Happy Birthday, Garry Tallent, E Street's strong, silent, steady, and "Funky" "Foundation"

photo by Mark Krajnak for The Bruce Springsteen Archives & Center for American Music - used with permission

October 27, 2025

Happy 76th Birthday, and best wishes for many more happy birthdays ahead, to the rock-steady Foundation of the E Street Nation, the E Street Band bassist who's now played more gigs backing Bruce Springsteen than any other musician, alive or dead... Mr. Garry W. Tallent.

Pictured above is Garry doing his thing at his latest gig backing Bruce, just last month at The Bruce Springsteen Archives & Center for American Music's Born to Run 50th Anniversary Symposium at Monmouth University’s Pollak Theatre. During that symposium, after Garry got good-naturedly teased a bit for being a man of few words, Mr. Jon Landau himself also wanted it known that Bruce Springsteen & the E Street Band never have had to do another take in the studio due to a problem with their bass parts.

So Happy Birthday, "Funky!" Long may you run in your strong, silent, steady way, helping to hold down that rhythm section with problem-free bass, night after night after night after night (and day, too!)