New book on E-Street Band

A new book of old photos sparks memories of rock star Bruce Springsteen and the E-Street Band.

There is Bruce Springsteen, leaning against a counter in a diner, looking young and hopeful in a black-and-white snapshot taken at the Jersey Shore in 1978. In another series of colour photos, the E-Street Band and friends are playing softball for a team called the E Street Kings. Bruce, wearing a yellow cap, is swinging a bat.

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The hardcover book, titled Greetings from E Street, contains dozens of photos of the Boss and his band, mostly from the collection of Danny Federici, a band member and organ player. Author Robert Santelli, a former music critic at the Asbury Park Press, said his favourite pictures are the softball montages. "The sense of fun and camaraderie was always evident to me, and I think these pictures show it," he said.

Springsteen rose to fame playing in clubs around Asbury Park, New Jersey, and Santelli's book tells the story of the E-Street Band in photos and obscure reproductions. Those include a replica napkin from the Stone Pony and a "free pass" to a show any Friday in September 1971 at an address in Asbury Park.