In an interview with The Guardian, E Street Band co-founder David Sancious reflected on his time with Bruce Springsteen, explaining why he has no regrets about leaving the band just before it gained widespread success.
Sancious, a keyboardist who has continued to collaborate with Springsteen over the years, was instrumental in inspiring the band’s name when he was dropped off at his E Street home after a show in 1974. After leaving the E Street Band, Sancious went on to work with notable artists such as Peter Gabriel, Sting, Eric Clapton, and Santana. However, he has never forgotten his time with Springsteen and shared two stories that highlighted Springsteen’s character.
Recalling a show when he was 17, Sancious said, “The police used to raid these places [where we played] and card everyone. One night I’m on stage with Bruce and the cops are hanging out at the front door.” Springsteen and saxophonist Clarence Clemons, with the help of two others, surrounded Sancious to hide him. “I was in the middle moving slowly, trying not to draw any attention,” he recounted.
On another occasion, Sancious experienced racism at the beach. “There were two guys making threatening gestures and saying inappropriate racial stuff,” he said. “Clarence comes along and sees what’s going on. He sat down right next to me. And then Bruce comes walking by. Bruce found a piece of driftwood and he kept hitting it in his hand — like he was saying, ‘I’m not going to let you hurt our friend."”
Sancious appears on Springsteen’s first three albums, but by the time the 1975 breakthrough album “Born to Run” was released, he had left to pursue a solo record deal. “I felt very happy for him, honestly,” he said of Springsteen’s success. “I knew it was going to happen for him.”
Reflecting on a 1974 show in Texas, Sancious recalled the audience’s enthusiasm: “We finished the show and the audience wouldn’t leave. Bruce used to end the set with a song called ‘For You’ that he would play by himself on piano and we would go off stage and watch. I remember standing there looking at him and thinking, ‘As soon as everybody finds out about this guy he’s going to blow up. It’s going to go crazy."”
Sancious noted that all the major artists he had worked with shared a common trait: “none of them had a plan B — they all did it out of a love for music.”
When asked if he regretted leaving the E Street Band, Sancious explained, “There is a whole life I would have missed out on, working with all these other artists and making my own music. If I had to do it again would I do the same thing? Absolutely. Because I didn’t walk away from anything — I walked towards something.”