Soozie Tyrell (born May 4, 1957), formerly known as Soozie Kirschner, is an American

violin The violin, sometimes known as a ''fiddle'', is a wooden chordophone (string instrument) in the violin family. Most violins have a hollow wooden body. It is the smallest and thus highest-pitched instrument (soprano) in the family in regular ...

ist,

guitar The guitar is a fretted musical instrument that typically has six strings. It is usually held flat against the player's body and played by strumming or plucking the strings with the dominant hand, while simultaneously pressing selected stri ...

ist, and

vocalist Singing is the act of creating musical sounds with the voice. A person who sings is called a singer, artist or vocalist (in jazz and/or popular music). Singers perform music (arias, recitatives, songs, etc.) that can be sung with or without ...

, most known for her work with

Bruce Springsteen Bruce Frederick Joseph Springsteen (born September 23, 1949) is an American singer and songwriter. He has released 21 studio albums, most of which feature his backing band, the E Street Band. Originally from the Jersey Shore, he is an originat ...

in the

E Street Band The E Street Band is an American rock band, and has been musician Bruce Springsteen's primary backing band since 1972. The band was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2014. For the bulk of Springsteen's recording and performing caree ...

and formerly

The Sessions Band The Sessions Band is an American musical group that has periodically recorded and toured with American rock singer-songwriter Bruce Springsteen in various formations since 1997. History The Sessions Band was first formed in October 1997. That ...

Biography

Tyrell was born in

Pisa Pisa ( , or ) is a city and ''comune'' in Tuscany, central Italy, straddling the Arno just before it empties into the Ligurian Sea. It is the capital city of the Province of Pisa. Although Pisa is known worldwide for its leaning tower, the cit ...

Italy Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical re ...

, and as the daughter of a military serviceman travelled extensively. Eventually her family settled in

Florida Florida is a state located in the Southeastern region of the United States. Florida is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the northwest by Alabama, to the north by Georgia, to the east by the Bahamas and Atlantic Ocean, and to ...

and she briefly took

music theory Music theory is the study of the practices and possibilities of music. ''The Oxford Companion to Music'' describes three interrelated uses of the term "music theory". The first is the "rudiments", that are needed to understand music notation (ke ...

classes at the

University of South Florida The University of South Florida (USF) is a public research university with its main campus located in Tampa, Florida, and other campuses in St. Petersburg and Sarasota. It is one of 12 members of the State University System of Florida. USF is ...

. She then relocated to

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...

where she became a

street musician Street performance or busking is the act of performing in public places for gratuities. In many countries, the rewards are generally in the form of money but other gratuities such as food, drink or gifts may be given. Street performance is pr ...

for many years. Together with

Patti Scialfa Vivienne Patricia Scialfa ( ; born July 29, 1953) is an American singer-songwriter and guitarist. Scialfa has been a member of the E Street Band since 1984 and has been married to Bruce Springsteen since 1991. In 2014, Scialfa was inducted into ...

and Lisa Lowell, she formed a street group known as Trickster. Tyrell began appearing on records with

Southside Johnny & The Asbury Jukes Southside Johnny and the Asbury Jukes are an American musical group from the Jersey Shore led by Southside Johnny. They have been recording albums since 1976 and are closely associated with Bruce Springsteen & The E Street Band. They have recor ...

' ''Love is a Sacrifice'' in 1980. She then led her own

country and western A country is a distinct part of the world, such as a state, nation, or other political entity. It may be a sovereign state or make up one part of a larger state. For example, the country of Japan is an independent, sovereign state, while the ...

band, Soozie & High in the Saddle. Beginning in mid-1980s Tyrell worked with

David Johansen David Roger Johansen (sometimes spelled ''David Jo Hansen''; born January 9, 1950) is an American singer, songwriter and actor. He is best known as a member of the seminal proto-punk band the New York Dolls. He is also known for his work under ...

and his

Buster Poindexter David Roger Johansen (sometimes spelled ''David Jo Hansen''; born January 9, 1950) is an American singer, songwriter and actor. He is best known as a member of the seminal proto-punk band the New York Dolls. He is also known for his work under ...

alter-ego for fifteen years, appearing on six albums and a number of tours as well as collaborating on the musical ''Poet's Café''. Tyrell, Scialfa and Lowell performed on

stage name A stage name is a pseudonym used by performers and entertainers—such as actors, comedians, singers, and musicians. Such professional aliases are adopted for a wide variety of reasons and they may be similar, or nearly identical, to an individu ...

eponymous An eponym is a person, a place, or a thing after whom or which someone or something is, or is believed to be, named. The adjectives which are derived from the word eponym include ''eponymous'' and ''eponymic''. Usage of the word The term ''epon ...

first ''

'' album released in 1987 on

RCA Records RCA Records is an American record label currently owned by Sony Music Entertainment, a subsidiary of Sony Corporation of America. It is one of Sony Music's four flagship labels, alongside RCA's former long-time rival Columbia Records; also A ...

featuring the popular

dance hall Dance hall in its general meaning is a hall for Dance, dancing. From the earliest years of the twentieth century until the early 1960s, the dance hall was the popular forerunner of the discothèque or nightclub. The majority of towns and citi ...

single, " Hot-Hot-Hot"; their friendship and mutual

recording industry A record, recording or records may refer to: An item or collection of data Computing * Record (computer science), a data structure ** Record, or row (database), a set of fields in a database related to one entity ** Boot sector or boot record, r ...

projects continue to the present. Tyrell first appeared with Bruce Springsteen in 1992 on his ''

Lucky Town ''Lucky Town'' is the tenth studio album by American singer-songwriter Bruce Springsteen. The album was released on March 31, 1992, the same day as Springsteen's ''Human Touch'' album. ''Lucky Town'' peaked at number three on the ''Billboard'' 2 ...

'' album, as a

backing vocalist A backing vocalist is a singer who provides vocal harmony with the lead vocalist or other backing vocalists. A backing vocalist may also sing alone as a lead-in to the main vocalist's entry or to sing a counter-melody. Backing vocalists are us ...

. She subsequently performed on every Springsteen album of new studio material since that time, primarily as a violinist and backing singer, including the albums ''

The Ghost of Tom Joad ''The Ghost of Tom Joad'' is the eleventh studio album, and the second acoustic album, by American recording artist Bruce Springsteen, released on November 21, 1995, by Columbia Records. It reached the Top Ten in two countries, and the Top Twenty ...

'' and ''

Devils & Dust ''Devils & Dust'' is the thirteenth studio album by American recording artist Bruce Springsteen, and his third acoustic album (after ''Nebraska'' and ''The Ghost of Tom Joad''). It was released on April 25, 2005, in Europe and the following day in ...

'', which were not E Street Band albums, making her the musician who has performed on more Springsteen albums in the last twenty years than most of the other members of the E Street Band, with the exception of Patti Scialfa and Springsteen himself. In 2002 her violin became a key part of the sound on Springsteen's album '' The Rising'', and Tyrell joined the E Street Band for the subsequent 2002–2003 Rising Tour. She also played a prominent role in his non-E Street, big band folk-oriented 2006 album '' We Shall Overcome: The Seeger Sessions'' and the subsequent Sessions Band Tour. She contributed to Springsteen's albums ''

Magic Magic or Magick most commonly refers to: * Magic (supernatural), beliefs and actions employed to influence supernatural beings and forces * Ceremonial magic, encompasses a wide variety of rituals of magic * Magical thinking, the belief that unrela ...

'' (2007), ''

Working on a Dream ''Working on a Dream'' is the sixteenth studio album by Bruce Springsteen, released on January 27, 2009, through Columbia Records.Cohen, Jonathan"Bruce Springsteen 'Dreams' Big on New Album" ''Billboard''. November 17, 2008. It topped the charts ...

'' (2009), ''

Wrecking Ball A wrecking ball is a heavy steel ball, usually hung from a crane, that is used for demolishing large buildings. It was most commonly in use during the 1950s and 1960s. Several wrecking companies claim to have invented the wrecking ball. An e ...

'' (2012), '' High Hopes'' (2014), ''

Western Stars ''Western Stars'' is the nineteenth studio album by American singer-songwriter Bruce Springsteen, released on June 14, 2019, by Columbia Records. It was produced by Ron Aniello, who worked with Springsteen on his two previous albums: ''Wrecking ...

'' (2019) and '' Only the Strong Survive'' (2022). She was a key facet of Springsteen and the E Street Band's ensuing

, and

Wrecking Ball Tour The Wrecking Ball World Tour was a concert tour by Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band to promote Springsteen's seventeenth studio album, ''Wrecking Ball'', which was released on March 5, 2012. It was the first tour for the E Street Band with ...

s. On them she was onstage for every number, playing

acoustic guitar An acoustic guitar is a musical instrument in the string family. When a string is plucked its vibration is transmitted from the bridge, resonating throughout the top of the guitar. It is also transmitted to the side and back of the instrument, ...

in addition to violin, and singing some featured duet parts during the frequent absences of bandmate and Springsteen wife Patti Scialfa. On both the Magic and Working On a Dream Tour, her spot on stage rotated between a riser beside Bittan and in Scialfa's spot when she wasn't present. Since the Wrecking Ball Tour, she has stood in Clarence Clemons’ former spot. In 2003, Tyrell's debut album ''White Lines'' was released on Treasure Records. In 2014 Tyrell was featured on the compilation ''

Songs from a Stolen Spring ''Songs from a Stolen Spring'' is a compilation album that mainly features duets and mashups of protest and peace songs performed by pairings of Western musicians with their contemporaries from the countries where the Arab Spring The Ara ...

''. On the album she performed "Danger Zone" - a

Percy Mayfield Percy Mayfield (August 12, 1920August 11, 1984) was an American Rhythm and blues singer with a smooth vocal style. He also was a songwriter, known for the songs " Please Send Me Someone to Love" and "Hit the Road Jack", the latter being a song ...

song made famous by

Ray Charles Ray Charles Robinson Sr. (September 23, 1930 – June 10, 2004) was an American singer, songwriter, and pianist. He is regarded as one of the most iconic and influential singers in history, and was often referred to by contemporaries as "The Ge ...

Discography with Bruce Springsteen

*''

'' (1992) *''

'' (1995) *'' Blood Brothers'' (1996) *'' The Rising'' (2002) *''

The Essential Bruce Springsteen ''The Essential Bruce Springsteen'' is a compilation album by Bruce Springsteen, released on November 11, 2003. The collection is part of a series of ''Essential'' sets released by Sony BMG (previously Sony Music Entertainment). It includes songs ...

'' (2003) *''

'' (2005) *'' We Shall Overcome: The Seeger Sessions'' (2006) *'' Bruce Springsteen with The Sessions Band: Live in Dublin'' (2007) *''

'' (2007) *''

Magic Tour Highlights ''Magic Tour Highlights'' is an EP by Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band, which consists of four live audio tracks and their accompanying videos, and was released for digital download on July 15, 2008. The performances were recorded durin ...

'' (2008) *''

Greatest Hits A greatest hits album or best-of album is a type of compilation album that collects popular and commercially successful songs by a particular artist or band. While greatest hits albums are typically supported by the artist, they can also be crea ...

'' (2009) *''

'' (2009) *'' The Promise'' (2010) *''

'' (2012) *'' High Hopes'' (2014) *'' American Beauty'' (2014) *''

'' (2019) *'' Only the Strong Survive'' (2022)

Tours with Bruce Springsteen

*Guest musician during the 1992-1993 "Other Band" Tour, 1995-1997

Ghost of Tom Joad Tour The Ghost of Tom Joad Tour was a worldwide concert tour featuring Bruce Springsteen performing alone on stage in small halls and theatres, that ran off and on from late 1995 through the middle of 1997.Santelli, ''Greetings From E Street'', pp. ...

, and 1999-2000 Reunion Tour *

The Rising Tour The Rising Tour was a lengthy, worldwide, top-grossing concert tour featuring Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band that took place in arenas and stadiums over 2002 and 2003. It followed the release of their 2002 album '' The Rising''. Itin ...

with the E Street Band, 2002-2003 *

Vote for Change Tour The Vote for Change tour was a politically motivated American popular music concert tour that took place in October 2004. The tour was presented by MoveOn.org to benefit America Coming Together. The tour was held in swing states and was designed ...

with the E Street Band, 2004 * Seeger Sessions Tour with the Sessions Band, 2006 * Magic Tour with the E Street Band, 2007-2008 *

Working On A Dream Tour The Working on a Dream Tour was a concert tour by Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band, which began in April 2009 and ended in November 2009. It followed the late January 2009 release of the album ''Working on a Dream''. This was the first ful ...

with the E Street Band, 2009 *

with the E Street Band, 2012-2013 *

High Hopes Tour The High Hopes Tour was a concert tour by Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band with special guest guitarist Tom Morello of Rage Against the Machine. The tour was seen as a continuation of his previous tour and was in support of eighteenth st ...

with the E Street Band, 2014 *

The River Tour 2016 The River Tour was a concert tour by Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band in support of Springsteen's 2015 '' The Ties That Bind: The River Collection'' box set and in celebration of the 35th anniversary of Springsteen's 1980 album, '' The ...

with the E Street Band, 2016–2017

References

* "From Bleecker Street to E Street: An Interview with Soozie Tyrell", Anthony D'Amato, ''Upstage Magazine'', October 2005. {{DEFAULTSORT:Tyrell, Soozie 1957 births Living people American violinists E Street Band members Southside Johnny & The Asbury Jukes members American street performers People from Pisa Jersey Shore musicians 21st-century violinists The Sessions Band members