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Copyright © 2002-2004
by James P. Hauser except where otherwise noted.  All rights reserved.

The Blues Connections of

Bruce Springsteen

When Bruce Springsteen talks about his musical influences and heroes, he usually mentions people like Elvis Presley and Buddy Holly and Bob Dylan. And he'll bring up some of the British Invasion bands--for example, The Rolling Stones or The Animals. He doesn't often mention blues musicians as influences, unless you want to classify early blues-based rock'n'rollers like Chuck Berry and Little Richard as blues musicians. But Elvis and the Stones and the other folks listed above were heavily influenced by the blues and rhythm 'n' blues. So you might say that Springsteen was exposed to the blues through a rock 'n' roll filter.

The musicians whov influenced Springsteen often recorded cover versions or remakes of blues songs, but Bruce himself has recorded very few blues covers. Therefore, the connection between his music and the blues is less apparent than it is for musicians like Bob Dylan or The Stones. Still, there can be no denyin' that the Boss can play some fantastic single string blues-based guitar or that he can write some great R&B-flavored music! To see the influence of the blues and rhythm 'n' blues on Springsteen, it helps to look at the oldies he has performed in concert over the years, and to look at his pre-E Street Band days. Let's start with those early days.

One of Bruce's earliest bands was a short-lived band named Earth. This band was heavily influenced by the psychedelic blues-rock of Cream. After Earth, he formed a band called Steel Mill which became a New Jersey area legend. Steel Mill was an absolutely awesome heavy metal band with some amazing songwriting by a young Bruce. But Steel Mill played more than just heavy metal--their repertoire included blues tunes such as Muddy Waters's "Got My Mojo Workin' " and Bobby "Blue" Bland's "Turn On Your Lovelight". The group also regularly performed Martha and the Vandellas' "Dancing in the Street" as an opening number. (Years later, Springsteen would transform this song's line about summer and dancing in the street into a similar lyric for his song "Racing In the Street".)

After Steel Mill broke up, Springsteen put together the Bruce Springsteen Band which was originally formed as a 10-piece rhythm and blues band with girl singers and a horn section. But after only a few gigs and various problems, the horns and girl singers were gone and the band was down to five members. By this time, the Boss was heavily into writing and performing his own material, but the Bruce Springsteen Band also performed classic blues tunes including two tunes from Jimmy Reed, "Take Out Some Insurance" and "Bright Lights, Big City", two more from Muddy Waters, "Hoochie Coochie Man" and "Got My Mojo Workin' ", Howlin' Wolf's "Sittin' On Top Of the World", and Otis Rush's "You Know My Love". All of it killer stuff no doubt--maaaan we all shoulda been there!!!

OK, now it's time to talk about the oldies which Bruce and the E-Street Band have performed over the years. There once was a long-standing tradition at the Boss's shows to play a good helpin' of some classic oldies and some terrific long-forgotten hits. Many of these songs were old R&B hits and once in a while Bruce would throw in a classic blues tune. And he would put just as much energy, if not more, into old rhythm 'n' blues workouts like "Twist and Shout" and "Quarter to Three" as he put into his own songs. Often, these wild Bruce-powered oldies were played as encores capping marathon-length shows in which Springsteen and his band played longer and harder than a four day country creep--that's right--a four day, heart-wreckin', hog-sweatin', grave-gettin' country creep! Below is a list of some of those great old R&B and blues songs which Springsteen has performed over the years. The list includes the names of the R&B artists who recorded the songs.

Ain't that a Shame / Fats Domino

Around and Around / Chuck Berry

Back in the USA / Chuck Berry

Bama Lama Bama Loo / Little Richard

Boom Boom / John Lee Hooker

Carol / Chuck Berry

Cry to Me / Solomon Burke

Dancing in the Streets / Martha and the Vandellas

Dear Lady Twist / Gary U.S. Bonds

Do You Love Me? / The Contours

Good Golly Miss Molly / Little Richard

Good Rockin' Tonight / Roy Brown, Wynonie Harris

Higher and Higher / Jackie Wilson

I Don't Want to Hang Up My Rock and Roll Shoes / Chuck Willis

I Sold My Heart to the Junkman / Patti Labelle and the Bluebelles

It's Gonna Work Out Fine / Ike and Tina Turner

Johnny B. Goode / Chuck Berry

Kansas City / Wilbert Harrison, Little Willie Littlefield, Hank Ballard

Keep-a-Knockin' / Little Richard

Knock on Wood / Eddie Floyd

Let the Four Winds Blow / Fats Domino, Roy Brown

Little Queenie / Chuck Berry

Long Tall Sally / Little Richard

Lucille / Little Richard

Mona / Bo Diddley

Mystery Train / Little Junior Parker

No Money Down / Chuck Berry

Quarter to Three / Gary U.S. Bonds

Raise Your Hand / Eddie Floyd

Rip It Up / Little Richard

Shout / Isley Brothers

Soothe Me / Sam and Dave

Spanish Harlem / Ben E. King

Sweet Little Sixteen / Chuck Berry

Twist and Shout / Isley Brothers

Up On the Roof / The Drifters

Walkin' the Dog / Rufus Thomas

You Never Can Tell / Chuck Berry

Yum Yum I Want Some / Eddie Floyd

Many, many more classic R&B songs could be added to the above list. So, in the words of old Aunt Essie, "it's about as sure as a goose goes barefoot" that Bruce was influenced by the blues and (probably even more so) by rhythm and blues. He has been described as a human jukebox because he's got all those old songs runnin' around in his head. Plus, he's got a great sense for what music was important and influential even though it may not have been hugely popular. For example, Springsteen is one of a relatively small number of rock stars who has acknowledged the influence of guitarist Lowman Pauling of the R&B vocal group the 5 Royales. (Pauling not only wrote some classic songs, including "Think", "Tell the Truth", and "Dedicated to the One I Love", but he also played a wild, stinging, blues-style guitar that at times was positively vicious.)

The blues influences cited above are urban blues--the post-World War II big city is the source of rhythm and blues and it's also the source of the electric blues pioneered by folks like Muddy Waters and Howlin' Wolf. Bruce was not exposed to much country blues until his manager, Jon Landau, introduced him to the music of Robert Johnson. Johnson, a legendary figure from the Mississippi Delta, became an important figure to Springsteen. In his book, Songs, Bruce cites Johnson's music, as well as the music of another Delta bluesman, John Lee Hooker, as major influences on his Nebraska album. Johnson is long dead and Hooker died in the year 2001, but one day in Blueskat heaven, they'll team up with the Boss to cut a killa double album. There be no doubt about it!!!

And here is one last blues konnection which will surprise even many Springsteenaholics. Bruce built his huge following of loyal fans through his tremendous live shows, but many of his followers don't know that he modelled his performances after the dynamic shows of the great soul acts, putting as much intense energy and passion into his concerts as folks like James Brown and Otis Redding. It was master showmen like these that inspired Bruce's legendary shows. And if you've never seen Springsteen live, let Ol' Moondog put you wise--the Boss inside of a crowded concert hall with a guitar in his hands ain't nuthin' but the rock 'n' roll formula for spontaneous combustion.

There's more primo info on the blues connections of Bruce Springsteen on pages 2 and 3. Read on and you'll be sure to discover that while it's the rock and roll part of Bruce that makes him born to run, it's the blues he's got inside that makes him bound to ramble!

Go to page 2 of Bruce Springsteen

Go to page 3 of Bruce Springsteen

Go to Musicians Index

THE AKA BLUES CONNECTION

BORN TO RUN, BOUND TO RAMBLE!