Bruce Springsteen is one of the most important American rock artists still making music today. The Boss has grown from a struggling songwriter to an incredibly influential artist. Here’s some interesting stuff about his career.

Like many musicians, Bruce Springsteen got his start playing with a group. A couple in his New Jersey hometown philanthropically helped young musicians get their start, and they matched him up with a rock combo called the Castiles. He then played in a power trio called Earth and a bar band, Steel Mill.

In 1974, Columbia Records A&R rep John Hammond signed Springsteen to a record deal. Hammond had been the man who brought Bob Dylan to the label a decade earlier, so he had clout when it came to singer-songwriters. Springsteen’s first two albums were critical successes but commercial failures.

After an epic string of shows at New York’s legendary Bottom Line club, everything turned around for The Boss. His next album, Born To Run, was a tremendous hit. That year, Springsteen appeared on the covers of both Time and Newsweek in the same week.

1984’s Born In The U.S.A. was Bruce’s biggest hit, moving 15 million copies in the States alone. Since then, he has continued to record and tour, with his music transforming from anthemic rock to more low-key, introspective works in the vein of his classic Nebraska.

Springsteen is also incredibly politically active, lending his music and his time to many different organizations.