Steven Van Zandt
Encyclopedia
Steven Van Zandt is an Italian-American musician
, songwriter
, arranger
, record producer
, actor
, and radio
disc jockey
, who frequently goes by the stage names Little Steven or Miami Steve. He is best known as a member of Bruce Springsteen's
E Street Band
, in which he plays guitar
and mandolin
, and as an actor in the television drama The Sopranos
(1999-2007), in which he played the character Silvio Dante
. Van Zandt also had his own solo band called "Little Steven and The Disciples of Soul" in the 1980s.
. His mother, Mary Lento, remarried when he was young and Steven took the last name of his stepfather, William Van Zandt. The family moved from Massachusetts to Middletown Township, New Jersey
when he was seven.
Actor/playwright/producer Billy Van Zandt
(who is of Italian and Dutch descent) is Steven Van Zandt's half brother.
music scene, and was an early friend and pre-E Street bandmate of Springsteen. In the early seventies, he was a journeyman guitarist (working as a sideman for The Dovells
) as well as a founding member of Southside Johnny and the Asbury Jukes and several of Bruce Springsteen
's early bands.
In 1975, during the recording sessions for Born to Run
, Springsteen - at a loss (according to author Dave Marsh in the Springsteen biography Born To Run) for ideas on how to arrange the horn part for "Tenth Avenue Freeze-Out
" - called on Van Zandt and his encyclopedic knowledge of soul music for help with the arrangement. In the Wings for Wheels Documentary, Springsteen revealed that Van Zandt was partially responsible for the signature guitar line in Born to Run
; "Arguably Steve's greatest contribution to my music." It has been long debated if Van Zandt himself is playing guitar on the song. Van Zandt then joined the E Street Band in the midst of their Born to Run tours
.
In those early years, Van Zandt supplied a great deal of the lead guitar
work for the band in concert, as can be seen on the 1975 concert DVD within Born to Run 30th Anniversary Edition (later released as the CD Hammersmith Odeon London '75
).
Van Zandt cites the Dave Clark Five as an early influence. Along with Paul Shaffer
of the David Letterman Show he organized a benefit for Mike Smith
(the Dave Clark Five's lead singer), who had suffered a paralyzing fall at his home in Spain.
"I Don't Wanna Go Home", co-writing other songs for them with Springsteen, and producing their most-acclaimed record, Hearts of Stone
. As such, Van Zandt became a key contributor to the Jersey Shore sound
. Van Zandt then went on to share production credits on the classic Springsteen albums Darkness on the Edge of Town
, The River, and Born in the U.S.A.
. In 1989, Jackson Browne
covered the 1983 Van Zandt composition "I Am A Patriot" for Browne's World in Motion
album. The song has also been covered by other artists including Eddie Vedder
of Pearl Jam
.
Van Zandt has produced a number of other records, including an uncredited effort on the Iron City Houserockers
' Have A Good Time (But Get Out Alive). Less successful was his work on Lone Justice
's second album Shelter, which was a career-ending flop for the Los Angeles
cowpunk
band.
In 1993, Van Zandt wrote and produced "All Alone on Christmas" for the soundtrack of the Chris Columbus
film Home Alone
, which yielded singer Darlene Love
her first hit since "A Fine, Fine Boy" from 1963, thirty-one years earlier.
In 1994, Van Zandt produced the eponymous debut album of the punk rock band Demolition 23
which featured ex-Hanoi Rocks
members Michael Monroe
and Sami Yaffa
. Van Zandt also co-wrote six songs for the album with Monroe and Jude Wilder.
In 1995, Van Zandt aided Meat Loaf
with the song "Amnesty Is Granted" off of his "Welcome to the Neighborhood
" album.
In 2004, he contributed the song "Baby Please Don't Go" to Nancy Sinatra
's self-titled album.
" is said to be inspired by the split, and Bruce asked him to perform his mandolin solo in the "Glory Days" video anyway) and has been involved in numerous solo musical projects and collaborations since then, ranging from soul music
to hard rock
to world music
. In particular, he released four albums in the 1980s and one in 1999, sometimes fronting an on-and-off group known as Little Steven and the Disciples of Soul. Van Zandt has written that these albums are each elements in a five-part concept cycle. The first of them, 1982's Men Without Women
, earned the most critical praise (Jay Cocks
of TIME magazine dubbed it one of the ten best albums of the year), while its follow-up, 1984's Voice of America
, did the best on the U.S. albums chart
, although none of them were much of a commercial success. With Voice of America, his music became explicitly political, with the central theme being opposition to Ronald Reagan
-era American foreign policy.
Continuing his involvement in issues of the day, in 1985 he created the music-industry activist group Artists United Against Apartheid
as an action against the Sun City
resort in South Africa
. Forty-nine top recording artists, including Springsteen, U2
, Bob Dylan
, Pete Townshend
, and Run DMC, collaborated on a song called "Sun City
" in which they pledged they would never perform at the resort. The effort was modestly successful. In 1987, he released the album Freedom - No Compromise
, which continued the political messaging in an even more strident fashion. Some U.S. appearances in that year as opening act for U2
's arena-and-stadium Joshua Tree Tour
continued in the same vein – Oliver North
was labeled a "criminal motherfucker" – but were not well-received by audiences, who found the sound overbearing and the performances lacking musicality. Both the record and his concerts were more popular in Europe
, however. Little Steven's fourth album, 1989's Revolution
, attracted little attention. His latest album, entitled Born Again Savage
was released in 1999. Since then, Van Zandt has recorded another album, Nobody Loves and Leaves Alive with his garage band the Lost Boys. Although the album remains unreleased, three tracks from it were contributed to the Sopranos television show including; 'Nobody Love and Leaves Alive', 'Affection, and 'Come for Me'.
role, due to Nils Lofgren
's position in the band and his capability as a lead guitarist. In addition, Springsteen had begun taking many more of the solos during his absence. Notwithstanding this, among E Street Band members he often gets the second-most amount of "face time" in concert after Clarence Clemons
, frequently mugging and posing for the audience and sometimes delivering his unpolished, nasal backing vocals while sharing a microphone with Springsteen. His playing or singing is most prominently featured on the songs "Glory Days", "Two Hearts", "Long Walk Home" (when featured a Van Zandt outro vocal solo) "Land of Hope and Dreams", "Badlands", "Ramrod", and "Murder Incorporated", among others like the live versions of "Rosalita". He often trades vocals with Springsteen in live versions of "Prove it All Night". He features prominently in the video for "Glory Days", sharing the spotlight with Springsteen during the choruses, while swapping lines with him during the (non)fade, and in live versions he does the same. During the E Street Band's performance at the Super Bowl
in 2009, Van Zandt was the most prominently featured member of the band, playing a guitar solo on the final number of the set, "Glory Days" (although the solo could not be heard in the mix), as well as sharing lead vocals and exchanging humorous banter with Springsteen.
, playing level-headed but deadly mob consigliere
and strip club owner Silvio Dante
. Van Zandt had no acting experience, and the unusual casting choice was made by series creator David Chase
. As a guest on the Opie and Anthony
Show, Van Zandt related the story of his casting on The Sopranos. Van Zandt was picked to induct The Rascals
into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame
in 1997. The original members of The Rascals had been feuding for a number of years and Van Zandt was concerned that the induction and subsequent band performance would result in a very public fiasco on live television. Wanting to defuse any confrontation, Van Zandt donned a Little Lord Fauntleroy
-type costume for the event and delivered a humorous induction instead of the more traditional speech delivered for other inductees. The Rascals had worn this type of outfit when they debuted on the national scene in 1965. Chase saw this performance on VH1
's broadcast of the event and thought that Van Zandt was very funny and contacted him a few days later. Then Chase discovered that Van Zandt had no acting experience. Van Zandt was reluctant to audition for Chase but eventually relented.
Van Zandt gained acclaim for his performance as Silvio, but has contended that he has no interest in acting beyond The Sopranos. However, Van Zandt found time to record the narration to a Hives
biography on their concert DVD Tussles in Brussels
. His role resumed in importance in later seasons, with sixth season plot developments especially giving him prime focus. His real-life wife Maureen Van Zandt
is an actress who made occasional appearances on The Sopranos playing Silvio's wife Gabriella Dante.
Van Zandt maintains a certain look, always wearing gypsy clothes and a bandana
on stage, while donning a noticeable pompadour
toupee
on The Sopranos. Both are to cover permanent loss of hair from a car accident in which he hit a windshield with his head.
In 2010, Van Zandt appeared as himself in the Norwegian
soap opera
Hotel Cæsar
, broadcast on Norway's biggest commercial channel TV2 Norway. He also appeared on Scandinavia's largest talkshow Skavlan
, and talked about his upcoming starring role in a Norwegian-produced TV series where he will play a mafia boss who, as a part of a witness-protection program, is hiding in the Norwegian town of Lillehammer
. The series' working title is Lilyhammer, a reflection of the town’s mispronunciation by many non-Norwegians, and production started in January 2011.
, a weekly syndicated radio show that celebrates garage rock
and similar rock sub-genres from the 1950s to the present day. As of December 2006, the show is heard on over 200 US radio stations and in some international markets. For example, in Finland, Radio Helsinki started beaming Underground Garage in August 2008 and in Spain is beamed through Rock & Gol
since 2007 and later on Rock Rock Radio.
On October 20, 2011, the program recorded its 500th show in front of a sold out crowd at the Hard Rock Cafe
in New York's Times Square
. The guests included the band Green Day
, Steve Buscemi
, star of the HBO series Boardwalk Empire, Vincent Pastore
, aka "Big Pussy" from the HBO series The Sopranos
, actor and director Tim Robbins
, and singer Debbie Harry
aka "Blondie."
Steven is also the program director for two radio channels for the Sirius Satellite Radio
network. The channels are heard continuously on satellite radio in the USA and worldwide on Sirius Internet Radio. One channel is named Underground Garage, which has the same philosophy and musical mandate as his own radio show. On-air hosts on the channel include original Rolling Stones manager/producer Andrew Loog Oldham
, rock star Joan Jett
, punk rock singer Handsome Dick Manitoba, and rock entrepreneur Kim Fowley
. The second of Van Zandt's radio channels presented on Sirius is named the Outlaw Country channel. It presents the edgier side of country music
– both roots and contemporary. On-air hosts for this channel include pop-culture satirist Mojo Nixon
.
Van Zandt is not to be confused with similarly named radio personality Steve Van Zandt, who was co-host of the "Steve and Jackie in the Morning" show formerly airing on WROW
in Albany, New York
.
In December 2006, Little Steven launched his own record label, Wicked Cool Records. The first set of records released by Wicked Cool were new albums from Underground Garage favorites the Charms
, the Chesterfield Kings and the Cocktail Slippers
; and ‘Fuzz For The Holidays,’ by Davie Allan and the Arrows and ‘CBGB Forever,’ a tribute to the famous, now-defunct venue. The label continues to release new albums from the next generation of garage rockers including the Cocktail Slippers as well as volumes of ‘Little Steven's Underground Garage presents The Coolest Songs in the World,’ a compilation of selected songs from the Underground Garage radio show's popular feature, the Coolest Song in the World This Week. In 2007 the label signed The Launderettes
.
2008 marked the release of the labels first Halloween and Christmas themed compilations.
Lost Cathedral is a subsidiary label of Wicked Cool Records and home to the band Crown of Thorns.
In 2007, Van Zandt launched his Rock And Roll Forever Foundation. The first incentive of the foundation is Rock And Roll High School, a chronological anthology tracing the history of Rock and Roll from its roots to present day, highlighting the cultural impact and significance of each era of the genre as it relates to the events and changes that took place in the history of the country and of the world. The program, endorsed by MENC: The National Association For Music Education and Scholastic, is being written and hopes to launch in the fall of 2010.
debut) of Monday Night Football
. The all-star lineup included Little Richard
, Rick Nielsen
(Cheap Trick
), Joe Perry
(Aerosmith
), Questlove (The Roots
), Charlie Daniels
, Bootsy Collins
, Chris Burney (Bowling for Soup
), and Bernie Worrell
. Steve is now the director of a music selection committee for the video game Rock Band; he is in charge of selecting new music for the game.
(formerly Maureen Santoro) who portrayed his wife Gabriella Dante in the TV series The Sopranos
. They married in New York City on December 31, 1982. Bruce Springsteen
was the best man at the ceremony, which was presided over by Reverend Richard Penniman (Little Richard
). Singer Percy Sledge
sang his classic "When a Man Loves a Woman
" at the reception.
Musician
A musician is an artist who plays a musical instrument. It may or may not be the person's profession. Musicians can be classified by their roles in performing music and writing music.Also....* A person who makes music a profession....
, songwriter
Songwriter
A songwriter is an individual who writes both the lyrics and music to a song. Someone who solely writes lyrics may be called a lyricist, and someone who only writes music may be called a composer...
, arranger
Arrangement
The American Federation of Musicians defines arranging as "the art of preparing and adapting an already written composition for presentation in other than its original form. An arrangement may include reharmonization, paraphrasing, and/or development of a composition, so that it fully represents...
, record producer
Record producer
A record producer is an individual working within the music industry, whose job is to oversee and manage the recording of an artist's music...
, actor
Actor
An actor is a person who acts in a dramatic production and who works in film, television, theatre, or radio in that capacity...
, and radio
Radio
Radio is the transmission of signals through free space by modulation of electromagnetic waves with frequencies below those of visible light. Electromagnetic radiation travels by means of oscillating electromagnetic fields that pass through the air and the vacuum of space...
disc jockey
Disc jockey
A disc jockey, also known as DJ, is a person who selects and plays recorded music for an audience. Originally, "disc" referred to phonograph records, not the later Compact Discs. Today, the term includes all forms of music playback, no matter the medium.There are several types of disc jockeys...
, who frequently goes by the stage names Little Steven or Miami Steve. He is best known as a member of Bruce Springsteen's
Bruce Springsteen
Bruce Frederick Joseph Springsteen , nicknamed "The Boss," is an American singer-songwriter who records and tours with the E Street Band...
E Street Band
E Street Band
The E Street Band has been rock musician Bruce Springsteen's primary backing band since 1972.The band has also recorded with a wide range of other artists including Bob Dylan, Meat Loaf, Bonnie Tyler, Air Supply, Dire Straits, David Bowie, Peter Gabriel, Stevie Nicks, Tom Morello, Sting, Ian...
, in which he plays guitar
Guitar
The guitar is a plucked string instrument, usually played with fingers or a pick. The guitar consists of a body with a rigid neck to which the strings, generally six in number, are attached. Guitars are traditionally constructed of various woods and strung with animal gut or, more recently, with...
and mandolin
Mandolin
A mandolin is a musical instrument in the lute family . It descends from the mandore, a soprano member of the lute family. The mandolin soundboard comes in many shapes—but generally round or teardrop-shaped, sometimes with scrolls or other projections. A mandolin may have f-holes, or a single...
, and as an actor in the television drama The Sopranos
The Sopranos
The Sopranos is an American television drama series created by David Chase that revolves around the New Jersey-based Italian-American mobster Tony Soprano and the difficulties he faces as he tries to balance the often conflicting requirements of his home life and the criminal organization he heads...
(1999-2007), in which he played the character Silvio Dante
Silvio Dante
Silvio Manfred Dante, often referred to as "Sil", played by Steven Van Zandt, is a fictional character on the HBO TV series The Sopranos. He is the consigliere to Tony Soprano in the Soprano crime family. Silvio has one of the lowest profiles on the show. He is usually a behind the scenes figure...
. Van Zandt also had his own solo band called "Little Steven and The Disciples of Soul" in the 1980s.
Early years
Van Zandt was born as Steven Lento in Winthrop, MassachusettsWinthrop, Massachusetts
The Town of Winthrop is a municipality in Suffolk County, Massachusetts, United States. The population of Winthrop was 17,497 at the 2010 U.S. Census. It is an oceanside suburban community in Greater Boston situated at the north entrance to Boston Harbor and is very close to Logan International...
. His mother, Mary Lento, remarried when he was young and Steven took the last name of his stepfather, William Van Zandt. The family moved from Massachusetts to Middletown Township, New Jersey
Middletown Township, New Jersey
Middletown Township is a township in Monmouth County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2010 United States Census, the township had a total population of 66,522...
when he was seven.
Actor/playwright/producer Billy Van Zandt
Billy Van Zandt
William "Billy" Van Zandt is an American playwright and actor.-Personal life:Van Zandt was born in Red Bank, New Jersey, the son of Mary H. Lento and William Brewster Van Zandt. He is of Italian and Dutch descent...
(who is of Italian and Dutch descent) is Steven Van Zandt's half brother.
Band member
Van Zandt grew up in the Jersey ShoreJersey Shore
The Jersey Shore is a term used to refer to both the Atlantic coast of the U.S. state of New Jersey and the adjacent resort and residential communities. . The New Jersey State Department of Tourism considers the Shore Region, Greater Atlantic City, and the Southern Shore to be distinct, each having...
music scene, and was an early friend and pre-E Street bandmate of Springsteen. In the early seventies, he was a journeyman guitarist (working as a sideman for The Dovells
The Dovells
The Dovells were an American music group, formed at Overbrook High School in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in 1957, under the name 'The Brooktones'. The members were Arnie Silver, Mark Gordesky, Len Borisoff , Jerry Gross, Mike Freda and Jim Mealey...
) as well as a founding member of Southside Johnny and the Asbury Jukes and several of Bruce Springsteen
Bruce Springsteen
Bruce Frederick Joseph Springsteen , nicknamed "The Boss," is an American singer-songwriter who records and tours with the E Street Band...
's early bands.
In 1975, during the recording sessions for Born to Run
Born to Run
The album's release was accompanied by a $250,000 promotional campaign by Columbia directed at both consumers and the music industry, making good use of Landau's "I saw rock 'n' roll's future—and its name is Bruce Springsteen" quote. With much publicity, Born to Run vaulted into the top 10 in its...
, Springsteen - at a loss (according to author Dave Marsh in the Springsteen biography Born To Run) for ideas on how to arrange the horn part for "Tenth Avenue Freeze-Out
Tenth Avenue Freeze-Out
"Tenth Avenue Freeze-Out" is the second song on Bruce Springsteen's breakthrough album Born to Run.-Content:The song loosely tells the story of the formation of the E Street Band. However, when asked, most Springsteen fans cannot answer the question, "What is a Tenth Avenue Freeze-Out?" The...
" - called on Van Zandt and his encyclopedic knowledge of soul music for help with the arrangement. In the Wings for Wheels Documentary, Springsteen revealed that Van Zandt was partially responsible for the signature guitar line in Born to Run
Born to Run (song)
"Born to Run" is a song by American singer songwriter Bruce Springsteen, and the title song of his album Born to Run.- Songwriting :Written at in Long Branch, New Jersey in early 1974, the song was Bruce Springsteen's last-ditch effort to make it big. The prior year, Springsteen had released two...
; "Arguably Steve's greatest contribution to my music." It has been long debated if Van Zandt himself is playing guitar on the song. Van Zandt then joined the E Street Band in the midst of their Born to Run tours
Born to Run tours
Born to Run was Bruce Springsteen's last, best hope for fortune and fame. As such it became a torturous recording process, and to make ends meet Springsteen and the E Street Band toured constantly during the first set of recording sessions for it, performing his new songs as he developed them...
.
In those early years, Van Zandt supplied a great deal of the lead guitar
Lead guitar
Lead guitar is a guitar part which plays melody lines, instrumental fill passages, guitar solos, and occasionally, some riffs within a song structure...
work for the band in concert, as can be seen on the 1975 concert DVD within Born to Run 30th Anniversary Edition (later released as the CD Hammersmith Odeon London '75
Hammersmith Odeon London '75
Hammersmith Odeon London '75 is both a concert video and the fourth live album by Bruce Springsteen & The E Street Band, released in 2006 . It is a full-length recording of their performance on 18 November 1975 at the Hammersmith Odeon in London, during their Born to Run tours...
).
Van Zandt cites the Dave Clark Five as an early influence. Along with Paul Shaffer
Paul Shaffer
Paul Allen Wood Shaffer, CM is a Canadian musician, actor, voice actor, author, comedian, and composer who has been David Letterman's sidekick since 1982.-Early years:...
of the David Letterman Show he organized a benefit for Mike Smith
Mike Smith (Dave Clark Five)
Michael George Smith ,was an English singer, songwriter, and music producer.In the 1960s, Smith was the lead vocalist and keyboard player for The Dave Clark Five...
(the Dave Clark Five's lead singer), who had suffered a paralyzing fall at his home in Spain.
Songwriter, arranger, producer
Van Zandt subsequently became a songwriter and producer for fellow Jersey shore act Southside Johnny and the Asbury Jukes in the mid- to late-1970s, penning their signature songSignature song
A signature song is the one song that a popular and well-established singer or band is most closely identified with or best known for, even if they have had success with a variety of songs...
"I Don't Wanna Go Home", co-writing other songs for them with Springsteen, and producing their most-acclaimed record, Hearts of Stone
Hearts of Stone (Asbury Jukes)
Hearts of Stone is the third album by New Jersey rock–R&B band Southside Johnny and the Asbury Jukes, released in 1978.-History:Hearts of Stone has been called "the best album Bruce Springsteen never recorded", which is not quite accurate...
. As such, Van Zandt became a key contributor to the Jersey Shore sound
Jersey Shore sound
The Jersey Shore sound is a genre of rock and roll popularized at the Jersey Shore on the Atlantic Ocean coast of New Jersey, United States, that goes by a variety of names or, more often, is defined by its artists...
. Van Zandt then went on to share production credits on the classic Springsteen albums Darkness on the Edge of Town
Darkness on the Edge of Town
Darkness on the Edge of Town is the fourth album by Bruce Springsteen, released in the late spring of 1978. The album marked the end of a three year period of forced hiatus from recording brought on by contractual obligations and legal battling with former manager Mike Appel...
, The River, and Born in the U.S.A.
Born in the U.S.A.
Born in the U.S.A. is the seventh studio album by American rock singer-songwriter Bruce Springsteen, released on June 4, 1984. A critical and commercial triumph, it found Springsteen marking a departure in his sound...
. In 1989, Jackson Browne
Jackson Browne
Jackson Browne is an American singer-songwriter and musician who has sold over 17 million albums in the United States alone....
covered the 1983 Van Zandt composition "I Am A Patriot" for Browne's World in Motion
World in Motion (album)
World in Motion is the ninth album by American singer/songwriter Jackson Browne, released in 1989 . It peaked at number 45 on The Billboard 200 and was Browne's first album to obtain neither Gold nor Platinum status...
album. The song has also been covered by other artists including Eddie Vedder
Eddie Vedder
Eddie Vedder is an American musician and singer-songwriter who is best known for being the lead singer and one of three guitarists of the alternative rock band Pearl Jam. He is widely considered a cultural icon of alternative rock.He is also involved in soundtrack work and contributes to albums...
of Pearl Jam
Pearl Jam
Pearl Jam is an American rock band that formed in Seattle, Washington, in 1990. Since its inception, the band's line-up has included Eddie Vedder , Jeff Ament , Stone Gossard , and Mike McCready...
.
Van Zandt has produced a number of other records, including an uncredited effort on the Iron City Houserockers
Iron City Houserockers
The Iron City Houserockers were an American rock band from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, led by singer/guitarist Joe Grushecky, that existed from 1976 until 1984...
' Have A Good Time (But Get Out Alive). Less successful was his work on Lone Justice
Lone Justice
Lone Justice was an American country rock band formed in 1982 by guitarist Ryan Hedgecock and singer Maria McKee.-Early era:They began their career as part of the L.A. cowpunk scene of the 1980s. Lone Justice was inspired by Hedgecock and McKee's mutual affection for rockabilly and country music...
's second album Shelter, which was a career-ending flop for the Los Angeles
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
cowpunk
Cowpunk
Cowpunk or Country punk is a subgenre of punk rock and New Wave that began in the UK and California in the late 1970s and early 1980s. It combines punk rock or New Wave with country music, folk music, and blues in sound, subject matter, attitude, and style...
band.
In 1993, Van Zandt wrote and produced "All Alone on Christmas" for the soundtrack of the Chris Columbus
Chris Columbus (filmmaker)
Christopher Joseph "Chris" Columbus is an American film director, producer and screenwriter. Columbus had his largest success with the first two films in the Harry Potter series, Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone and Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, along with Home Alone, the last...
film Home Alone
Home Alone
Home Alone is a 1990 American Christmas comedy film written and produced by John Hughes and directed by Chris Columbus. The film stars Macaulay Culkin as Kevin McCallister, an eight-year-old boy, who is mistakenly left behind when his family flies to Paris for their Christmas vacation...
, which yielded singer Darlene Love
Darlene Love
Darlene Love is an American popular music singer and actress. She gained prominence in the 1960s for the song "He's a Rebel," a #1 American single in 1962, and was part of the Phil Spector stable that produced a celebrated Christmas album in 1963....
her first hit since "A Fine, Fine Boy" from 1963, thirty-one years earlier.
In 1994, Van Zandt produced the eponymous debut album of the punk rock band Demolition 23
Demolition 23
Demolition 23. was a rock band formed in 1993 in New York by former Hanoi Rocks frontman Michael Monroe and ex-Star Star guitarist Jay Hening, following the ending of Monroe's Jerusalem Slim project with Steve Stevens....
which featured ex-Hanoi Rocks
Hanoi Rocks
Hanoi Rocks was a Finnish rock band formed in 1979, whose most successful period came in the early 1980s. The band broke up in 1985 after the death of their drummer, Nicholas "Razzle" Dingley...
members Michael Monroe
Michael Monroe
Matti Antero Kristian Fagerholm , best known by his stage name, Michael Monroe, is a Finnish rock musician, and multi-instrumentalist who rose to fame as the vocalist for the glam punk band Hanoi Rocks, and has served as the frontman for all-star side projects, such as Demolition 23...
and Sami Yaffa
Sami Yaffa
Sami Yaffa is a bass guitarist best known for his time in Hanoi Rocks during the 1980s. He is currently the bassist for the New York Dolls and the Michael Monroe band. He also plays guitar in his own band "Mad Juana".-Biography:Yaffa first began playing music when only fourteen years old in 1977...
. Van Zandt also co-wrote six songs for the album with Monroe and Jude Wilder.
In 1995, Van Zandt aided Meat Loaf
Meat Loaf
Michael Lee Aday , better known by his stage name, Meat Loaf, is an American hard rock musician and actor...
with the song "Amnesty Is Granted" off of his "Welcome to the Neighborhood
Welcome to the Neighborhood
Welcome to the Neighbourhood is Meat Loaf's seventh studio album, released in 1995 as follow-up to the popular album Bat out of Hell II: Back Into Hell. The album went platinum in the US and UK....
" album.
In 2004, he contributed the song "Baby Please Don't Go" to Nancy Sinatra
Nancy Sinatra
Nancy Sandra Sinatra is an American singer and actress. She is the daughter of singer/actor Frank Sinatra, and remains best known for her 1966 signature hit "These Boots Are Made for Walkin'"....
's self-titled album.
Solo artist
Van Zandt officially left the E Street Band in 1984 (Springsteen's song "Bobby JeanBobby Jean
"Bobby Jean" is a song written and performed by Bruce Springsteen, from his 1984 album Born in the U.S.A..-History:"Bobby Jean" was one of the last songs from the album to be recorded, and was considered a musical breakthrough for Springsteen during the recording, with its more accented rhythm and...
" is said to be inspired by the split, and Bruce asked him to perform his mandolin solo in the "Glory Days" video anyway) and has been involved in numerous solo musical projects and collaborations since then, ranging from soul music
Soul music
Soul music is a music genre originating in the United States combining elements of gospel music and rhythm and blues. According to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, soul is "music that arose out of the black experience in America through the transmutation of gospel and rhythm & blues into a form of...
to hard rock
Hard rock
Hard rock is a loosely defined genre of rock music which has its earliest roots in mid-1960s garage rock, blues rock and psychedelic rock...
to world music
World music
World music is a term with widely varying definitions, often encompassing music which is primarily identified as another genre. This is evidenced by world music definitions such as "all of the music in the world" or "somebody else's local music"...
. In particular, he released four albums in the 1980s and one in 1999, sometimes fronting an on-and-off group known as Little Steven and the Disciples of Soul. Van Zandt has written that these albums are each elements in a five-part concept cycle. The first of them, 1982's Men Without Women
Men Without Women (album)
Men Without Women, credited to Little Steven & The Disciples of Soul, was the debut solo album by Steven Van Zandt, a member of Bruce Springsteen's E Street Band and a songwriter / producer with the Jersey Shore band Southside Johnny & The Asbury Jukes...
, earned the most critical praise (Jay Cocks
Jay Cocks
Jay Cocks is a film critic and motion picture screenwriter.He is a graduate of Kenyon College. He was a critic for Time, Newsweek, and Rolling Stone, among other magazines, before moving into film writing....
of TIME magazine dubbed it one of the ten best albums of the year), while its follow-up, 1984's Voice of America
Voice of America (album)
Voice of America is a 1983 album by Little Steven & the Disciples of Soul.This album traded in the horns and the R & B influences of the previous Men Without Women for a raw, garage rock sound...
, did the best on the U.S. albums chart
Billboard 200
The Billboard 200 is a ranking of the 200 highest-selling music albums and EPs in the United States, published weekly by Billboard magazine. It is frequently used to convey the popularity of an artist or groups of artists...
, although none of them were much of a commercial success. With Voice of America, his music became explicitly political, with the central theme being opposition to Ronald Reagan
Ronald Reagan
Ronald Wilson Reagan was the 40th President of the United States , the 33rd Governor of California and, prior to that, a radio, film and television actor....
-era American foreign policy.
Continuing his involvement in issues of the day, in 1985 he created the music-industry activist group Artists United Against Apartheid
Artists United Against Apartheid
Artists United Against Apartheid was a 1985 protest group founded by activist and performer Steven Van Zandt and record producer Arthur Baker to protest apartheid in South Africa...
as an action against the Sun City
Sun City, North West
Sun City is a luxury casino and resort, situated in the North West Province of South Africa. It is located about two hours' drive from Johannesburg, near the city of Rustenburg. The complex borders the Pilanesberg Game Reserve.- History :...
resort in South Africa
South Africa
The Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans...
. Forty-nine top recording artists, including Springsteen, U2
U2
U2 are an Irish rock band from Dublin. Formed in 1976, the group consists of Bono , The Edge , Adam Clayton , and Larry Mullen, Jr. . U2's early sound was rooted in post-punk but eventually grew to incorporate influences from many genres of popular music...
, Bob Dylan
Bob Dylan
Bob Dylan is an American singer-songwriter, musician, poet, film director and painter. He has been a major and profoundly influential figure in popular music and culture for five decades. Much of his most celebrated work dates from the 1960s when he was an informal chronicler and a seemingly...
, Pete Townshend
Pete Townshend
Peter Dennis Blandford "Pete" Townshend is an English rock guitarist, vocalist, songwriter and author, known principally as the guitarist and songwriter for the rock group The Who, as well as for his own solo career...
, and Run DMC, collaborated on a song called "Sun City
Sun City (song)
"Sun City" is a 1985 protest song written by Steven Van Zandt, produced by Van Zandt and Arthur Baker and recorded by Artists United Against Apartheid to convey opposition to the South African policy of apartheid...
" in which they pledged they would never perform at the resort. The effort was modestly successful. In 1987, he released the album Freedom - No Compromise
Freedom - No Compromise
Freedom – No Compromise is a 1987 album by Little Steven.Following on the moderate success of Artists United Against Apartheid's "Sun City", Steven Van Zandt's next record was a full-on dance-rock record, verging in places on world music. Bruce Springsteen and Rubén Blades join Van Zandt on lead...
, which continued the political messaging in an even more strident fashion. Some U.S. appearances in that year as opening act for U2
U2
U2 are an Irish rock band from Dublin. Formed in 1976, the group consists of Bono , The Edge , Adam Clayton , and Larry Mullen, Jr. . U2's early sound was rooted in post-punk but eventually grew to incorporate influences from many genres of popular music...
's arena-and-stadium Joshua Tree Tour
Joshua Tree Tour
The Joshua Tree Tour was a concert tour by the Irish rock band U2, which took place during 1987, in support of their album The Joshua Tree. The tour was depicted by the video and live album Live from Paris.-Itinerary:...
continued in the same vein – Oliver North
Oliver North
Oliver Laurence North is a retired U.S. Marine Corps officer, political commentator, host of War Stories with Oliver North on Fox News Channel, a military historian, and a New York Times best-selling author....
was labeled a "criminal motherfucker" – but were not well-received by audiences, who found the sound overbearing and the performances lacking musicality. Both the record and his concerts were more popular in Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
, however. Little Steven's fourth album, 1989's Revolution
Revolution (Little Steven album)
Revolution was a 1989 album by Little Steven. The Disciples of Soul were gone in all but name , and the music was largely electronic.-Track listing:...
, attracted little attention. His latest album, entitled Born Again Savage
Born Again Savage
Born Again Savage, 1999, was the fifth solo album by Little Steven, following a forced ten-year gap from the previous Revolution due to loss of recording contract....
was released in 1999. Since then, Van Zandt has recorded another album, Nobody Loves and Leaves Alive with his garage band the Lost Boys. Although the album remains unreleased, three tracks from it were contributed to the Sopranos television show including; 'Nobody Love and Leaves Alive', 'Affection, and 'Come for Me'.
Band member again
Van Zandt returned to the E Street Band when it was reformed (briefly in 1995, and on an ongoing occasional basis in 1999) and remains with it. By now, his guitar playing had mostly been reduced to a background rhythmRhythm guitar
Rhythm guitar is a technique and rôle that performs a combination of two functions: to provide all or part of the rhythmic pulse in conjunction with singers or other instruments; and to provide all or part of the harmony, ie. the chords, where a chord is a group of notes played together...
role, due to Nils Lofgren
Nils Lofgren
Nils Hilmer Lofgren is an American rock music recording artist, songwriter, and multi-instrumentalist...
's position in the band and his capability as a lead guitarist. In addition, Springsteen had begun taking many more of the solos during his absence. Notwithstanding this, among E Street Band members he often gets the second-most amount of "face time" in concert after Clarence Clemons
Clarence Clemons
Clarence Anicholas Clemons, Jr. , also known as The Big Man, was an American musician and actor. From 1972 until his death, he was a prominent member of Bruce Springsteen's E Street Band, playing the tenor saxophone. He released several solo albums and in 1985, had a hit single with "You're a...
, frequently mugging and posing for the audience and sometimes delivering his unpolished, nasal backing vocals while sharing a microphone with Springsteen. His playing or singing is most prominently featured on the songs "Glory Days", "Two Hearts", "Long Walk Home" (when featured a Van Zandt outro vocal solo) "Land of Hope and Dreams", "Badlands", "Ramrod", and "Murder Incorporated", among others like the live versions of "Rosalita". He often trades vocals with Springsteen in live versions of "Prove it All Night". He features prominently in the video for "Glory Days", sharing the spotlight with Springsteen during the choruses, while swapping lines with him during the (non)fade, and in live versions he does the same. During the E Street Band's performance at the Super Bowl
Super Bowl
The Super Bowl is the championship game of the National Football League , the highest level of professional American football in the United States, culminating a season that begins in the late summer of the previous calendar year. The Super Bowl uses Roman numerals to identify each game, rather...
in 2009, Van Zandt was the most prominently featured member of the band, playing a guitar solo on the final number of the set, "Glory Days" (although the solo could not be heard in the mix), as well as sharing lead vocals and exchanging humorous banter with Springsteen.
Actor
In 1999, Van Zandt took one of the core roles in The SopranosThe Sopranos
The Sopranos is an American television drama series created by David Chase that revolves around the New Jersey-based Italian-American mobster Tony Soprano and the difficulties he faces as he tries to balance the often conflicting requirements of his home life and the criminal organization he heads...
, playing level-headed but deadly mob consigliere
Consigliere
Consigliere is a position within the leadership structure of Sicilian and American Mafia crime families. The word was popularized by Mario Puzo's novel The Godfather , and its film adaptation...
and strip club owner Silvio Dante
Silvio Dante
Silvio Manfred Dante, often referred to as "Sil", played by Steven Van Zandt, is a fictional character on the HBO TV series The Sopranos. He is the consigliere to Tony Soprano in the Soprano crime family. Silvio has one of the lowest profiles on the show. He is usually a behind the scenes figure...
. Van Zandt had no acting experience, and the unusual casting choice was made by series creator David Chase
David Chase
David Chase is an American writer, director, and producer of television series. Chase has worked in television for more than 30 years; he has produced and written for shows as The Rockford Files, I'll Fly Away, and Northern Exposure. He has created two original series; the first, Almost Grown,...
. As a guest on the Opie and Anthony
Opie and Anthony
Opie and Anthony are the hosts of The Opie & Anthony Show, a talk radio program airing in the United States and Canada on XM Satellite Radio and Sirius Satellite Radio. Since the merger of the two satellite companies, this is now called Sirius/XM...
Show, Van Zandt related the story of his casting on The Sopranos. Van Zandt was picked to induct The Rascals
The Rascals
The Rascals were an American blue-eyed soul group initially active during the years 1965–72. The band released numerous top ten singles in North America during the mid- and late-1960s, including the U.S. #1 hits "Good Lovin'" , "Groovin'" , and "People Got to Be Free"...
into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame
Rock and Roll Hall of Fame
The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum is a museum located on the shore of Lake Erie in downtown Cleveland, Ohio, United States. It is dedicated to archiving the history of some of the best-known and most influential artists, producers, engineers and others who have, in some major way,...
in 1997. The original members of The Rascals had been feuding for a number of years and Van Zandt was concerned that the induction and subsequent band performance would result in a very public fiasco on live television. Wanting to defuse any confrontation, Van Zandt donned a Little Lord Fauntleroy
Little Lord Fauntleroy
Little Lord Fauntleroy is the first children's novel written by English playwright and author Frances Hodgson Burnett. It was originally published as a serial in the St. Nicholas Magazine between November 1885 and October 1886, then as a book by Scribner's in 1886...
-type costume for the event and delivered a humorous induction instead of the more traditional speech delivered for other inductees. The Rascals had worn this type of outfit when they debuted on the national scene in 1965. Chase saw this performance on VH1
VH1
VH1 or Vh1 is an American cable television network based in New York City. Launched on January 1, 1985 in the old space of Turner Broadcasting's short-lived Cable Music Channel, the original purpose of the channel was to build on the success of MTV by playing music videos, but targeting a slightly...
's broadcast of the event and thought that Van Zandt was very funny and contacted him a few days later. Then Chase discovered that Van Zandt had no acting experience. Van Zandt was reluctant to audition for Chase but eventually relented.
Van Zandt gained acclaim for his performance as Silvio, but has contended that he has no interest in acting beyond The Sopranos. However, Van Zandt found time to record the narration to a Hives
The Hives
The Hives are a Swedish garage rock band that first garnered attention in the early 2000s as a prominent group of the garage rock revival. Their mainstream success came with the release of the "greatest hits" album Your New Favourite Band, featuring their most well-known song "Hate to Say I Told...
biography on their concert DVD Tussles in Brussels
Tussles in Brussels
Tussles in Brussels is a live DVD released by Swedish punk rock band The Hives. The live performance was recorded on October 29, 2004, at Ancienne Belgique while the band was on tour in Brussels, Belgium...
. His role resumed in importance in later seasons, with sixth season plot developments especially giving him prime focus. His real-life wife Maureen Van Zandt
Maureen Van Zandt
Maureen Van Zandt is an Italian-American television actress best known for her small role Gabriella Dante, a close friend to Carmela Soprano on the HBO series, The Sopranos....
is an actress who made occasional appearances on The Sopranos playing Silvio's wife Gabriella Dante.
Van Zandt maintains a certain look, always wearing gypsy clothes and a bandana
Bandana
Bandana can refer to:*Another name for a kerchief*Bandana *Bandana *Bandana, Kentucky, a small town in the United States*Y Bandana, a Welsh alternative rock band.**Y Bandana , their self-titled debut album....
on stage, while donning a noticeable pompadour
Pompadour (hairstyle)
Pompadour is a tall style of men's haircut which takes its name from Madame de Pompadour.There are Latin variants of the hair style more associated with European and Argentine tango fashion trends and occasionally with late 20th century musical genres such as rockabilly and country.The pompadour...
toupee
Toupee
A toupée is a hairpiece or partial wig of natural or synthetic hair worn to cover partial baldness or for theatrical purposes. While toupées and hairpieces are typically associated with male wearers, some women also use hairpieces to lengthen existing hair, or cover partially exposed scalp...
on The Sopranos. Both are to cover permanent loss of hair from a car accident in which he hit a windshield with his head.
In 2010, Van Zandt appeared as himself in the Norwegian
Norway
Norway , officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic unitary constitutional monarchy whose territory comprises the western portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula, Jan Mayen, and the Arctic archipelago of Svalbard and Bouvet Island. Norway has a total area of and a population of about 4.9 million...
soap opera
Soap opera
A soap opera, sometimes called "soap" for short, is an ongoing, episodic work of dramatic fiction presented in serial format on radio or as television programming. The name soap opera stems from the original dramatic serials broadcast on radio that had soap manufacturers, such as Procter & Gamble,...
Hotel Cæsar
Hotel Cæsar
Hotel Cæsar is a Norwegian soap opera that has been broadcast Monday to Friday on TV 2 since 1998 . It was created by Swedish duo Peter Emanuel Falck and Christian Wikander...
, broadcast on Norway's biggest commercial channel TV2 Norway. He also appeared on Scandinavia's largest talkshow Skavlan
Skavlan
Skavlan is a Norwegian-Swedish television talk show hosted by Norwegian journalist Fredrik Skavlan. It premiered in Sweden on Sveriges Television in January 2009, and the first guests to appear on the show were former Prime Minister of Sweden Göran Persson and his wife Anitra Steen. On 8 May 2009,...
, and talked about his upcoming starring role in a Norwegian-produced TV series where he will play a mafia boss who, as a part of a witness-protection program, is hiding in the Norwegian town of Lillehammer
Lillehammer
is a town and municipality in Oppland county, Norway, globally known for hosting the 1994 Winter Olympics. It is part of the traditional region of Gudbrandsdal. The administrative centre of the municipality is the town of Lillehammer. As of May 2011, the population of the town of Lillehammer was...
. The series' working title is Lilyhammer, a reflection of the town’s mispronunciation by many non-Norwegians, and production started in January 2011.
Radio host and entrepreneur
Since 2002, Van Zandt has hosted Little Steven's Underground GarageUnderground Garage
Underground Garage is the name shared by two related but different radio outlets, a syndicated show and a satellite radio station, both created and supervised by Bruce Springsteen & The E Street Band guitarist Steven Van Zandt to present rock 'n' roll and garage rock on radio...
, a weekly syndicated radio show that celebrates garage rock
Garage rock
Garage rock is a raw form of rock and roll that was first popular in the United States and Canada from about 1963 to 1967. During the 1960s, it was not recognized as a separate music genre and had no specific name...
and similar rock sub-genres from the 1950s to the present day. As of December 2006, the show is heard on over 200 US radio stations and in some international markets. For example, in Finland, Radio Helsinki started beaming Underground Garage in August 2008 and in Spain is beamed through Rock & Gol
Rock & Gol
Rock & Gol is a Spanish radio station owned by Radio Popular S.A. .Rock & Gol programs are centered on rock music of all times and soccer. It was until recently well-known among young people for its two lead hosts Iván Guillén and Rafa Escalada and for beaming the best music of all times...
since 2007 and later on Rock Rock Radio.
On October 20, 2011, the program recorded its 500th show in front of a sold out crowd at the Hard Rock Cafe
Hard Rock Cafe
Hard Rock Cafe is a chain of theme restaurants founded in 1971 by Americans Peter Morton & Isaac Tigrett. In 1979, the cafe began covering its walls with rock and roll memorabilia, a tradition which expanded to others in the chain. In 2006, Hard Rock was sold to the Seminole Tribe of Florida, and...
in New York's Times Square
Times Square
Times Square is a major commercial intersection in the borough of Manhattan in New York City, at the junction of Broadway and Seventh Avenue and stretching from West 42nd to West 47th Streets...
. The guests included the band Green Day
Green Day
Green Day is an American punk rock band formed in 1987. The band consists of lead vocalist and guitarist Billie Joe Armstrong, bassist and backing vocalist Mike Dirnt, and drummer Tre Cool...
, Steve Buscemi
Steve Buscemi
Steven Vincent "Steve" Buscemi is an American actor, writer and film director. An associate member of the renowned experimental theater company The Wooster Group, Buscemi has starred and supported in successful Hollywood and indie films including New York Stories, Mystery Train, Reservoir Dogs,...
, star of the HBO series Boardwalk Empire, Vincent Pastore
Vincent Pastore
Vincent Pastore is an Italian-American actor, often cast as a mobster and best known for the role of Salvatore "Big Pussy" Bonpensiero on The Sopranos.-Early life:...
, aka "Big Pussy" from the HBO series The Sopranos
The Sopranos
The Sopranos is an American television drama series created by David Chase that revolves around the New Jersey-based Italian-American mobster Tony Soprano and the difficulties he faces as he tries to balance the often conflicting requirements of his home life and the criminal organization he heads...
, actor and director Tim Robbins
Tim Robbins
Timothy Francis "Tim" Robbins is an American actor, screenwriter, director, producer, activist and musician. He is the former longtime partner of actress Susan Sarandon...
, and singer Debbie Harry
Debbie Harry
Deborah Ann "Debbie" Harry is an American singer-songwriter and actress, best known for being the lead singer of the punk rock and new wave band Blondie. She has also had success as a solo artist, and in the mid-1990s she performed and recorded as part of The Jazz Passengers...
aka "Blondie."
Steven is also the program director for two radio channels for the Sirius Satellite Radio
Sirius Satellite Radio
Sirius Satellite Radio is a satellite radio service operating in North America, owned by Sirius XM Radio.Headquartered in New York City, with smaller studios in Los Angeles and Memphis, Sirius was officially launched on July 1, 2002 and currently provides 69 streams of music and 65 streams of...
network. The channels are heard continuously on satellite radio in the USA and worldwide on Sirius Internet Radio. One channel is named Underground Garage, which has the same philosophy and musical mandate as his own radio show. On-air hosts on the channel include original Rolling Stones manager/producer Andrew Loog Oldham
Andrew Loog Oldham
Andrew Loog Oldham is an English producer, talent manager, impresario and author. He was manager and producer of The Rolling Stones from 1963, and was noted for his flamboyant style.-Biography:...
, rock star Joan Jett
Joan Jett
Joan Jett is an American rock guitarist, singer, songwriter, producer and actress.She is best known for her work with Joan Jett & the Blackhearts including their hit cover "I Love Rock 'n' Roll", which was #1 on the Billboard Hot 100 from March 20 to May 1, 1982, as well as for their other popular...
, punk rock singer Handsome Dick Manitoba, and rock entrepreneur Kim Fowley
Kim Fowley
Kim Vincent Fowley is an American record producer, impresario, songwriter, musician, film maker, and radio actor. He is best known for his role behind a string of novelty and cult rock pop singles in the 1960s, and for managing The Runaways in the 1970s...
. The second of Van Zandt's radio channels presented on Sirius is named the Outlaw Country channel. It presents the edgier side of country music
Outlaw country
Outlaw country is a subgenre of country music, most popular during the late 1960s and the 1970s , sometimes referred to as the outlaw movement or simply outlaw music...
– both roots and contemporary. On-air hosts for this channel include pop-culture satirist Mojo Nixon
Mojo Nixon
Mojo Nixon is an American musician, known for playing psychobilly music...
.
Van Zandt is not to be confused with similarly named radio personality Steve Van Zandt, who was co-host of the "Steve and Jackie in the Morning" show formerly airing on WROW
WROW
WROW is a radio station broadcasting to Albany, New York, with its towers in Glenmont, New York. The station is owned by Pamal Broadcasting and runs a Adult Standards/Oldies format under the branding Magic 590...
in Albany, New York
Albany, New York
Albany is the capital city of the U.S. state of New York, the seat of Albany County, and the central city of New York's Capital District. Roughly north of New York City, Albany sits on the west bank of the Hudson River, about south of its confluence with the Mohawk River...
.
In December 2006, Little Steven launched his own record label, Wicked Cool Records. The first set of records released by Wicked Cool were new albums from Underground Garage favorites the Charms
The Charms
The Charms are a garage rock band from Somerville, Massachusetts formed in 2002. The current lineup consists of Ellie Vee, Joe Wizda, Kat Kina, Mark Nigro, and Jason Meeker. The band teamed with local Boston based management company Twisted Rico Management and formed Red Car Records in...
, the Chesterfield Kings and the Cocktail Slippers
(The) Cocktail Slippers (band)
Cocktail Slippers is a six-piece, all-girl rock band from Oslo, Norway. Current band members are: Hope , Squirrel , Rocket Queen , Piper , Bella Donna and Aurora de Morales ....
; and ‘Fuzz For The Holidays,’ by Davie Allan and the Arrows and ‘CBGB Forever,’ a tribute to the famous, now-defunct venue. The label continues to release new albums from the next generation of garage rockers including the Cocktail Slippers as well as volumes of ‘Little Steven's Underground Garage presents The Coolest Songs in the World,’ a compilation of selected songs from the Underground Garage radio show's popular feature, the Coolest Song in the World This Week. In 2007 the label signed The Launderettes
The Launderettes
The Launderettes is an all girl garage rock band from Norway. The band have been around since 1996, and over the years they have toured both USA and Europe, released several albums and singles...
.
2008 marked the release of the labels first Halloween and Christmas themed compilations.
Lost Cathedral is a subsidiary label of Wicked Cool Records and home to the band Crown of Thorns.
In 2007, Van Zandt launched his Rock And Roll Forever Foundation. The first incentive of the foundation is Rock And Roll High School, a chronological anthology tracing the history of Rock and Roll from its roots to present day, highlighting the cultural impact and significance of each era of the genre as it relates to the events and changes that took place in the history of the country and of the world. The program, endorsed by MENC: The National Association For Music Education and Scholastic, is being written and hopes to launch in the fall of 2010.
Musical director
In September 2006, Van Zandt assembled and directed an all-star band to back Hank Williams Jr. on a new version of "All My Rowdy Friends Are Coming Over Tonight" for the season premiere (and formal ESPNESPN
Entertainment and Sports Programming Network, commonly known as ESPN, is an American global cable television network focusing on sports-related programming including live and pre-taped event telecasts, sports talk shows, and other original programming....
debut) of Monday Night Football
Monday Night Football
Monday Night Football is a live broadcast of the National Football League on ESPN. From to it aired on ABC. Monday Night Football was, along with Hallmark Hall of Fame, and the Walt Disney anthology television series, one of the longest running prime time commercial network television series...
. The all-star lineup included Little Richard
Little Richard
Richard Wayne Penniman , known by the stage name Little Richard, is an American singer, songwriter, musician, recording artist, and actor, considered key in the transition from rhythm and blues to rock and roll in the 1950s. He was also the first artist to put the funk in the rock and roll beat and...
, Rick Nielsen
Rick Nielsen
-External links:* * *...
(Cheap Trick
Cheap Trick
Cheap Trick is an American rock band from Rockford, Illinois, formed in 1973. The band consists of members Robin Zander , Rick Nielsen , Tom Petersson , and Bun E...
), Joe Perry
Joe Perry (musician)
Anthony Joseph "Joe" Perry is the lead guitarist, backing and occasional lead vocalist, and contributing songwriter for the rock band Aerosmith. He is influenced by many rock artists especially The Rolling Stones and The Beatles...
(Aerosmith
Aerosmith
Aerosmith is an American rock band, sometimes referred to as "The Bad Boys from Boston" and "America's Greatest Rock and Roll Band". Their style, which is rooted in blues-based hard rock, has come to also incorporate elements of pop, heavy metal, and rhythm and blues, and has inspired many...
), Questlove (The Roots
The Roots
The Roots is an American hip hop/neo soul band formed in 1987 by Tariq "Black Thought" Trotter and Ahmir "Questlove" Thompson in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. They are famed for beginning with a jazzy, eclectic approach to hip hop which still includes live instrumentals...
), Charlie Daniels
Charlie Daniels
Charles Edward "Charlie" Daniels is an American musician known for his contributions to country and southern rock music. He is known primarily for his number one country hit "The Devil Went Down to Georgia", and multiple other songs he has performed and written. Daniels has been active as a singer...
, Bootsy Collins
Bootsy Collins
William Earl "Bootsy" Collins is an American funk bassist, singer, and songwriter.Rising to prominence with James Brown in the late 1960s, and with Parliament-Funkadelic in the '70s, Collins's driving bass guitar and humorous vocals established him as one of the leading names in funk...
, Chris Burney (Bowling for Soup
Bowling for Soup
Bowling for Soup is an American pop-punk band which originally formed in Wichita Falls, Texas in 1994...
), and Bernie Worrell
Bernie Worrell
George Bernard "Bernie" Worrell, Jr. is an American keyboardist and composer best known as a founding member of Parliament-Funkadelic and for his work with Talking Heads. He is a member of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, inducted in 1997 with fifteen other members of Parliament-Funkadelic...
. Steve is now the director of a music selection committee for the video game Rock Band; he is in charge of selecting new music for the game.
Personal life
Van Zandt is married to actress Maureen Van ZandtMaureen Van Zandt
Maureen Van Zandt is an Italian-American television actress best known for her small role Gabriella Dante, a close friend to Carmela Soprano on the HBO series, The Sopranos....
(formerly Maureen Santoro) who portrayed his wife Gabriella Dante in the TV series The Sopranos
The Sopranos
The Sopranos is an American television drama series created by David Chase that revolves around the New Jersey-based Italian-American mobster Tony Soprano and the difficulties he faces as he tries to balance the often conflicting requirements of his home life and the criminal organization he heads...
. They married in New York City on December 31, 1982. Bruce Springsteen
Bruce Springsteen
Bruce Frederick Joseph Springsteen , nicknamed "The Boss," is an American singer-songwriter who records and tours with the E Street Band...
was the best man at the ceremony, which was presided over by Reverend Richard Penniman (Little Richard
Little Richard
Richard Wayne Penniman , known by the stage name Little Richard, is an American singer, songwriter, musician, recording artist, and actor, considered key in the transition from rhythm and blues to rock and roll in the 1950s. He was also the first artist to put the funk in the rock and roll beat and...
). Singer Percy Sledge
Percy Sledge
Percy Sledge is an American R&B and soul performer who recorded the hit "When a Man Loves a Woman" in 1966.-Early career:...
sang his classic "When a Man Loves a Woman
When a Man Loves a Woman (song)
"When a Man Loves a Woman" is a song recorded by Percy Sledge in 1966 at Norala Sound Studio in Sheffield, Alabama. It made number one on both the Billboard Hot 100 and R&B singles charts. It was listed 54th in the List of Rolling Stone magazine's 500 greatest songs of all time...
" at the reception.
Discography
- Little Steven
- Men Without WomenMen Without Women (album)Men Without Women, credited to Little Steven & The Disciples of Soul, was the debut solo album by Steven Van Zandt, a member of Bruce Springsteen's E Street Band and a songwriter / producer with the Jersey Shore band Southside Johnny & The Asbury Jukes...
(1982) US #118 - Voice of AmericaVoice of America (album)Voice of America is a 1983 album by Little Steven & the Disciples of Soul.This album traded in the horns and the R & B influences of the previous Men Without Women for a raw, garage rock sound...
(1984) US # 55 - Freedom - No CompromiseFreedom - No CompromiseFreedom – No Compromise is a 1987 album by Little Steven.Following on the moderate success of Artists United Against Apartheid's "Sun City", Steven Van Zandt's next record was a full-on dance-rock record, verging in places on world music. Bruce Springsteen and Rubén Blades join Van Zandt on lead...
(1987) US #80 - RevolutionRevolution (Little Steven album)Revolution was a 1989 album by Little Steven. The Disciples of Soul were gone in all but name , and the music was largely electronic.-Track listing:...
(1989) - Born Again SavageBorn Again SavageBorn Again Savage, 1999, was the fifth solo album by Little Steven, following a forced ten-year gap from the previous Revolution due to loss of recording contract....
(1999) - Greatest Hits (1999)
- Men Without Women
- Bruce SpringsteenBruce SpringsteenBruce Frederick Joseph Springsteen , nicknamed "The Boss," is an American singer-songwriter who records and tours with the E Street Band...
- Greetings From Asbury Park, N.J.Greetings from Asbury Park, N.J.Greetings from Asbury Park, N.J. is the first studio album by Bruce Springsteen, released in 1973. It only sold about 25,000 copies in the first year of its release, but had significant critical impact...
(1973) - sound effects - Born to RunBorn to RunThe album's release was accompanied by a $250,000 promotional campaign by Columbia directed at both consumers and the music industry, making good use of Landau's "I saw rock 'n' roll's future—and its name is Bruce Springsteen" quote. With much publicity, Born to Run vaulted into the top 10 in its...
(1975) - Darkness on the Edge of TownDarkness on the Edge of TownDarkness on the Edge of Town is the fourth album by Bruce Springsteen, released in the late spring of 1978. The album marked the end of a three year period of forced hiatus from recording brought on by contractual obligations and legal battling with former manager Mike Appel...
(1978) - The River (1980)
- Born in the U.S.A.Born in the U.S.A.Born in the U.S.A. is the seventh studio album by American rock singer-songwriter Bruce Springsteen, released on June 4, 1984. A critical and commercial triumph, it found Springsteen marking a departure in his sound...
(1984) - Live/1975-85Live/1975-85Live/1975–85 is a live album by Bruce Springsteen & the E Street Band. It consists of 40 tracks recorded at various concerts between 1975 and 1985. It was released as a box set with either five vinyl records, three cassettes, or three CDs...
(1986) - Greatest HitsGreatest Hits (Bruce Springsteen album)Greatest Hits is Bruce Springsteen's first compilation album, released February 27, 1995 on Columbia Records. It is a collection of some of Springsteen's hit singles and popular album tracks through the years and four extra numbers at the end, mostly recorded with the E Street Band in 1995...
(1995) - Blood BrothersBlood Brothers (EP)Blood Brothers is the name of a 1996 EP by Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band. It was released together with the VHS packaging of the 1996 documentary Blood Brothers, which portrayed the 1995 temporary reuniting of Springsteen with the band to record extra tracks for his Greatest Hits release...
(1996) - Tracks (1998)
- 18 Tracks18 Tracks18 Tracks is an album by Bruce Springsteen, released in 1999. All but three selections had been on the boxed set Tracks, released a half year before...
(1999) - Live in New York CityBruce Springsteen & the E Street Band: Live In New York CityBruce Springsteen & the E Street Band: Live In New York City is the name of a concert film done by HBO, featuring the first ever major televised Bruce Springsteen concert...
(2001) - The RisingThe Rising (album)The Rising is the 12th studio album by American recording artist Bruce Springsteen, released in 2002 on Columbia Records. In addition to being Springsteen's first studio album in seven years, it was also his first with the E Street Band in 18 years...
(2002) - The Essential Bruce SpringsteenThe Essential Bruce Springsteen- Charts :- Certifications :- External links :* *...
(2003) - Hammersmith Odeon London '75Hammersmith Odeon London '75Hammersmith Odeon London '75 is both a concert video and the fourth live album by Bruce Springsteen & The E Street Band, released in 2006 . It is a full-length recording of their performance on 18 November 1975 at the Hammersmith Odeon in London, during their Born to Run tours...
(2006) - MagicMagic (Bruce Springsteen album)Magic is the 15th studio album by Bruce Springsteen, released in 2007 on Columbia Records. It is his first with the E Street Band since The Rising in 2002...
(2007) - Magic Tour HighlightsMagic Tour HighlightsMagic Tour Highlights is an EP by Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band, which consists of four live audio tracks and their accompanying videos, and was released for digital download on July 15, 2008...
(2008) - Working on a DreamWorking on a DreamWorking on a Dream is the 16th studio album by Bruce Springsteen, released on January 27, 2009 through Columbia Records. It has sold more than 3 million copies worldwide, with over 585,000 in the United States as of September 2010.-History:...
(2009)
- Greetings From Asbury Park, N.J.
- Southside JohnnySouthside JohnnySouthside Johnny is an American singer-songwriter, who usually fronts his band Southside Johnny & The Asbury Jukes.-Early days:...
& The Asbury Jukes- I Don't Want To Go HomeI Don't Want To Go HomeI Don't Want to Go Home was the first album by seminal New Jersey rock/R&B band Southside Johnny and the Asbury Jukes. The work helped establish the basis of the Jersey Shore sound....
(1976) - Live At The Bottom Line (1976)
- This Time It's for RealThis Time It's for Real (album)This Time It's for Real was the second album by seminal New Jersey Rock/R&B band Southside Johnny and the Asbury Jukes. Like their first album I Don't Want To Go Home this album features a number of guest artists and duets, a trend that would be dropped for their next album Hearts of Stone. "Check Mr...
(1977) - Hearts of StoneHearts of Stone (Asbury Jukes)Hearts of Stone is the third album by New Jersey rock–R&B band Southside Johnny and the Asbury Jukes, released in 1978.-History:Hearts of Stone has been called "the best album Bruce Springsteen never recorded", which is not quite accurate...
(1978) - Havin' a Party (1979)
- Better Days (1991)
- Jukebox (2007)
- I Don't Want To Go Home
- Ronnie SpectorRonnie SpectorVeronica Yvette "Ronnie" Spector is an American rock and roll and popular music vocalist, and was the lead singer of the 1960s hit-making girl group, The Ronettes, who were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2007. She is known as the "original bad girl of rock and roll."-Personal...
& The E Street Band- "Say Goodbye To Hollywood" / "Baby Please Don't Go" (1977)
- Gary U.S. BondsGary U.S. BondsGary U.S. Bonds is an American rhythm and blues and rock and roll singer. He is also a prolific songwriter.-Career:...
- DedicationDedication (Gary U.S. Bonds album)Dedication is an album released by Gary U.S. Bonds in 1981, the first of two Bruce Springsteen & the E Street Band collaborated albums from Bonds, the second being On the Line, released the next year in 1982. The musicians accompanying Bonds on the album include many members of the E Street Band...
(1981) - On the LineOn the Line (album)On the Line is an album released by Gary U.S. Bonds in 1982, the second of two Bruce Springsteen & the E Street Band collaborated albums from Bonds, the first being Dedication, released the previous year in 1981. The musicians accompanying Bonds on the album include many members of the E Street Band...
(1982) - Standing In the Line of FireStanding in the Line of Fire (album)Standing In the Line of Fire is an album released by Gary U.S. Bonds in 1984, under the band title of "Gary U.S. Bonds and the American Men"...
(1984)
- Dedication
- Artists United Against ApartheidArtists United Against ApartheidArtists United Against Apartheid was a 1985 protest group founded by activist and performer Steven Van Zandt and record producer Arthur Baker to protest apartheid in South Africa...
- Sun CitySun City (album)Sun City was a 1985 album that contained several versions of the Steven Van Zandt-led Artists United Against Apartheid's "Sun City" protest song against apartheid in South Africa as well as other selections in the same vein from that project.-History:...
(1985)
- Sun City
- Iron City HouserockersIron City HouserockersThe Iron City Houserockers were an American rock band from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, led by singer/guitarist Joe Grushecky, that existed from 1976 until 1984...
- Have a Good Time but Get out Alive!Have a Good Time but Get out Alive!Have a Good Time but Get out Alive! is a studio album by the Iron City Houserockers. Something of a heartland rock masterpiece, Have a Good Time but Get out Alive! was where the Iron City Houserockers showed just how good they could be with the right songs and producers...
(1980)
- Have a Good Time but Get out Alive!
- Meat LoafMeat LoafMichael Lee Aday , better known by his stage name, Meat Loaf, is an American hard rock musician and actor...
- Welcome to the NeighborhoodWelcome to the NeighborhoodWelcome to the Neighbourhood is Meat Loaf's seventh studio album, released in 1995 as follow-up to the popular album Bat out of Hell II: Back Into Hell. The album went platinum in the US and UK....
(1995)
- Welcome to the Neighborhood
- Davie Allan & The Arrows
- Fuzz For The Holidays (2004)
External links
- Official website
- Little Steven's Underground Garage
- Live Stream of Little Steven's Underground Garage Sundays 6-8pm Eastern Time
- Interview with Van Zandt about origins of Little Steven's Underground Garage
- Van Zandt's keynote address at the 2005 Radio & Records convention
- Interview with Van Zandt from ABC's This Week
- Transcript of keynote at South by Southwest, Mar. 19, 2009