An unprecedented look at a very young Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band, from the group’s creation and early New Jersey days to their meteoric rise and seminal Born in the USA tour, in photographs almost all not previously published.

David Gahr (1922–2008) was tapped by Columbia Records designer John Berg to shoot cover art for Bruce Springsteen’s second album, The Wild, the Innocent and the E Street Shuffle. Gahr’s earliest photographs of the musician showcase a youthful Springsteen, not even aged twenty-three, in Asbury Park, New Jersey, on the eve of a career breakthrough. Gahr befriended the rising star, and over a span of approximately ten years he photographed Springsteen, both on- and offstage. Rare captures include Springsteen recording music, performing at the cramped venue Bottom Line weeks before the release of his seminal 1975 album Born to Run, and playing to legions of fans during his Born in the USA tour. Bruce Springsteen 1973–1986 is an unprecedented look back at Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band on their path to becoming rock legends.

The set of photographs collected here, almost all of which have not previously been published, document the rise to acclaim of Bruce Springsteen, from the events leading to the release of 1975 breakthrough "Born To Run" to the arena-filling mid-eighties "Born In The USA" tour.

Now comes a new compendium of images, Bruce Springsteen: From Asbury Park, To Born To Run, To Born In The USA featuring the work of long-time music photographer David Gahr and includes more than 150 images, spanning the formative years 1973 to 1986 of the Springsteen opus.
In more than 25 photographic sessions, Gahr documented live performances and recording sessions, taking portrait studies and candid shots of Springsteen and his band as he worked to find the right mix and substance for what he calls his “music of transcendence.” In those early years, Springsteen slowly brought on band members Clarence Clemons, Danny Federici, Vini “Mad Dog” Lopez, Gary Tallent, David Sancious, Max Weinberg, Stevie Van Zandt, Nils Lofgren and Patti Scialfa. Some would come and go, and some would ultimately form that “heart-stopping, pants-dropping, house-rocking, earth-quaking, booty-shaking, Viagra-taking, love-making, legendary,” E Street Band. ~ Smithsonian

"An unprecedented look at a very young Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band, from the group's creation and early New Jersey days to their meteoric rise and seminal Born in the USA tour, in mostly never-before-seen photographs." — Publishers Weekly