I just added a new book to my Bruce Springsteen reading list: Craig Statham’s Springsteen: Saint in the City, 1949-1974. According to his Amazon page, Statham has an MA in History from the University of Edinburgh and has written four books on local Scottish history. Always good to see another historian who is a Bruce enthusiast!
Bruce superfan Stan Goldstein has posted his review of the book at the Star Ledger. Here is a taste:
For those who grew up at the Jersey Shore and remember seeing Bruce in any of his early bands — The Rogues, The Castiles, Earth, Child, Steel Mill, Friendly Enemies/Dr Zoom and the Sonic Boom, Bruce Springsteen Band and the early E Street Band (before it was officially named) — this book will bring back memories.
Statham not only covers Springsteen rise at the Jersey Shore, but also goes into detail into his time in Virginia in the late 1960s and early 1970s. Bruce has said there were only two places to play then, the Jersey Shore and the Richmond, Va., area.
When most people are asked what Springsteen’s first band was, the answer is The Castiles. While that’s really not wrong, Statham uncovers information on The Rogues another band from Freehold that was formed in the mid-1960s that Springsteen played rhythm guitar in.
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