Mt. Rushmore Of Springsteen

Here’s a great story that showcases two industry legends who also happen to be passionate, longtime Bruce Springsteen fans — Tom Cunningham and David Dye. Mr. Cunningham has hosted the Bruce Brunch on Townsquare Media Classic Rock WCHR (105.7 The Hawk)/Monmouth-Ocean, NJ for the past 14 years, and Dye recently stepped down as host of NPR’s World Cafe after 25 years. The two gentlemen joined forces last Thursday to participate in a very cool event called Springsteen On The Radio — From 1973 to the 21st Century at the sold-out Present Day Club in Princeton, NJ. “We spent 90 minutes discussing — wait for it — Bruce Springsteen on the radio and Mr. Dye’s role in helping to break Bruce in 1973 while he was a jock at WMMR/Philadelphia,” Cunningham tells RAMP. “As David has his own sub-chapter in Springsteen’s autobiography, Born To Run, it was cool to revisit those and other ‘glory days.’ Naturally, David’s 25 years as founder/host of World Cafe was also a part of the conversation.”

Noted Springsteen photographer Frank Stefanko was also on hand and talked about being inspired by Bruce’s music as a young man in South Jersey while listening to WMMR, and his path to shooting the cover shots for Bruce’s aforementioned autobiography as well as Darkness On The Edge Of Town and The River. Cunningham said, “David Dye was one of the people who inspired my love of radio as a high school kid in Jersey listening to WMMR. Forty-plus years later, sharing the stage with him the other night was beyond special.” Pictured, (l-r): Frank Stefanko, Tom Cunningham and David Dye. [Photo by Mark Krajnak for Backstreets.com]