Bruce Springsteen — the Boss, Mr. Born to Run himself — is quite the icon.
At age 67, Bruce is still rocking arenas around the world, packing them full of dedicated fans ready to sing every lyric to each and every one of his songs. He's got quite the following, that Bruce.
However, he wasn't always a rock star, and I'll bet that you don't know all of these 10 facts about Bruce Springsteen.
He started out as just a regular kid who wasn't too great at school in Long Branch, New Jersey. Even after he started making records, it wasn't until his third full album, Born to Run (1975), that he reached true commercial success.
What do you really know about Bruce, his band, and his family? How much of an E Street Band fan are you, really?
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Thumbnail Photo: Wikimedia Commons / Michele Luconi
1. He Has Two Middle Names
According to a rundown on CNN, the Boss' full name is Bruce Frederick Joseph Springsteen. Freddy or Joe Springsteen would have been good, too, but nothing beats Bruce, if you ask me.
2. Elvis Turned Him Onto Rock And Roll
Bruce first knew that he wanted to be a rock-and-roll star when he saw Elvis Presley himself perform on the Ed Sullivan Show, according to Biography.com. If only Elvis, the original rock legend, knew that he would bring another true hero out of the woodwork!
3. He's Worth Hundreds Of Millions Of Dollars
According to Celebrity Net Worth, the Boss is worth a cool $460 million, with an estimated annual salary of $80 million. Not bad for a working-class kid from Jersey.
4. His Life Really Is An Open Book
Between his tell-all memoir, Born To Run, the auctioned-off medical records from the day he was born, and the multiple sites and magazines dedicated to his every move, there are plenty of ways to learn just about every nitty-gritty detail about his life, from childhood to the present.
5. He's Used To Being At The Top
All of his albums have spent a combined total of 597 weeks in the American top 75, according to Official Charts. At the number one spot, his albums have spent a total of 16 weeks. That is a long time to be at the very summit of success!
6. An Elementary School Teacher Stuffed Him Into A Garbage Can
When Bruce was in elementary school, he wasn't the greatest student. In The Words and Music of Bruce Springsteen, it's revealed that the young rock-star-to-be was stuffed into a garbage can by a teacher who thought that that's where he belonged.
7. He Didn't Have The Greatest Upbringing
According to Biography, Bruce did not feel the love in his home growing up. He has said, "When I was growing up, there were two things that were unpopular in my house… One was me, and the other was my guitar."
He has, however, thanked his father for giving him the inspiration for a lot of his songs at a later date.
8. He's Played 'Born To Run' Over 1,000 Times In Concert
According to Setlist.fm, as of June 5, 2015, Bruce had played "Born to Run" 1,505 times throughout his recorded touring career. That is a lot of times to play one song. I guess that means that he's had plenty of practice!
9. Bruce Has Never Actualy Lived On E Street
Yes, there really is an E Street, but only one band member has ever lived on it. That member would be original keyboardist David Sancious. David was also known to always have clean socks when jammed in a hotel room with five other guys, as reported by Billboard.
10. His Daughter Had Olympic Dreams
Bruce's daughter, Jessica, had dreams of competing in the 2016 Olympics, on USA's equestrian team. She fell short of making the team in 2016, according to Billboard, but can say that she went to the 2012 Olympics as an alternate rider for team USA. That's not too shabby, if you ask me.
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