Bruce Springsteen turns 69 years old on Sunday

Bruce Frederick Joseph Springsteen was born on September 23rd, 1949 in Freehold. He attended St. Rose of Lima Catholic School and then Freehold Regional High School, graduating in 1967. His high school was such that he skipped the graduation ceremony. He then briefly attended Ocean County College.

His debut album, Greetings from Asbury Park, NJ was not huge commercially but positioned him as a critical favorite; commercial success would come later. According to BruceSpringsteen.net, in a publication called The Real Paper, Jon Landau wrote, “I have seen the future of rock and roll, and its name is Bruce Springsteen.”

In 1975 he was on the covers of both Time Magazine and Newsweek at the same time. Springsteen would go on to sell 135 million albums worldwide, making him one of the most commercially successful acts of all time. He was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1999.