Happy Birthday, Bruce Springsteen! Seven Other Populist Rockers

He's the patron saint of New Jersey, the everyman, a populist rocker whose adoring legions have made him millions even while he retains his status as a man of the people. We're talking about Bruce Springsteen, of course, a musician whose impact and popularity extend well beyond his albums and into a cult of personality. He's a philosopher, a moral avenger, and a man who politicians are fond of referencing, sometimes to his dismay. His impact on popular culture can't be underestimated. Like Dylan, Guthrie, Will Rogers, and traveling troubadours before him, Bruce Springsteen is the voice of America's heartland.