Steven Van Zandt Biography

Fast Facts

• Earned the nickname "Miami Steve" because of the tropical brightly colored clothes he favored as a young man
• Played guitar and sang backup vocals for Bruce Springsteen's E Street Band from 1975 to 1984; rejoined the band after a world tour in 1999
• Has twice been honored by the United Nations for his human-rights activism
• Formed the all-star musical group Artists United Against Apartheid to record the single "Sun City" in 1985
• Brother Billy married actress Adrienne Barbeau in 1992
• Was cast in The Sopranos after series creator David Chase saw Van Zandt induct '60s hitmakers the Rascals into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1997
• Backup band for the 1999 album Born Again Savage included U2's Adam Clayton on bass and Jason Bonham on drums
• Created the Rock and Roll Forever Foundation, a nonprofit organization dedicated to history of rock and roll, in 2007