Bruce Springsteen's recording career dated back more than forty years ago when he dropped his debut album "Greetings from Asbury Park, NJ" in 1973. Before rising to stardom and becoming one of the best-selling singers in the industry, he was just an ordinary boy growing up in New Jersey with his religious family.

Born Bruce Frederick Joseph Springsteen on September 23, 1949, he moved from one school to another because he was difficult to fit in. His former teachers said he was a "loner, who wanted nothing more than to play his guitar." He even skipped his own graduation ceremony after completing high school because he felt so uncomfortable.

He gained the nickname The Boss during the 1960s when he played club gigs with his band. He initially hated the moniker due to his dislikes of bosses, but he eventually got used to it. He landed a record deal with Columbia Records in 1972 and subsequently formed The E Street Band with his New Jersey-based colleagues.

His first album came out the next year. It became a favorite among critics, but couldn't get a commercial success. Less than a year, he dropped a sophomore set "The Wild, The Innocent & The E Street Shuffle". Again it was strongly praised but the sales number was low.

His breakthrough came in 1975 when he and his band set up a five-night, 10-show stand at New York's Bottom Line club. It drew major media attention and, decades later, it was dubbed one of the 50 Moments That Changed Rock and Roll by Rolling Stone magazine. The album that came next, "Born to Run", was a massive success.

It peaked at No. 3 on Billboard Hot 200. It was even called one of the best rock and roll albums of all time and considered Springsteen's finest work. An extensive tour across the U.S. soon followed. His tight schedule on the road and his legal battle with his former manager kept him from returning to the studio for around three years.

Finally, a new release "Darkness on the Edge of the Town" was dropped in 1978. Several albums more were released throughout the years and won multiple Grammys. "Streets of Philadelphia", a song he wrote and performed for movie "Philadelphia" about a dying gay man struggling with AIDS, also won an Oscar.

After a non-stop tour, Springsteen decided to take a step away from the spotlight and moved back to New Jersey. He only released three albums in 1900s, subsequently prompting him to acknowledge that it was a "lost period" for him. "I didn't do a lot of work. Some people would say I didn't do my best work," so he once said.

His return to the scene in 2000 began with his induction into Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1999. In 2002, he released his first studio effort with the full band in 18 years, "The Rising". Produced by Brendan O'Brien, the record was mostly a reflection on the September 11 attacks. The fact that it was a critical and popular success proved he still had his loyal fanbase.

During the past years, his band underwent frequent line-up changes but kept his friends in his heart. In January 2009, he released an album "Working on a Dream" dedicated in memory of his former band member Danny Federici. Two years later, E Street's founding member, saxophonist Clarence Clemons, passed away on June 18, 2011, of complications from a stroke.

"Wrecking Ball" came out the following year. It became Springsteen's tenth No. 1 album in the United States, tying him with Elvis Presley for third most No. 1 albums of all-time. Only The Beatles (19) and Jay-Z (12) have more No. 1 albums. It knocked out Adele's Grammy-winning album, "21", after 23 nonconsecutive weeks at #1.

"High Hopes" was announced as his eighteenth album. It is set for January 14, 2014 release in the country. Prior to the album's release, The E Street Band was announced as 2014 inductees to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. During his career, Springsteen has garnered twenty Grammy Awards, became a 2009 recipient of Kennedy Center Honors, and was named 2013 MusiCares Person of the Year by The Recording Academy.