By Brendan O’ Connor, ’16
For many people and places within the United States, the 1960s and 70s were transformational decades in American culture and politics–years of social reform, cultural creativity, and political conflict. In these years, rock music was undergoing constant redefinitions, as the emergence of top 40 pop radio was contrasted by the psychedelic movement and jam-bands of the later 60s, and the folk and singer-songwriter waves would suffer at the hands of disco in the 1970s. It was in this extended period of conflict that a young artist named Bruce Springsteen emerged and began laying the foundation of a musical career that would make him a global superstar. Springsteen’s eventual success within the music industry would not be possible without his experiences during these formative years of his career, a significant portion of which, were spent in Richmond, Virginia. Although not a major music mecca, Richmond in these years incubated a growing underground music culture that aligned with the periods social movements. In many ways, the experiences of Springsteen and Richmond during this period are a reflection of the large scale changes occurring across American music and social culture. For Springsteen, Richmond offered a community that catered to his persona, provided him with the necessary experience to enlarge his stage presence and fan base, and reflected the change in philosophies he would experience during this turbulent time in American history.
Born September 23rd, 1949 in Freehold, New Jersey, Bruce Springsteen grew up in a struggling American working class family in Asbury Park, NJ, an impoverished and insular community on the Jersey shore. His father struggled to maintain consistent work and Springsteen’s home life was turbulent as he argued with his father and struggled to find a place for himself. It was through listening to music and playing the guitar, an interest gained after watching Elvis on the Ed Sullivan show, that Springsteen found escape from his disappointing childhood. Springsteen had embraced music through the early 1960s pop music championed by producer Phil Spector, which could be found constantly playing on local AM radio.
At sixteen, Springsteen joined his first band, a Beatles-inspired group called “The Castiles” that played mostly covers of the top 40 hits that Springsteen had grown up with. Joining the Castiles made sense for Springsteen They were an upbeat youthful group inspired by the popular music of the day. Yet, just as Springsteen became involved with the Castiles, fascination with top 40 pop music began to dim as the breakup of the Beatles and the growth of the counterculture led younger musicians listeners to broaden their musical interests and explore more raw and “authentic” styles. The Castiles broke up once it became clear their style was unsustainable, and Springsteen moved on.
As he looked to develop his musical skills and style, Springsteen spent the next few years shifting between multiple bands and frequently changing lineups. First there was Earth, then Child which would later be renamed Steel Mill. Formed in 1969, Child exhibited a highly experimental heavy metal sound and principles that resonated within the counterculture movement. Much of the experimental music of the counterculture built upon a blues foundation, featuring a simplicity in technical structure that allowed for multiple interpretations. It was with Child that Springsteen left his comfort zone of Asbury Park and the New York City metropolitan area to start playing shows elsewhere, mostly appearing at colleges or nightclubs.
In the summer of 1969, Springsteen, with Child, made his first appearance in Richmond, having been invited to come play by a childhood friend. After traveling down the newly installed interstate in a 1948 Chevrolet truck, the band performed on a sunny afternoon in Monroe Park on the VCU campus, and according to local artist Chuck Wrenn, Springsteen’s talent was immediately apparent to those in attendance. His boundless energy and screeching vocals, which would become hallmarks of his performances once he ascended to national stardom, were on display and overcame his lack of polished lyrical structure. With long, flowing hair and an unkempt “greaser” look that reflected his Asbury park upbringing, Springsteen’s style signalled both his allegiance to the counterculture and his difference from it. Springsteen and the band enjoyed their visit, crashing at the house of a mutual friend where they jammed together, smoked, drank beer and ate spaghetti. Richmond left a positive impression on Springsteen and his bandmates who would return later that summer and for more than thirty more performances over the next five years.
Like Springsteen, the city of Richmond and its music scene were experiencing the effects of the counterculture movement. With a large youth population thanks to local colleges like VCU, Richmond provided an receptive ground for these new music movements to attract attention and build an audience. Many young people were also forming bands and playing music at local block parties for decent sized crowds. Some, like Springsteen, gained significant attention from such performances and parlayed the attention into booking shows at local clubs. Venues like the Back Door at 929 W. Grace Street became hotspots for new alternative music, where a diverse collection of people like bikers, hippies and crossdressers would come together. Springsteen’s musical talent strongly resonated with the underground culture of Richmond and gave the young artist the attention he desired.
As Springsteen frequently appeared in Richmond, the energy behind his performances continued, but the sound of his music evolved. As his band lineups shifted, and Springsteen dabbled in solo performances, he began experimenting with a range of musical influences, often shifting between different styles between songs in the same performance. Whether he displayed the type of southern rock influenced by the Allman Brothers Band, a more personal singer-songwriter vibe echoed by Bob Dylan, or a return to the more upbeat poppy style popularized by the Beatles, Springsteen’s talent and potential remained clear. His experimentation in different genres corresponded with the uncertain state of rock music at the time.
As the sixties turned into the seventies, rock music suffered a crisis over its identity and its future. Concert rock came under attack from public officials who criticized it for inciting violence, unruly behavior, and a lack of moral values. The accidental deaths and destruction at various Rock industry events like the Altamont Free concert fueled these concerns and turned public perception against hard rock. New emerging musical tastes like Glam rock and Disco began generating attention, while popular rock stars like Hendrix, Joplin and the Doors’ Jim Morrison died prematurely, leaving a void of superstar presence within the industry, that coupled with increasingly hostility towards the culture contributed to the decline of hard rock in the 1970s.
Even Springsteen could not avoid the effects of increased hostility towards his style of performance rock. Riots broke out in Asbury Park in 1970, and the impoverished alternative culture that Springsteen identified with were seen as the culprits. Audience members at his shows regularly engaged in physical confrontations, sometimes attacking Springsteen himself. The effects of violence associated with rock music were present in Richmond as well. During a performance at VCU, Springsteen’s band continued to play for a rambunctious crowd after school and police officials had shut off power to the stage, an act that resulted in drummer Vinnie Jones’ arrest for disorderly conduct. Violence in Richmond culminated in the Cherry Blossom Music Fest riot of 1974 in which concertgoers attacked police forces and destroyed cars and other property. The riot resulted in over 100 arrests and future restrictions on concerts and music performances. As a result, many music venues were forced to close due to public pressure and ordinances by the city government.
Despite the increased hostility, Springsteen carried on, continuing to tour and perform up and down the east coast. In 1972, Springsteen secured a record deal with Columbia Records after impressing agent Mike Appel and studio executives with his refined live performance and songwriting skills. In the song “It’s Hard to be a Saint in the City,” Springsteen demonstrated how far his songwriting and performance ability had developed since the late 1960s. Springsteen’s vast improvement can be credited to his time spent touring, where he faced a wide variety of audiences whose feedback influenced his performance style and allowed it to grow over time.
Springsteen released his debut album, Greetings from Asbury Park, NJ, in January 1973, but the album failed commercially, as did his second album, The Wild, the Innocent & the E Street Shuffle, which was released later that year. Despite the poor reception, Springsteen continued to perform regularly, expanding his fan base, performing in larger venues and creating new material. It was with the 1975 release of Born to Run that Springsteen finally achieved commercial success and garnered national attention. The album reached number 3 on the Billboard 200 and has sold over six million copies in the United States. Springsteen, seen as the next savior of performance rock, was featured on the covers of both Time and Newsweek, signaling his position at the forefront of rock music. In the forty years since the release of Born to Run, Springsteen has become one the biggest names in Rock history. He has released more than 18 full length albums, headlined 16 different tours and continues to perform live and release music to this day
Once Springsteen achieved mainstream success following the release of Born to Run, he would not return to Richmond for another decade. Richmond nurtured Springsteen as he grew into the star he was meant to be. Once he had proven his ability, Springsteen moved on, leaving Richmond behind to perform in bigger arenas in larger cities across the globe. The acceptance of Springsteen by the mainstream was the culmination of about a decade of near constant performances, tours, collaborations and the development of new material. Without the work that Springsteen put forth in the prior decade, the mainstream success would not be a reality.
For Springsteen, Richmond served as more than just a venue to perform. Richmond was a journal that was able to record moments in Springsteen’s journey from a talented, but raw musician, to a national icon. As he returned to Richmond over these years, noticeable differences in his performance and musical style became apparent to his audience. Each visit that Springsteen made to Richmond serves as a snapshot of him and his career in that specific moment. By analyzing the growth and developments that Springsteen exhibited in each Richmond show, one is able to track the progress of his career and can decipher the dynamics of the music industry and American culture that he faced at each point in his story an see how his career is intertwined with both the state of the music industry and the state of American culture.
Further Reading
Dale M. Brumfield. Richmond Independent Press: A History of the Underground Zine Scene. Charleston, SC: History Press, 2013.
Donald L. Deardorff II. Bruce Springsteen: American Poet and Prophet. Lanham, MD: Scarecrow Press, 2014.
Marc Dolan. Bruce Springsteen and the Promise of Rock ‘n’ Roll. New York: W.W. Norton, 2012.
Patrick Humphries, and Chris Hunt. Bruce Springsteen: Blinded by the Light. New York: H. Holt, 1986.