Bruce Springsteen - Happy Birthday To The Boss

It was 60 years ago today (23Sep) that BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN was Born In The U.S.A. and love him or loathe him, there's no question the rocker is a living legend.

Still touring, releasing hit albums and writing hit songs from the heart, one of America's favourite sons is still as relevant today as he was when he first wowed fans with classic albums like Greetings from Asbury Park, N.J. and The Wild, the Innocent & the E Street Shuffle back in the early 1970s.

Backed by his world-class E Street Band, The Boss has become one of the acts you have to see before you die.

To mark his big birthday, WENN trawled back over Springsteen's life to dig up 10 things you probably never knew about the guy - unless you're a die-hard fan.

Happy Birthday Bruce!

- he dreamed of becoming a baseball star as a kid and almost gave up his guitar-playing dreams because his hands were too small to master the instrument.

- Springsteen has 19 Grammy Awards, two Golden Globes and a Best Song Oscar for penning Streets of Philadelphia, the moving theme tune to Tom Hanks' film Philadelphia.

- he has sold more than 65 million albums in America alone, and 120 million worldwide.

- before going solo, he performed in bands like The Castiles, Child and Steel Mill. He has also performed as Dr. Zoom and The Sonic Boom.

- Springsteen was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1999 by U2 frontman Bono. He was inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame the same year.

- The Boss' Rendezvous was played as the crew's wake-up call onboard a December 1999 flight of the Space Shuttle Discovery.

- he wrote Blinded By The Light, which was a big hit for Manfred Mann's Earth Band, and Patty Smith's anthem Because The Night.

- he shares the same birthday as late soul man Ray Charles, Leo Tolstoy and Bon Jovi drummer Tico Torres.

- he danced with a then-unknown Courteney Cox in his 1984 video for Dancing In The Dark.

- Springsteen has an odd link to Billy Joel, Hall & Oates and comedian Steve Martin - they all opened for rock 'n' roll band Sha Na Na at the start of their careers.