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 regu ...

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 strin ...

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 withou ...

, most known for her work with Bruce Springsteen 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.

Biography

Tyrell was born in Pisa,

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 ...

, 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 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 i ...

. She then relocated to

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the most densely populated major city in the Un ...

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 pra ...

for many years. Together with Patti Scialfa 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 rec ...

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

's stage named

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 '' Buster Poindexter'' 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 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 cities in ...

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'' ...

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

, Working on a Dream, 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 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''. On the album she performed "Danger Zone" - a Percy Mayfield 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'' (2003) *''

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

'' (2007) *'' Magic Tour Highlights'' (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) *'' Working on a Dream'' (2009) *'' The Promise'' (2010) *''

'' (2012) *'' High Hopes'' (2014) *'' American Beauty'' (2014) *'' Western Stars'' (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 with the E Street Band, 2002-2003 * Vote for Change Tour 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 ...

with the E Street Band, 2009 *

with the E Street Band, 2012-2013 * High Hopes Tour 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