over the years, it is Gary Tallent who is always the first one to follow Bruce when he calls an audible. Listen to the bass lines on all of Bruce Springsteen’s albums, with the exceptions of the 1993 records, and you will hear how important Gary Tallent has been in shaping the sound of Bruce Springsteen’s music.
Max Weinberg
Gary Tallent’s rhythm section partner in crime and the driving force behind that E Street Band groove is none other than Max Weinberg. The Mighty Max joined the band for the recording of Born To Run and has been the band’s steady drummer ever since, with the exception of 1993. When the E Street Band was put on hiatus, Max kept working by becoming the band leader for Conan O’Brien’s late-night talk shows.
Roy Bittan
Besides Clarence Clemmons, Roy Bittan’s piano playing has been one of the most identifiable aspects of Bruce Springsteen’s music. His role in the E Street Band and Bruce Springsteen’s music was so vital that he was the only E Street Band member who was not fired in 1993. He continued to tour with Bruce Springsteen on the Human Touch tour. He is indispensable. Know as The Professor, Roy Bittan joined the band for the Born To Run album. Outside of the E Street Band, Roy Bittan has played piano on many recordings, including Meat Loaf’s Bat Out Of Hell album.
Nils Lofgren
Many rock fans were surprised when Nils Lofgren joined the E Street Band in 198r. Nils Lofgren had already been a rock star in his own right, having ked the band Grin in the 1970s and then established a successful solo career., Still, in 1984, Bruce Springsteen had become one of the biggest rock stars in the world, and most musicians will never turn down what we must assume was a pretty good-paying gig. Since then, he has been a constant member of the E Street Band, in which he has added an extra dimension to the sound of the group since his inclusion on the left side of the stage.
Patti Scialfa
Patti Scialfa joined the band in 1984 as a backup vocalist and pretty much turned Bruce Springsteen’s personal world upside down. She would eventually marry Bruce, have multiple children with the Boss, and become a full-time member of the E Street Band, in which she has become a major part of the group’s live sound. Her vocal abilities bring a soulfulness to the band that can’t be denied. Additionally, she has released three wonderful solo albums.
Former E Street Band Members Who We Have Lost
Clarence Clemons
The passing of Clarence Clemons in 2011 was a huge loss not just for the music world and the E Steet Band, but for the entire world. Clarence Clemons was one of the most loved public figures of all time. His message of peace and goodwill resonated with everyone. As a musician, he was an indispensable part of the E Street Band sound and recordings. He had the biggest saxophone sound I have ever heard. His solos on songs like “Badlands, Born to Run, Jungleland,” and so many more helped define the Bruce Springsteen sound that catapulted Bruce Springsteen to stardom.
Danny Federici
Danny Federici was with Bruce Springsteen from the beginning when the band played nightclubs. His organ playing helped define the Jersey Shore sound of the Bruce Springsteen band. When he played the accordion, you felt like you were walking along the boardwalk with him. His playing on songs like “Spirits In The Night,” “Sandy,” and so many more iconic tracks made him a key element in the E Street Band sound. He was the first major loss that the E Street Band had to endure when he passed away in 2008. He is missed.
EARLY E STREET BAND MEMBERS
David Sancious
David Sancious was an early member of the E Street Band., You can see his picture on the back cover of Brice Springsteen’s second album. David Sancious was completely different player form Roy Bittan. The sound of the E Street Band changed dramatically when Sanchez left. David Sanchez brought more than a jazz element to the E Street Band, and it’s very identifiable on the second album, The Wild Innocent, and East Street Shuffle in songs like “Kittys Back” and New York City Serenade.
Vini Lopez
Vini Lopez was the original drummer in the E Street Band. He was also known as “Mad Dog.” Vinnie Lopez went even further back with Bruce Springsteen as the drummer and steel mill. Vinny Lopez played drums on Bruce Springsteen’s first two albums but then was replaced by Max Weinberg for the Born to Run era.
Ernest “Boom” Carter
Ernest “Boom” Carter briefly played with the E Street Band. His one studio performance was an exceptional one as he played drums on Bruce Springsteen’s breakthrough recording Born to Run.
CURRENT E STREET BAND MEMBERS
Jake Clemons – Saxophone
Soozie Tyrell – Violin
Charles Giordano – Organ
Curtis King – backing vocals
Michelle Moore – backing vocals
Lisa Lowell – backing vocals
Ada Dyer – backing vocals
Anthony Almonte – backing vocals
Complete List Of Bruce Springsteen’s E Street Band Membersarticle published on Classic RockHistory.com© 2023
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