Steven Van Zandt
The stylish architect behind the band's soul, blending rock grit with soulful genius.
Steven Van Zandt (né Lento; born November 22, 1950), also known as Little Steven or Miami Steve, is an American musician and actor. He is a member of Bruce Springsteen's E Street Band, in which he plays guitar and mandolin. He has appeared in several television drama series, including as Silvio Dante in The Sopranos (1999–2007) and as Frank Tagliano/Giovanni "Johnny" Henriksen in Lilyhammer (2012–2014). Van Zandt has his own solo band called Little Steven and the Disciples of Soul, intermittently active since the 1980s. In 2014, Van Zandt was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as a member of the E Street Band.
- Role
- Guitarist, Songwriter, Producer
- Nickname
- Little Steven
Verified Timeline
Lore & Background
The source does not mention any affiliation with Bon Jovi. Van Zandt's career is documented through his work with Bruce Springsteen's E Street Band, Southside Johnny and the Asbury Jukes, and his solo project Little Steven and the Disciples of Soul. He co-founded Southside Johnny and the Asbury Jukes and helped establish their rhythm and blues oriented style. He produced Southside Johnny's first three albums and wrote the bulk of the group's music. Van Zandt also produced two Gary U.S. Bonds albums and shared production credits on Springsteen's albums The River and Born in the U.S.A. The first Springsteen song he co-produced was "Hungry Heart."
In Their Own Story
The source does not provide any narrative about Van Zandt's stage presence or specific concert moments with Bon Jovi. It does describe his role in the E Street Band: among E Street Band members, Van Zandt often had the second-most "face time" in concert after Clarence Clemons, frequently mugging and posing for the audience and sometimes delivering his unpolished, nasal backing vocals while sharing a microphone with Springsteen. His playing or singing is most prominently featured on the songs "Glory Days", "Two Hearts", "Long Walk Home", "Land of Hope and Dreams", "Badlands", "Ramrod", and "Murder Incorporated", among others like the live versions of "Rosalita".
Reader's Guide
The source does not support any affiliation with Bon Jovi. Van Zandt's career timeline from the source: he formed his first band, the Whirlwinds, around August 1964. He officially joined the E Street Band on July 20, 1975, during the first show of the Born to Run Tour. In early 1984, shortly before the start of the Born in the U.S.A. Tour, Van Zandt left the E Street Band to further his solo career. He later returned to the E Street Band when it was reformed (briefly in 1995, and on an ongoing basis since 1999). In 2014, Van Zandt was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as a member of the E Street Band.
Did You Know?
- Van Zandt was born Steven Lento on November 22, 1950, in Winthrop, Massachusetts, and took the last name of his stepfather, William Brewster Van Zandt, after his mother remarried in 1957.
- He was expelled from Middletown High School in New Jersey after refusing to cut his long hair.
- As a teenager, he was involved in a car accident that caused his head to go through the windshield, leaving several scars; he began wearing hats and large bandanas to cover them.
- Van Zandt arranged the horns on "Tenth Avenue Freeze-Out" in 1975 when Springsteen was at a loss, earning him a spot in the E Street Band.
- He wrote and produced "All Alone on Christmas" for the soundtrack of the film Home Alone 2: Lost in New York, which yielded singer Darlene Love her first hit since "A Fine, Fine Boy" from 1963.