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.

About The Author

David Gahr was one of music’s renowned but under-the-radar photographers. Starting in 1958when Moses Asch of Folkways Records brought his work to a larger audience, Gahr captured iconic images of some of the greatest musicians of the twentieth century, including Bob Dylan, Pete Seeger, Janis Joplin, Johnny Cash, and Miles Davis, to name only a few. 

Chris Murray is a writer and founder of Govinda Gallery, which represents some of the best rock music–related fine art photography and photographers in the world.