Somesolo artistsuse session or touring musicians who vary from time to time as their backing band, where others have played with some phenomenal backing bands,without which they wouldn’t have achieved nearly the level of success that they have—without the Heartbreakers,Tom Pettywouldn’t be Tom Petty. Without The Revolution, Prince wouldn’t be Prince.
One backing band that has been integral to their frontman’s career is Bruce Springsteen’s E Street Band,which boasted a unique collection of instruments and perfected the Boss’s sound time and time again. From Clarence Clemons on the saxophone, Danny Federici on the accordion and the glockenspiel, and Steven Van Zandt on the mandolin, this band knew no bounds.
Guitarist and mandolin player, Steven Van Zandt, was a crucial piece of the E Street Band puzzle,no doubt, but his career was not confined to the band. While some may recognize his name from Springsteen’s catalog, some would sooner recognize his face from his six-season role as Silvio Dante onHBO’s The Sopranos.
Van Zandt Brought A Certain Flair To The E-Street Band On The Guitar And The Mandolin
Steven Van Zandt, known in the Springsteen sphere as Little Steven,officially joined the E Street Band in 1975, after arranging the horns on “Tenth Avenue Freeze Out.“He and Springsteen had met as teenagers growing up in New Jersey, and one can only imagine the trouble they got up to as rebellious young rockers in Asbury Park.
In aCBS60 Minutesinterview, Van Zandt said, “I just was kind of helping shape things and trying to realize Bruce’s vision…I try to make bad things good, good things great, and great things better, you know?” And that he did,contributing heavily to two of Springsteen’s greatest albums,Born to Run, andBorn in the U.S.A.
Van Zandt brought guitar, backing vocals, and the mandolin to the table throughout his nine years in the E Street Band, and provided a creative ear and vision to complement Springsteen’s own vision.That creative musical talent earned him the title of Consigliere of the E Street Band from Springsteen himselfin that same60 Minutesinterview.
Many Recognize Van Zandt’s Face Before His Name
Though Little Steven definitely had an illustrious career as a musician in the E Street Band, in addition to a few other musical projects and a decent solo career,Steven Van Zandt’s face overtook his recognition in the ’90s and early 2000s as Silvio Dante,Tony Soprano’s right-hand man on HBO’sThe Sopranos.
Van Zandt’s character was a stereotypical mobster,complete with coiffed hair and a scrunched-up facial expression nearly every time he was on-screen. For many younger generations,The Sopranoswas how we knew Van Zandt; even if one knew him by name as an E Street Band member, there was a good chance they didn’t put two and two together.
Looking back on his career, it’s hard to say whether Van Zandt is an actor or a musician first.While the guitarist for the E Street Band was his first claim to fame, Silvio Dante is one of the greatest TV characters ever created. All that said, the entertainment world seriously benefited from the vast talents of Steven Van Zandt.
