Bruce Springsteen: Halfway to Heaven & Just a Mile Out of Hell

For decades, Americans from all walks of life who have listened to the music of Bruce Springsteen have felt like they were coming home. Whether they’re trying to relive their “Glory Days” or are “Working on a Dream” of their own, they have found in this unique entertainer a kindred soul whose music warmly expresses their hopes, aspirations, and desires. Connecting with his audience through lyrics that evoke indelible images from our cultural consciousness, Bruce Springsteen has established himself as a true original in the arena of American music. Over the course of his career, he’s channeled influences as diverse as the Dust Bowl balladry of Woody Guthrie, the lyrical legerdemain of Bob Dylan¹s folk songs, and the plaintive rockabilly of Roy Orbison into chart-topping albums that speak directly to the people. Outspoken in his respect for hard-working men and women and the ideals he shares with them, he has attracted attention around the world.

Said U2’s Bono when inducting Springsteen into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1999, “He’s America’s writer and critic.” In Bruce Springsteen: Halfway to Heaven & Just a Mile Out of Hell, June Skinner Sawyers traces Springsteen’s development as a performer, from his days as a New Jersey teenager gigging at clubs and coffeehouses with the musicians who form his now legendary E Street Band, to his transformation into an international icon who sells out stadium-sized arenas for weeks at a stretch. In addition to in-depth analyses of each album he has cut, this celebratory volume features hundreds of photographs that take you back to the most memorable moments of Bruce Springsteen’s career, from his pick-up gigs at Asbury Park’s Stone Pony and the phenomenal Born in the USA world tour to his campaign concerts for Barack Obama in 2008 and stellar halftime performance at Super Bowl XLIII in 2009.

If you’ve ever found yourself driving down the highway with “Born to Run” blaring on your car stereo, lost in thought while listening to “The River,” or playing air guitar to “Dancing in the Dark,” you’ll love this colorful and entertaining look back at the uniquely talented singer, songwriter, and enduring American icon whose fans around the world fondly refer to as “The Boss.”