Getting praise from a fan is one thing, but getting praise from a successful peer is another, which must have made Bruce Springsteen’s comment about the only singer he’d ever pay to see live all the more meaningful. After all, approval from The Boss at the height of his 1970s fame is no small feat, even if Springsteen also said the music was “caustic.”
Corrosive and incisive qualities aside, this artist’s music was clearly good enough to make a lasting impression on Springsteen.
The Only Artist Bruce Springsteen Would Pay To See in the 1970s
By the late 1970s, Bruce Springsteen was a busy man. With tremendously successful albums like his debut ‘Greetings from Asbury Park, N.J.’ and ‘Born to Run’ under his belt, the E Street Band frontman had easily ascended to superstar status in a matter of years. As such, Springsteen didn’t have much time to spare to pursue performances that weren’t his own…except for one artist, of course.
Springsteen once admitted sometime in the late 1970s that the only artist he would pay to sing live was Graham Parker, British rock and roller and frontman of Graham Parker & The Rumour. Parker and his full-band outfit released their first album, ‘Howlin’ Wind,’ in 1976, followed closely by their sophomore release, ‘Heat Treatment.’
Graham Parker & The Rumour enjoyed success following their early releases, gaining the respect of contemporary artists and audiences alike. The British band supported Bob Dylan at the Picnic in Blackbushe in 1978 and eventually began collaborating with the E Street Band’s Nicky Hopkins and Danny Federici. It’s around this time, presumably, that Springsteen offered his props to Parker.
The Two Musicians Collaborated On Parker’s 1980 Album
In a 2014 interview with music journalist Bill Kopp, Graham Parker addressed comments Bruce Springsteen made about him in a documentary about Parker, Don’t Ask Me Questions. “There’s some brilliant stuff from Bruce Springsteen on that about my material,” Parker said. “He said that there was always this ‘caustic sound.’ And that’s true. Because when I started, I’d had pretty much zero experience. I’d written these songs and was totally green.”
Caustic or not, Springsteen saw a kindred spirit in the gritty, unapologetic artistry of Graham Parker. While working in the studio on ‘The Up Escalator,’ producer Jimmy Iovine asked Springsteen to stop by the session and contribute backing vocals to the song “Endless Night.” The addition didn’t seem to trip up Parker, who later described Springsteen as “courteous and hard-working” and “a real mensh [sic]” on his website. “He just came in once and heard stuff, and he was really enthusiastic,” Parker later added in a 1999 interview.
A song about aging rock and rollers, it’s not unlikely that Springsteen saw part of himself—even a small part—in Parker’s “Endless Night.” I had the energy but outgrew it, Parker sings. The identity but saw through it. I had the walk but got tramped, had the taste, it was sampled. If only I could find the switch that turns on the endless night. Although Parker would later say that his music was “much gnarlier, not popular like [Springsteen’s],” the mutual respect the two musicians have for one another is apparent in their fleeting 1980s collaboration. After all, being called the only singer Bruce Springsteen would pay to see live is nothing to scoff at, brash rock and roll persona or not.
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