Vini Lopez - E Street Band

E Street Band

In 1972, after Bruce Springsteen signed a recording contract with Columbia Records, he returned to The Upstage to recruit a band to record and then tour in support of his debut album, Greetings from Asbury Park, N.J.. Together with Danny Federici, Garry Tallent, Clarence Clemons and David Sancious, Lopez was a founding member of what eventually became the E Street Band. It was also around this time that Clive Davis first gave Lopez his "Mad Dog" nickname. By 1973 they had recorded a second album with Springsteen, The Wild, the Innocent and the E Street Shuffle. Other recordings from this era featuring Lopez would later be released on Tracks and 18 Tracks. Lopez would leave the band in controversial circumstances. Prior to a show at the University of Kentucky on February 12, 1974, he accused Springsteen’s manager, Mike Appel, of stealing from the band and he got into a fight with his brother, Steve Appel, the band’s road manager. After the show he was effectively fired from the band.

However this was not the last occasion that Lopez backed Springsteen in concert. On September 8, 1974 at The Stone Pony, following a set by the Blackberry Booze Band, Springsteen accompanied by Lopez and Garry Tallent joined Southside Johnny for several songs, including a rendition of "Twist and Shout". Shortly afterwards the Blackberry Booze Band, led by Southside and Steve Van Zandt, would become Southside Johnny & The Asbury Jukes. On January 18, 1989 Lopez, together with George Theiss, the leader of The Castiles, an early Springsteen band, and Patti Scialfa, was one of Springsteen’s guests at the 4th Annual Rock and Roll Hall of Fame dinner at the Waldorf Astoria Hotel. Backstreets, a Springsteen fanzine reported, that Springsteen invited Lopez on stage during the jam session and that he subsequently backed Little Richard, Stevie Wonder, Mick Jagger and Keith Richards as well as Springsteen himself during a performance of Roy Orbison’s "Crying" On July 21, 2003 at the Giants Stadium, during The Rising Tour, Lopez also made a guest appearance, playing on "Spirit in the Night". Another guest performance with the E Street band was on October 20, 2009, where he backed Springsteen at the Wachovia Spectrum in Philadelphia during "Spirit in the Night". On September 19, 2012, Lopez made a guest appearance during Springsteen's first concert at the new "MetLife Stadium", playing on "E Street Shuffle".