I've always felt that one of the best gifts Bruce Springsteen's music gave me was the opportunity to check out all of the great artists that influenced him. As we know, back in the 70's and early 80's, he did numerous covers in his concerts, and they were often the highlights...Mitch Ryder, Eddie Floyd, Gary US Bonds, just to name a few.
Hearing Bruce do those songs made me want to check out other things these great artists and groups did. Bruce's own output during the period was marked by long hiatuses during albums, but I used the time to follow the thread of his great influences, and my album collection probably grew 10-fold during this time. In short, I realized I liked the same music Bruce Springsteen did.
Of all of the great influences his music intoduced me to, I think my introduction to Memphis' Stax/Volt label...Otis Redding, Same & Dave, Eddie Floyd, Booker T and the MG's, just to name a few...opened up a huge new world of music to me, that I might not have otherwise heard. I was a white suburban kid growing up in NJ. They were black soul men from Memphis. If it wasn't for Springsteen, there was a good chance I would have never heard this great music, and possibly gotten into Bon Jovi or some other disastrous musical fate...
So, who did Springsteen turn you on to?
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