“Biographies are almost always better than autobiographies, aren’t they?” Steve Van Zandt asked in his 2021 memoir Unrequited Infatuations.
Well, he’s about to find out. Ditto the rest of us. Canadian rock scribe and former Winnipegger Robert Lawson — author of books about Nazareth, Cheap Trick and The Guess Who — is about to publish his latest work, Solidarity Forever: The Art and Soul of Stevie Van Zandt. In some ways, it is also his most personal project: Lawson first met Van Zandt backstage on his Voice Of America solo tour in 1984, and has kept in touch with the rocker, actor and activist ever since.
“Eventually the idea of a Little Steven Van Zandt book became too much to resist,” Lawson writes in his book’s introduction. “After all, as soon as I heard his debut solo album Men Without Women in early 1983, I was completely devoted to every note. The mix of Motown-style horns, Dylanesque vocals and Keith Richards-influenced guitar were the perfect combination for these ears. I spent years collecting magazine articles, hunting down obscure guest appearances on other artists’ albums and trading unauthorized live cassettes and VHS tapes. To say that Stevie has had a profound influence on my life is a massive understatement. So, doing a serious deep dive to definitively document his musical career just made sense to me.”
Thankfully, it also made sense to him to share a preview of the book with me. If you like what you read below (and I’m pretty sure you will), you can score a copy on Amazon soon, or by getting in touch with Lawson HERE. In the meantime, enjoy a taste of Solidary Forever, along with a Van Zandt-approved Spotify playlist Lawson put together to go with the book:
In his 2021 autobiography Unrequited Infatuations, Van Zandt explains that “every month or two, the same group of guys more or less would turn into a different band.” And indeed, at this time in the early ’70s, Van Zandt played in the Sundance Blues Band, the Bank Street Blues Band, Albee & the Hired Hands and the acoustic duo Southside Johnny & the Kid.
That acoustic combo would be immortalized in the 2019 Little Steven boxed set Rock N Roll Rebel: The Early Work. The song Who Told You? is performed by Southside Johnny & the Kid recorded live at Gulliver’s Pub in Red Bank, N.J., on June 15, 1973. The track is a muted blues tune featuring Van Zandt on lead vocals and acoustic guitar while Southside supplies honking harmonica accompaniment. Who Told You? is actually the 1956 single simply called Who, originally by Little Walter and his Jukes.
Around this time there, was also the Bruce Springsteen Band. Formed in July 1971, this group was made up of Springsteen, Van Zandt, David L. Sancious, Garry Tallent and Vini Lopez, with Harvey Cherlin (trumpet), Bobby Feigenbaum (sax) plus Delores Holmes and Barbara Dinkins supplying soulful backing vocals.
The Bruce Springsteen Band was one of many acts who participated in a day-long concert on July 23, 1971 at the Guggenheim Bandshell in Damrosch Park in Lincoln Square, N.Y. The band’s hour long set included lead vocals by Delores Holmes on two numbers and co-lead vocals, with Springsteen, on an excellent version of You Mean So Much to Me. Although the song would eventually surface on Southside Johnny’s 1976 debut album I Don’t Want to Go Home, this is a much different arrangement, with full participation from the girls and horns, plus Springsteen and Van Zandt’s engagement in a heated six-string battle.
On March 14,1972, a Bruce Springsteen Band rehearsal at Challenger Eastern Surfboards in Highlands, N.J., was recorded. This rehearsal did not include the horn players or backing vocalists. Along with a cover of Bob Dylan’s It’s All Over Now, Baby Blue, they also worked on When You Dance, which finally appeared on the 1977 Southside Johnny album This Time It’s for Real. An original song, The Ballad of Jesse James, from this rehearsal session, would get an official release on the 2016 Springsteen collection Chapter and Verse. The Bruce Springsteen Band then opened for Mitch Ryder and the Detroit Wheels on March 17, 1972 in Richmond, Va. In addition to It’s All Over Now, Baby Blue, the band performed When You Dance, allowing Springsteen and Van Zandt to engage in some extended twin guitar soloing.
From June to October 1972, sessions for Springsteen’s debut album Greetings from Asbury Park, N.J. took place at 914 Sound Studios in Blauvelt, N.Y. After attempting a slide guitar part on the song For You (and a bit of feedback at the intro to Lost in the Flood), Van Zandt was dismissed from the rest of the sessions and temporarily quit music, choosing a job in highway construction, including working on the New Jersey Turnpike, instead.
Eventually, Van Zandt joined the backing band for Philadelphia doo-wop group The Dovells, best known for their hits Bristol Stomp (No. 2 in 1961) and You Can’t Sit Down (No. 3 in 1963). Playing the oldies circuit included gigs at the legendary Flamingo Hotel in Las Vegas. Van Zandt was promoted from guitarist to musical director for the group, which also included future Asbury Jukes bassist Alan Berger. It was while touring with The Dovells that Van Zandt met Ronnie Spector, Gary U.S. Bonds, Dion, Little Richard and many others for the first time. His stint with The Dovells ended with a New Year’s Eve show for Dick Clark in Miami Beach. This occasion is when Van Zandt famously brought numerous colourful shirts back to New Jersey, which earned him the ubiquitous nickname Miami Steve.
