E Street — Where the E Street Band Got Its Name, Belmar

E Street in Belmar, New Jersey, gave its name to the E Street Band — Bruce Springsteen's backing group since 1972 and one of the most celebrated bands in the history of American rock. The street takes its name in the standard New Jersey grid pattern; the E Street Band's name came from the fact that keyboard player David Sancious lived on E Street in Belmar during the period when Springsteen was assembling his early band. The name stuck even as the lineup evolved, Sancious departed, and the E Street Band became a fixed institution rather than a loose collective. It is a wholly ordinary New Jersey shore town street whose accidental association with one decision about a band name has made it a pilgrimage destination for Springsteen fans.

The E Street Band's history spans five decades and multiple configurations, but the core of the classic lineup — Clarence Clemons on saxophone, Garry Tallent on bass, Max Weinberg on drums, Roy Bittan on piano, Steven Van Zandt on guitar, and Springsteen himself — was assembled in the early-to-mid 1970s from the musicians of the Asbury Park scene. Clemons, the most visually and sonically distinctive member, died in June 2011, and his absence from subsequent tours has been felt as an irreplaceable loss. Van Zandt spent years away from the band pursuing a solo career and acting work before returning; the reunions have been among the most celebrated concert events of recent decades.

Belmar is a small shore town on the Jersey Shore approximately 60 miles south of New York City. E Street itself is a residential street of modest shore houses, and there is a sign identifying it that has become the subject of countless fan photographs. The surrounding Belmar area is typical of the Jersey Shore beach communities that form the cultural backdrop to Springsteen's music — seasonal, working-class, oriented around the beach and the boardwalk in ways that have changed less than the rest of the American suburban landscape.