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STEVEN VAN ZANDT

BIOGRAPHY

Steven Van Zandt is a musician, performer, songwriter, arranger, music producer, music supervisor, TV producer, actor, director, Broadway producer, TV and film composer, live event producer, international DJ, activist, historian, teacher, member of the New Jersey Hall of Fame, Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, and is recognized internationally as one of the world’s foremost authorities on both Contemporary and Traditional Rock and Roll.

After helping create the “Jersey Shore” sound with the Asbury Jukes, he became a founding member of Bruce Springsteen’s E Street Band and went on to become a successful solo artist in his own right recording and performing solo with his band Little Steven and the Disciples of Soul. In 2017, he released his first new album in over 15 years returning to his Rhythm and Blues roots entitled “Soulfire,” which Rolling Stone named one of its “Best Albums of 2017.” In 2018 he released the “Soulfire LIVE CD / Vinyl box sets, and two-disc Blu-Ray recorded live during the “Soulfire Tour.”

In 2019 Little Steven and the Disciples of Soul released “Summer of Sorcery,” his first album of all original material in 20 years.

His songs have been performed by artists such as Jackson Browne, Pearl Jam, Jimmy Cliff, Damian Marley, Margo Price, Gary U.S. Bonds, Darlene Love, Nancy Sinatra, Brian Setzer, Black Uhuru, and more.

Van Zandt co-produced the seminal Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band albums “The River,” and “Born in the U.S.A.” He has also produced albums for Southside Johnny and the Asbury Jukes, Gary U.S. Bonds, Ronnie Spector, Demolition 23, Majek Fashek, and more. He arranged and produced “Introducing Darlene Love,” the critically acclaimed album for the legendary Darlene Love, star of the Oscar winning documentary “Twenty Feet From Stardom.”

In 1985, Van Zandt formed Artists United Against Apartheid and wrote “Sun City,” a song featuring over 50 major recording artists protesting the Apartheid system and considered by many political experts to be one of the fatal blows to Apartheid, leading to Nelson Mandela being freed only a few years later. He has twice been honored by the United Nations for his political activism, including the “Sun City” project and film, and his involvement in “International Peace Day” along with Peter Gabriel. He also established the Solidarity Foundation to promote the sovereignty of indigenous peoples and to foster economic development in harmony with the earth.

Van Zandt co-starred in all seven seasons of “The Sopranos,” playing the principal character “Silvio Dante,” a character that he created. He also starred in, co-wrote, executive produced, provided the music supervision and scoring, and directed (the final episode) for the award-winning series “Lilyhammer,” which was the FIRST original programming for Netflix.

In 2001 he launched “Little Steven’s Underground Garage,” his internationally syndicated radio show and the most successful syndicated Rock music radio show in the past 40 years. Van Zandt also created and continues to produce the first two channels of original content on SiriusXM Satellite Radio, the Underground Garage (Channel 21) and Outlaw Country (Channel 60). In 2006 he launched his record label, Wicked Cool Records, to further support new Rock and Roll.

In 2018 Little Steven and the Disciples of Tour went back on the road with their “Soulfire Teacher Solidarity Tour.” The landmark live tour benefited The Rock and Roll Forever Foundation’s TeachRock program and reached the incredible goal of registering over 18,000 teachers (and counting) to use the TeachRock Music History Curriculum.

Established by Dr. Van Zandt (he gave the commencement speech to the Class of 2017 and received an honorary Doctorate of Fine Arts from Rutgers University), the Foundation creates education materials that use the history of popular music to create engaging, multicultural lesson plans for history, social studies, language arts, music, and science classrooms, all of which are available to educators at no cost.

It marked the first-ever Rock tour specifically geared towards addressing this crucial societal need. At each stop of the tour, The Rock and Roll Forever Foundation hosted free TeachRock Professional Development Workshops, with educators and a guest who attend also receiving a complimentary ticket to that evening’s concert.

In September 2021, Van Zandt released his first memoir, “Unrequited Infatuations,” via Hachette Books. The New York Times Best Seller chronicles the twists and turns of his always surprising life. Soon after the book’s debut, he announced the launch of Little Steven’s Underground Apothecary, his own line of cannabis products with part of the proceeds benefitting the National Organization for Marijuana Legalization.

Van Zandt joined Springsteen and the E Street Band for an international tour in 2023. The European dates alone sold more than 1.6 million tickets and earned widespread acclaim as some of the best shows of the band’s career.

Van Zandt’s latest project is an HBO documentary entitled Stevie Van Zandt: Disciple. The documentary, which premiered at the Tribeca Film Festival and is available on HBO’s MAX platform, traces his career as a producer, musician, songwriter, activist, actor, radio host and more. Featuring exclusive interviews with Bruce Springsteen, Darlene Love, Eddie Vedder, Paul McCartney and Bono, the film illuminates the influential and enduring legacy Van Zandt continues to have as a fervent champion of rock ‘n’ roll and social justice.