Bruce Springsteen: The Life of 'The Boss' Early Life Bruce Frederick Joseph Springsteen was born on September 23, 1949, in Long Branch, New Jersey, and raised in Freehold, a borough within the same state. Born to Douglas Frederick Springsteen, a bus driver of Dutch and Irish descent, and Adele Ann, a legal secretary of Italian ancestry, Bruce grew up in a working-class environment. This setting deeply influenced his music, which often reflects the struggles and dreams of the American working class. Musical Beginnings Springsteen's interest in music was sparked at a...