How did the greats become the greats? And what did it cost them to get there? Legend is the award-winning music biography series from BBC Radio 4 exploring the lives of pioneering artists who shaped modern music.In Legend: The Bruce Springsteen Story, we discover how a scrawny, long-haired introvert from New Jersey became the iconic, muscular – and oft-misunderstood – rock star of the 1980s, and ultimately the eloquent elder statesmen he is now. What does his story reveal about America today?Across the series, Laura Barton takes a front-row seat at five key gigs which illuminate a different side of The Boss. She travels to Asbury Park in 1971 to hear how teenage Bruce began to learn his magic trick at The Upstage Club. She hears about his nerve-wracking London Hammersmith gig in 1975, the electrifying final night of the Born in the U.S.A tour in 1985, and his emotional homecoming show at St Rose of Lima school gym in 1996. Lastly, Laura heads to Milan to witness the final concert of his 2025 Land of Hope and Dreams tour.Featuring Bruce in his own words across the decades, alongside voices from the E Street Band, devoted fans, biographers, and critics.Listen first on BBC Sounds.A BBC Audio Production for BBC Radio 4
Producer: Eliza Lomas
Sound Design and Original Music: Hannis Brown
Series Developer: Mair Bosworth
Production Coordinator: Stuart Laws
Additional Research: Sarah Goodman
Series Editor: Emma Harding
Commissioning Editors: Daniel Clarke and Matthew Dodd
Assistant Commissioner Podcasts: Will Drysdale
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Anne Dudley and Joe Stilgoe round off the series
Musician and songwriter Joe Stilgoe and Oscar-winning composer and arranger Anne Dudley join Jeffrey Boakye and Anna Phoebe to add the final five tracks of the series, taking us from calypso to K-pop via Beethoven and Brubeck.Add to Playlist returns on 14 November.Producer: Jerome Weatherald
Presented with musical direction by Jeffrey Boakye and Anna PhoebeThe five tracks in this week's playlist:Calypso Queen by Calypso Rose
Concrete and Clay by Unit 4 + 2
Piano Concerto in G Major: III (Rondo) by Beethoven
Blue Rondo à la Turk by Dave Brubeck
Gangnam Style by PsyOther music in this episode:Disco Inferno by The Trammps
WHO AM I by Berwyn
Abatina by Calypso Rose
I Love to Love by Tina Charles
Rock the Boat by Hues Corporation
Concrete and Clay by Eddie Rambeau
Take Five by Dave Brubeck
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Catrin Finch and Rhodri Marsden on absence and resilience
Jeffrey Boakye and Anna Phoebe take us on a musical journey of discovery, exploring the web of connections between tracks across the breadth of all musical styles, from pop, rock, reggae and hip-hop to classical, jazz, folk and country.