Dave Marsh, a renowned rock critic and biographer, has died. An early editor of Creem who also wrote for the Village Voice, Rolling Stone, and Newsday, Marsh wrote one of the earliest and most influential Bruce Springsteen biographies, Born to Run: The Bruce Springsteen Story, in 1979. He died on August 14 at his home in Connecticut; a cause of death has not been publicly disclosed. Marsh was 76.
Marsh’s longtime co-host on the Springsteen-focused SiriusXM station E Street Radio, Jim Rotolo, confirmed the news on social media on August 15. “Some sad news today, E Street Nation,” Rotolo wrote. “Bruce Springsteen biographer, SiriusXM host, and my friend Dave Marsh passed away late yesterday at his home in Connecticut. Dave wrote several books about Bruce as part of a remarkable body of work spanning some 25 titles.” Marsh had stepped back from hosting with Rotolo in 2022.
An early champion of Springsteen’s work, Marsh regularly lauded Springsteen in Creem in the early ’70 before he blew up, and infamously brought critic Jon Landau to his first Springsteen concert in 1974. Marsh also went on to write the Boss’ first major cover story for Rolling Stone in 1978. After publishing Born to Run, he updated the biography many times over the years, most recently in 2003. (Marsh’s passion for Springsteen ultimately became a family affair—his wife, Barbara Carr, served as one of Springsteen’s co-managers for decades.) He also co-founded E Street Radio, and hosted multiple shows on E Street Nation’s dedicated SiriusXM channel, which will pay tribute to Marsh on Wednesday, August 19, beginning at 10 AM ET.
“My great friend Dave, with his straight out of Detroit attitude, was a true Rock ‘n’ Roll lifer,” Springsteen shared in a statement. “He was soulful, intelligent, heartfelt, opinionated, bruising and often fantastically argumentative. Watching Jon Landau and Dave drive each other crazy over some arcane piece of music would make my day. He wrote the first book about me, Born To Run, and Dave always had my back. He deeply believed in what I was trying to accomplish and his lifetime of support meant the world to me.”
“More than anything else, I admired Dave as a man of conscience and commitment,” Springsteen’s statement concluded. “He lived and stuck by his values come hell or high water. Wherever he is, I hope he’s receiving some of the grace, happiness and reward he’s brought into my life. God bless you Dave.”
Although Marsh dedicated years of his career to chronicling Springsteen’s life and work, these titles only made up a fraction of his output. He published the definitive biography of the Who, Before I Get Old: The Story of the Who, in 1983, just a year after the band split. He also authored a number of anthologies on rock history, including The Heart of Rock & Soul: The 1001 Greatest Singles Ever Made, The First Rock and Roll Confidential Report: Inside the Real World of Rock and Roll, The Heart of Rock & Soul: The 1001 Greatest Singles Ever Made, and Louie Louie: The History and Mythology of the World’s Most Famous Rock ‘n’ Roll Song.
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