Bob Mosolgo

Happy Birthday Bruce Springsteen! The artist once said that he would like to make a record with the lyrics like Bob Dylans, a sound like Phil Spector produced it and vocals like Roy Orbison. Although Springsteen was tagged as the next Bob Dylan early in his career, he never shied away from his love of 60’s pop radio songs and rock. His first interest in music came from seeing Elvis Presley perform on the Ed Sullivan Show in 1956.

A series of bands came and went from 1965 to 1971, some of which included future E Street Band members, but Springsteen was a solo act when he signed his first record contract. He immediately rehired most of his own band and initially his debut album Greetings from Asbury Park, NJ was ignored. Manfred Mann had a hit with a cover of Blinded by the Light four years later. Since then the record has gone double platinum and has been named one of the best debut records of all time.

Springsteen’s second album The Wild, the Innocent and the E Street Shuffle was also initially a failure. It drove Springsteen to rework his band for one final try with Columbia Records. The third time was the charm – Born to Run peaked at number three and while none of the singles did nearly that well, the album benefited from a popular radio format of the day, album oriented rock. Almost all tracks on the album got significant airplay.

This set the stage for Springsteen’s biggest selling album, 1984’s Born in the USA. The record sold 30 million copies worldwide and featured seven hit singles. The title song was often misinterpreted – especially by politicians who chose not to listen to the lyrics but focused on the catchy chorus. Over six decades of performing what could sometimes be three to four hour concerts, he has earned his nickname – The Boss. Happy Birthday, Bruce!

Johnny Cash and Bob Dylan triggered Ritter’s initial interest in music, prompting him to visit the local K-Mart to purchase his first guitar. Initially drawn to neuroscience as his intellectual pursuit, Ritter quickly shifted to his own independent major “American History Through Narrative Folk Music.” Ritter landed in Boston where he played open mic nights and was fortunate to gain the attention of Glen Hansard, who invited him to Scotland to open on his upcoming tour.

Josh Ritter recorded his first two records independently. The second Golden Age of Radio was made on a $1000 budget. Signature Sounds offered to remaster and re-release the album after hearing Ritter perform and the new version along with his time on Hansards’ tour produced a popular song in Ireland. Ritter found himself a success via word of mouth throughout Ireland.

By 2015 Josh Ritter was releasing his eighth studio album. Sermon on the Rocks was his second record to reach number one on the folk charts. Since then Ritter has released two more records.Since 2002’s Golden Age of Radio, Ritter has consistently earned high praise for his songwriting. Along the way he released a novel and convinced Jason Isbell to produce his latest record with backing from the 400 Unit.

Southern Californian John Craigie attended the University of California Santa Cruz where he graduated with a degree in mathematics. Craigie dove into music playing house parties and local venues, first in a psychedelic band during his self described hippie phase, then as a solo singer/songwriter.

Craigie started to work on his solo performances and it took a few years to get his first album out, with Montana Tales releasing in 2009. Three more studio albums followed, plus two live records. The live records reflect Craigie’s greatest strength, personal and funny songs. In fact, he has drawn descriptions as being a cross of John Prine and late comedian Mitch Hedberg.

Jack Johnson championed Craigie on the strength of his second live album released in 2016. Impressed enough to keep the album in his car, Johnson invited Craigie to open his next tour. For his next record, 2018’s No Rain, No Rose Craigie tried to recreate the feel of the old Nitty Gritty Dirt Band Will the Circle Be Unbroken albums. Not so much in the sound, but more in the feel of having musicians perform together that do not often have the opportunity to work with one another

Craigie’s natural ability to weave humor and real-life stories together is refreshing. The performer explained that it wasn’t something he was always able to do, stating, “I think as a child I was always the storyteller and I don’t know if I was funny, but I was trying to be funny.” He went on to explain that it took a few years for him to be comfortable on stage which then enabled him to grow confidently into his comedic shoes.

Drew Holcomb grew up listening to his father’s collection of 70’s singer/songwriters and that drove his initial songwriting. College at the University of Tennessee increased his interest in music. That continued during his pursuit of a master’s degree in divinity at the University of St. Andrews in Scotland. IOne of his dissertations was “Springsteen and American Redemptive Imagination.”

Returning to the US, Holcomb pursued a career in music, releasing an EP and two full-length records before marrying his wife Ellie whom he had met at UT. Soon came Drew Holcomb and the Neighbors, a band including his wife and two additional members. They chose to release a holiday record first, then their first non holiday album in 2008.

Drew Holcomb and the Neighbors got some choice touring slots in 2009 after the release of their first album with Robert Earl Keen, The Avett Brothers and others. The band’s following albums were successes, with steadily improving sales. Ellie Holcomb left the band in 2015 to pursue a solo career, supported by Drew on her own releases.

2019’s Dragons is the latest record from the band and reached number one on the folk and americana charts. This comes after Drew was worn down by his earlier recording and touring, ultimately ending up in a hospital for eight days for treatment for meningitis. For the new album he looked for a different way to create new songs and that meant collaboration – which was new for him.

With contributions from top song scribes in the country and roots landscape, including Lori McKenna, Natalie Hemby, and Sean McConnell, Holcomb co-wrote six of the 10 tracks on the record and ultimately made his most sonically inclusive record to date.

The Eurythmics formed in 1980 after the Tourists, a band that included both DaveStewart and Annie Lennox broke up. The pair had met in 1975 in a London restaurant where Lennox worked and began playing together. The pair also initiated a romantic relationship.

Playing around with a mini-synthesizer while on tour with the Tourists, the pair conceived their new band. While their first album was not a commercial success, they started to perfect their style of live performance. It would be the pair of them accompanied by recorded backing tracks and electronics.

Three more singles were released in 1982 to little success and both band members suffered personal issues before settling in to record their breakthrough album Sweet Dreams (Are Made of This) in 1983. The album was a big seller and featured a US number 1 single with the title track.

Eight albums in eight years plus a heavy touring schedule led the pair to disband the Eurythmics in 1990. Dave Stewart moved on to writing film soundtracks and had a top 20 instrumental hit recorded with saxophonist Candy Dulfer. Lennox took time off to have a child before launching her solo career, which was a bigger success than the Eurythmics. Stewart and Lennox remained apart for eight years.

A reunion came in 1999 when the Eurythmics recorded a new album. Peace was their first new record in a decade and featured their first UK top 20 single in eleven years.Occasional one off reunion shows have occurred over the past decade, but no new Eurythmics material is anticipated.

Amanda Shires split her childhood between the two Texas towns her divorced parents lived in, taking up for a time barrel racing in local rodeos. Convincing her father to buy a pawn shop fiddle for her as a 10 year old, Shires practiced and excelled, earning a spot in Bob Will’s old backing band the Texas Playboys at age 15.

She began songwriting as a teen and although she was not too proud of her early work, Billy Joe Shaver encouraged her to move to Nashville and become a songwriter. His reasoning was that in Texas she would always be a fiddle player first while in Nashville she could develop a reputation as a songwriter.

After the move to Nashville, Shires worked and toured with Rod Picott and attended college at Sewanee.

Amanda Shires and Jason Isbell first noticed one another when they each saw the other playing – Amanda in Billy Joe Shaver’s band and Jason in the Drive By Truckers. For about a decade the two played together before marrying in 2013.

2017 was a big year for Shires. In addition to being named Americana Emerging Artist of the Year, she also toured and recorded with John Prine and won a Grammy along with Jason Isbell and the rest of the 400 Unit for The Nashville Sound.

In 2019 Shires, Natalie Hemby, Maren Morris and Brandi Carlile formed the Highwomen as a direct response to the difficulties women have getting airplay on country radio. This year’s solo record Take It Like a Man continues her stance for women by presenting an empowered and multifaceted picture of womanhood.