1972-05-03 Columbia Recording Studios, Studio E, New York City, NY

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Local Start Time 14:00 / End Time ??:??

Info & Setlist | Venue

One short-noticed set of 14 audition demos, recorded in Studio E of Columbia Records, attended by Jimmy Cretecos and co-producers (John Hammond and Mike Appel), requested by Clive Davis, to be ready for his evaluation upon returning to New York. Hammond commented, "What I really wanted was an idea of the range of his writing ability and singing. Boy, did I get it in those two hours". Davis got two reels and this note from Hammond, "…Here are a couple of the reels of Bruce Springsteen, a very talented kid who recorded these twelve songs in two hours last Wednesday …I think we better act quickly, because many people heard the boy at The Gaslight, and his fame is beginning to spread". Davis responded the next day, "I love Bruce Springsteen! He's an original in every respect. I'd like to meet him if you can arrange it". A meeting between Davis, Appel, Cretecos and Springsteen was focused on his first album, which Appel insisted on producing. In 1976, Springsteen recounted the experience during a performance of "Growin' Up" in Santa Monica, CA: "I get to the CBS building with my manager and my lawyer. We get in the audition elevator, a special elevator marked "X". We shoot up to the clouds, passing the stars, passing all the planets. We finally get up, the doors open up, they frisk me a few times, and there at this big, solid gold desk, in a long, white robe, with a little wreath around his head was Clive Davis. He had angels taking notes and flying all around. I said "Mr. Davis…I wanna be a rock 'n' roll star". But first he heard my confession, and he said…"Sign here"… I put my name on that line and then…" Fourteen tracks were recorded, encompassing the twelve songs listed. Still in a daze, Bruce called up his parents in San Mateo, California, to give them the news. His mother was overjoyed, but his father Doug, who probably had been drinking for a couple of hours, barked, "Want a stage name? I got a doozy. Johnny Superstar."


CBS Recording Session



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