Happy Birthday, Sister Soozie Tyrell! May the Fiddle be with you!
- Letters To You
- May 4
- 2 min read
May 4, 2025
We have no idea whether Soozie Tyrell celebrates Star Wars Day or not. Probably not, but hey, just last weekend at The Bruce Springsteen Archives & Center for American Music's 2025 American Music Honors, noted once-temporary-E-Streeter Tom Morello reminded us all again of what a "Star Trek nerd" he is, so maybe, just maybe...
In any case, one thing's for sure... It's certainly fitting that Soozie has a "May the 4th be with you" birthday, because - as illustrated so effectively and atmospherically in Rob DeMartin's beautiful official concert photo above - she definitely can wield a violin bow with the same skill, grace, and elegance with which a Jedi Knight wields a lightsaber.
Happy Birthday, Sister Soozie, and many, many more! May the Fiddle be with you, indeed!
Oh, and to help celebrate Soozie Tyrell's birthday today - as well as remember a great, recently departed musician with whom she also collaborated extensively - here's a little something special off E Street and from a long time ago in a legendary L.A. venue not so far, far away. When we lost the late, great David Johansen towards the end of last winter, Reelin' In The Years Productions LLC posted on its YouTube channel a high-quality professional 1988 video-clip of Johansen, in his "Buster Poindexter" persona, playfully hamming it up with his main onstage foil, "Sister Soozie" (identified as such onstage years before Bruce Springsteen would begin introducing her that way) while singing Johansen/Poindexter's monster-hit cover of "Hot Hot Hot." (Tyrell also sang on the Buster Poindexter debut album, featuring the hit recording of "Hot Hot Hot," along with Patti Scialfa and Lisa Lowell.) Below you can watch Johansen and Tyrell do their thing at a sold-out gig in Los Angeles' famous Roxy Theatre, with the famous - such as Neil Diamond, who can be glimpsed briefly in the crowd - feeling "hot hot hot" right alongside the not-so-famous. Fiesta!
