Bruce Springsteen performs at NJ Clemons tribute (AP)

ASBURY PARK, N.J. – Bruce Springsteen returned to his musical roots to remember a friend.

Springsteen performed a 45-minute set during a "Tribute to the Late, Great Clarence Clemons" at Asbury Park's Wonder Bar Sunday night.

Clemons and Springsteen were friends for more than four decades.

Springsteen joined J.T. Bowen, who was the lead singer of Clemons' band in the 1980s, The Red Bank Rockers. Bowen was singing with The Soul Cruisers when he called Springsteen to the stage.

The Star-Ledger of Newark reports Springsteen kicked things off with "Action in the Streets."

The set ended with a long version of "634-5789."

The E Street Band saxophonist, who was known as the Big Man, died of stroke complications on June 18. He was 69.

___

Information from: The Star-Ledger, http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/ap/ap_en_mu/storytext/us_springsteen_clemons_tribute/42275546/SIG=10uea1937/*http://www.nj.com/starledger

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Clemons' death leaves void for Springsteen (AP)

By DAVID BAUDER, AP Entertainment Writer David Bauder, Ap Entertainment Writer – Sun Jun 19, 9:45 pm ET

NEW YORK – E Street will never be quite the same.

The death of saxophone player Clarence Clemons ripped a hole in Bruce Springsteen's music and onstage life, taking away a figure who had served him loyally for decades and never failed to add joy to the E Street Band's epic performances.

Clemons died Saturday at age 69, about a week after he suffered a stroke at his home in Singer Island, Fla.

It's not the first loss for the rock world's best-known and most accomplished backup band. Keyboard player Danny Federici died in 2008 of melanoma. Steve Van Zandt, Springsteen's youthful friend and closest partner, left for several years in the 1980s and was replaced on guitar by Nils Lofgren. When Van Zandt returned, Lofgren stayed.

Yet Clemons' loss cuts deeply into the soul of the band. His importance was acknowledged whenever Springsteen performed "Tenth Avenue Freeze-out," when he sang, "We made that change uptown and the Big Man joined the band," inevitably followed by a wail of Clemons' sax and a roar from the crowd. The two men met in 1971 on the New Jersey bar band circuit, and when Springsteen released his debut album two years later, Clemons left a more successful outfit for a new Boss.

Inevitably Clemons' introduction was the climax every night when Springsteen presented the individual band members to the audience, accompanied by a variety of regal nicknames like "Master of the Universe" and "King of the World."

"Do I have to say his name?" Springsteen would shout to the crowd.

"No!" came the roar back. He did anyway.

A makeshift memorial of flowers, candles and photos grew outside of the Stone Pony nightclub in Asbury Park, N.J., home turf where Clemons and Springsteen made frequent stage appearances through the years.

At the Clearwater music festival in Croton-on-Hudson, N.Y. on Sunday, the Drive-By Truckers took the stage for their show with "Tenth Avenue Freeze-Out" playing over the public address system. Singer Patterson Hood looked skyward and dedicated the band's set to Clemons.

Last fall's release of "The Promise," which included a DVD of a 1978 Springsteen concert performance, underscored the central role of Clemons in the act. The two men were a marked physical contrast: a bedraggled, slightly scrawny white guitar player and a 6-foot-5-inch, 270-plus-pound black man with a sax — known simply as the Big Man _who would be intimidating if he didn't so often carry a smile.

They would stalk each other on the stage, staring with ferocious eyes, and play their instruments as they stood back to back, leaning on the other for support. They'd even kiss, their relationship sending a message of brotherhood, family and — given racial undertones — tolerance and respect for all.

The relationship was captured memorably with a giant photo of the two men on the cover of Springsteen's "Born to Run" album.

Clemons was musically vital, too, particularly given the longer, structurally ambitious songs Springsteen was writing in the 1970s, a potent mixture of rock, soul, jazz and folk. Clemons' sax kicked "Born to Run" into overdrive, and his solo was a key moment in the majestic "Jungleland." He had a deep, booming voice not often displayed, although he added hearty "ho-ho-ho's" during seasonal renditions of "Santa Claus is Comin' to Town."

Truth be told, Clemons' role in the E Street Band diminished as the years went on. Springsteen's simpler song structures left less space for the sax, and the instrument competed to be heard in a dense wall of sound anchored by three electric guitar players. Clemons would add maracas or tambourines to some of Springsteen's compositions.

Clemons' physical ailments also made him a less active presence onstage. He underwent spinal surgery last year after many years of back pain and spent time in a wheelchair after double knee replacement surgery.

Springsteen generously made accommodations for the ailments, installing an elevator on the stage set for when Clemons couldn't negotiate the stairs, according to Caryn Rose and Glenn Radecki of the Springsteen website Backstreets. A throne-like golden chair was placed onstage for when Clemons needed his rest.

Clemons' death is unlikely to bring an end to the E Street Band, which Springsteen alluded to in a statement posted on his website Saturday announcing the death.

"We are honored and thankful to have known him and had the opportunity to stand beside him for nearly 40 years," he said. "He was my great friend, my partner and with Clarence at my side, my band and I were able to tell a story far deeper than those simply contained in our music. His life, his memory, and his love will live on in that story and in our band."

But the loss leaves Springsteen with a real challenge moving forward. While Federici's contributions were valued and respected, he was a back bencher, tied to the shadows of the stage and his replacement not a major issue for the casual fan.

Clemons was different, and his loss will inevitably change the onstage dynamic. The saxophone is such a major presence in Springsteen's music that it's difficult to imagine many of his songs being performed without it. They will be big shoes for anyone to fill.

"As long as we tell the stories, as long as we play the songs, the Big Man will always be with us," Rose and Radecki wrote on Backstreets following Clemons' death.

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Clemons' death leaves void for Springsteen (AP)

By DAVID BAUDER, AP Entertainment Writer David Bauder, Ap Entertainment Writer – Sun Jun 19, 12:05 pm ET

NEW YORK – E Street will never be quite the same.

The death of saxophone player Clarence Clemons ripped a hole in Bruce Springsteen's music and onstage life, taking away a figure who had served him loyally for decades and never failed to add joy to the E Street Band's epic performances.

Clemons died Saturday at age 69, about a week after he suffered a stroke at his home in Singer Island, Fla.

It's not the first loss for the rock world's best-known and most accomplished backup band. Keyboard player Danny Federici died in 2008 of melanoma. Steve Van Zandt, Springsteen's youthful friend and closest partner, left for several years in the 1980s and was replaced on guitar by Nils Lofgren. When Van Zandt returned, Lofgren stayed.

Yet Clemons' loss cuts deeply into the soul of the band. His importance was acknowledged whenever Springsteen performed "Tenth Avenue Freeze-out," when he sang, "We made that change uptown and the Big Man joined the band," inevitably followed by a wail of Clemons' sax and a roar from the crowd. The two men met in 1971 on the New Jersey bar band circuit, and when Springsteen released his debut album two years later, Clemons left a more successful outfit for a new Boss.

Inevitably Clemons' introduction was the climax every night when Springsteen presented the individual band members to the audience, accompanied by a variety of regal nicknames like "Master of the Universe" and "King of the World."

"Do I have to say his name?" Springsteen would shout to the crowd.

"No!" came the roar back. He did anyway.

Last fall's release of "The Promise," which included a DVD of a 1978 Springsteen concert performance, underscored the central role of Clemons in the act. The two men were a marked physical contrast: a bedgraggled, slightly scrawny white guitar player and a 6-foot-5-inch, 270-plus-pound black man with a sax — known simply as the Big Man _who would be intimidating if he didn't so often carry a smile.

They would stalk each other on the stage, staring with ferocious eyes, and play their instruments as they stood back to back, leaning on the other for support. They'd even kiss, their relationship sending a message of brotherhood, family and — given racial undertones — tolerance and respect for all.

The relationship was captured memorably with a giant photo of the two men on the cover of Springsteen's "Born to Run" album.

Clemons was musically vital, too, particularly given the longer, structurally ambitious songs Springsteen was writing in the 1970s, a potent mixture of rock, soul, jazz and folk. Clemons' sax kicked "Born to Run" into overdrive, and his solo was a key moment in the majestic "Jungleland." He had a deep, booming voice not often displayed, although he added hearty "ho-ho-ho's" during seasonal renditions of "Santa Claus is Comin' to Town."

Truth be told, Clemons' role in the E Street Band diminished as the years went on. Springsteen's simpler song structures left less space for the sax, and the instrument competed to be heard in a dense wall of sound anchored by three electric guitar players. Clemons would add maracas or tambourines to some of Springsteen's compositions.

Clemons' physical ailments also made him a less active presence onstage. He underwent spinal surgery last year after many years of back pain and spent time in a wheelchair after double knee replacement surgery.

Springsteen generously made accommodations for the ailments, installing an elevator on the stage set for when Clemons couldn't negotiate the stairs, according to Caryn Rose and Glenn Radecki of the Springsteen website Backstreets. A throne-like golden chair was placed onstage for when Clemons needed his rest.

Clemons' death is unlikely to bring an end to the E Street Band, which Springsteen alluded to in a statement posted on his website Saturday announcing the death.

"We are honored and thankful to have known him and had the opportunity to stand beside him for nearly 40 years," he said. "He was my great friend, my partner and with Clarence at my side, my band and I were able to tell a story far deeper than those simply contained in our music. His life, his memory, and his love will live on in that story and in our band."

But the loss leaves Springsteen with a real challenge moving forward. While Federici's contributions were valued and respected, he was a back bencher, tied to the shadows of the stage and his replacement not a major issue for the casual fan.

Clemons was different, and his loss will inevitably change the onstage dynamic. The saxophone is such a major presence in Springsteen's music that it's difficult to imagine many of his songs being performed without it. They will be big shoes for anyone to fill.

"As long as we tell the stories, as long as we play the songs, the Big Man will always be with us," Rose and Radecki wrote on Backstreets following Clemons' death.

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Springsteen sax star Clarence Clemons dies (AFP)

NEW YORK (AFP) – Star saxophonist Clarence Clemons, a member of Bruce Springsteen's E Street Band, has died after suffering a stroke, the rock legend announced, saying the loss of his long-time friend and music partner was "immeasurable."

The 69-year-old musician, who has had various health crises in recent years, had suffered a stroke about one week ago and undergone surgery, but died Saturday from complications of the stroke, Springsteen said on his website.

Springsteen, famous for a wealth of hits including "Born To Run" and "Dancing In The Dark," expressed "overwhelming sadness" at Clemons's passing.

"He was my great friend, my partner," Springsteen said in the statement.

"He loved the saxophone, loved our fans and gave everything he had every night he stepped on stage. His loss is immeasurable and we are honored and thankful to have known him and had the opportunity to stand beside him for nearly forty years."

He had suffered a massive stroke at home in Florida last weekend. Initial signs were of a recovery, with a fan site, backstreets.com, reporting Clemons being responsive and in stable condition, but indications are that his health failed later in the week.

Clemons's last appearance with Springsteen and his band was in December, after being part of his original backing ensemble -- before they were named the E Street Band -- from the start in 1972.

He most recently made a cameo performance on the song "The Edge of Glory" on Lady Gaga's recently released "Born This Way" album.

The son of a minister, Clemons -- nicknamed the Big Man with the Big Horn -- was born in Norfolk, Virginia, and started playing the alto saxophone at age 9.

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Springsteen saxophonist Clemons dies: reports (Reuters)

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) – Clarence Clemons, the burly saxophone player who played a crucial role in shaping Bruce Springsteen's early sound, died on Saturday, six days after suffering a stroke at his Florida home, media reports said. He was 69.

The New York Times said Clemons' death was confirmed by a spokeswoman for Springsteen. Reuters could not immediately confirm the reports.

Clemons, dubbed the "Big Man," started working with Springsteen in 1971 and was a charter member of the backing group that came to be known as the E Street Band.

His gritty, evocative saxophone solos powered such notable Springsteen songs as "Born to Run," "Jungleland," "Prove It All Night," "Tenth Avenue Freeze Out," and "Badlands."

On stage, Clemons proved a worthy foil for Springsteen and his bandmates. In a 1975 concert review, Rolling Stone said Clemons betrayed an "ominous cool" in contrast to guitarist Steven Van Zandt's "strange hipster frenzy."

"Clarence was the big black saxophone player who completely represented the tradition of rock 'n' roll and R&B," Van Zandt told Britain's Mojo magazine in 2006.

Alongside Van Zandt, Clemons personified the E Street Band, and he took it hard when Springsteen broke up the group for a decade in 1989. But by then, Clemons was being used less in the studio. On stage, he was often reduced to playing tambourine or engaging in crowd-pleasing theatrics, like kissing Springsteen during the live staple "Rosalita (Come Out Tonight)."

He also dabbled in acting, enjoyed a solo hit single with Jackson Browne, 1985's ""You're a Friend of Mine," toured with Ringo Starr and even played on two tracks on pop singer Lady Gaga's new album.

'PURE HELL'

Clemons' death came three years after organist Danny Federici, Springsteen's longest-serving musical partner, lost a three-year battle with cancer.

Clemons had been in ill health in recent years, suffering back and hip problems. He had double knee-replacement surgery in 2008, and walked for the first time in three months when Springsteen and the E Street Band played the Super Bowl early in 2009. The band's eight-month world tour that year was "pure hell," he told Rolling Stone earlier this year.

Clemons was born January 11, 1942 in Norfolk, Virginia, and played saxophone in high school where he was also a promising football player. A car crash ended his professional sporting dreams, and he went on to become a social worker, family man and barroom rocker.

His first meeting with Springsteen was auspicious. Clemons had heard about a hot young rocker on the Asbury Park, New Jersey, scene, and walked into one of his club shows on a bitterly windy night. A gust of wind ripped the door from his hand, and it flew down the street. All eyes turned to Clemons, and Springsteen readily agreed when he asked to sit in with him.

"When I first walked on that stage and hit the first note, I saw things that are happening today, then," he told Reuters in 2009. "I knew that he (Springsteen) was what I was looking for and I was what he was looking for to take that next step to the big time. It was just love, man, at first sight."

During sessions for Springsteen's 1975 breakthrough "Born to Run," Clemons spent 16 hours recording his solo on "Jungleland," the nine-minute track that closes the album.

"Creating is like religion," Clemons said later of the marathon session. "I was willing to relinquish myself to him (Springsteen). I've had people say to me, 'That sax solo saved my life.' So I did my job."

Clemons was used more sparingly in later years as Springsteen opted to emphasize the guitars (1978's "Darkness on the Edge of Town") or recorded largely solo (1982's "Nebraska" and 1987's "Tunnel of Love."

He still brought fervor to later-era songs like the hit single "Dancing in the Dark" and "Land of Hope and Dreams, but "over time his role in the band has become more symbolic than musical," author Jimmy Guterman wrote in his 2005 Springsteen biography "Runaway American Dream."

In 2009 he published his memoir, "Big Man: Real Life and Tall Tales," co-written with his friend Don Reo.

(Writing by Dean Goodman; Additional reporting by Christian Wiessner; Editing by Peter Cooney)

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Bruce Springsteen singing on new Pete Seeger album (Reuters)

LOS ANGELES (Billboard) – Bruce Springsteen has recorded a new Pete Seeger song for a Seeger album that is penciled in for release this holiday season.

Springsteen sings two verses and a chorus on "God is Counting on Us," a song Seeger wrote in response to the oil spill in the Gulf Coast. Appleseed Recordings will release the Seeger album.

The song will be the sixth exclusive Springsteen song that Appleseed has released in conjunction with its various Seeger projects, label owner Jim Musselman told Billboard.com. The Boss has had tracks on 1998's "Where Have all the Flowers Gone," 2007's Sowing the Seeds" and 2007's "Give Us Your Poor" among others.

"Tomorrow's Children," the latest Seeger recording from Appleseed, won the Grammy this year for musical album for children. Seeger, 92, has been honored with Grammys, a Kennedy Center Award, the Presidential Medal of the Arts and a Lifetime Legends medal from the Library of Congress.

Springsteen paid tribute to Seeger in 2006 with his album "We Shall Overcome: The Seeger Sessions" and a subsequent live album featuring performances of the recordings.

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Bruce Springsteen singing on new Pete Seeger album (Reuters)

LOS ANGELES (Billboard) – Bruce Springsteen has recorded a new Pete Seeger song for a Seeger album that is penciled in for release this holiday season.

Springsteen sings two verses and a chorus on "God is Counting on Us," a song Seeger wrote in response to the oil spill in the Gulf Coast. Appleseed Recordings will release the Seeger album.

The song will be the sixth exclusive Springsteen song that Appleseed has released in conjunction with its various Seeger projects, label owner Jim Musselman told Billboard.com. The Boss has had tracks on 1998's "Where Have all the Flowers Gone," 2007's Sowing the Seeds" and 2007's "Give Us Your Poor" among others.

"Tomorrow's Children," the latest Seeger recording from Appleseed, won the Grammy this year for musical album for children. Seeger, 92, has been honored with Grammys, a Kennedy Center Award, the Presidential Medal of the Arts and a Lifetime Legends medal from the Library of Congress.

Springsteen paid tribute to Seeger in 2006 with his album "We Shall Overcome: The Seeger Sessions" and a subsequent live album featuring performances of the recordings.

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Springsteen: Band mate Clemons' stroke 'serious' (AP)

NEW YORK – Bruce Springsteen says band mate Clarence Clemons' stroke was serious and he's going to need a lot of help to get back to his former self.

The Boss commented Tuesday on his longtime friend and E Street Band member on his website, Twitter and Facebook. It's the first time he's spoken since it was revealed Sunday that the 69-year-old Clemons had suffered a stroke.

Springsteen calls the saxophonist a "beloved comrade" and described the stroke as "serious."

He says: "Clarence will need much care and support to achieve his potential once again."

Springsteen says Clemons is surrounded by wife Victoria, other family and friends, and thanked fans for their prayers and good thoughts.

Clemons' family also thanked fans on Springsteen's site and urged fans to email their well wishes to notestoclarence(at)clarenceclemons.com.

Clemons' nephew, Jake Clemons, said on Facebook, "Keep sending the love, he feels it all!!"

___

Online:

http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/ap/ap_en_mu/storytext/us_clemons_stroke/41862619/SIG=111ctaslp/*http://www.brucespringsteen.net

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Springsteen sideman Clemons suffers stroke: reports (Reuters)

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) – Clarence Clemons, the saxophone player in Bruce Springsteen's E Street Band, has suffered a stroke, according to a pair of media reports on Sunday.

Reuters could not confirm the reports, and late-night emails sent to publicists for Clemons and Springsteen were not answered.

The news was broken by entertainment gossip website showbiz411.com, which said Clemons was "seriously ill" after suffering the stroke at his Florida home. Rolling Stone magazine said it independently confirmed the stroke, but not its severity.

Clemons, 69, started playing with Springsteen in 1971, and had notable solos on such tunes as "Born to Run," "Thunder Road" and "Badlands." He was dubbed "Big Man," which was also the title of a 2009 memoir he co-wrote with Don Reo.

Away from the E Street Band, Clemons enjoyed a hit single in 1985 with "You're a Friend of Mine," a duet with Jackson Browne. He also dabbled in acting, and worked with other artists including Ringo Starr, Aretha Franklin and Lady Gaga.

Clemons underwent double knee-replacement surgery in 2008, and walked for the first time in three months when Springsteen and the E Street Band played the Super Bowl early in 2009.

(Reporting by Dean Goodman)

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