Remembering Danny Federici

Let me get something out first: in my humble opinion, the lineup the E Street Band had from 1975 to 1984 is the greatest rock band ever assembled. There was a perfect balance of 7 guys that will never be matched. Every member of that band was equally important. That's why I don't think of them as "Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band" - they are, simply, the "E Street Band". Bruce is great, but aside from Nebraska, he could never do a classic record without them.

Danny Federici died this week of melanoma at the age of 58. It's the end of an era and it's never going to be the same. That band was all about brotherhood - it was all about a couple guys who grew up in a neighborhood together becoming the greatest rock band ever.

Danny added so much to their best work; he brought both a gospel influence and a jazz influence with his organ playing. Here are just a few of my favorite Danny moments:

- His organ solo in "Hungry Heart" - who else was doing organ solos that year?
- His accordion that made "4th of July, Ashbury Park (Sandy)"
- His church organ making "My City Of Ruins" into a spiritual
- His keyboards give the perfect backdrop for every solo in "Prove It All Night"
- His organ outro that makes me cry at the end of "Darkness of the Edge of Town"
- His intro to "Streets Of Fire" - really, he pretty much owned Darkness of the Edge of Town
- His background flourishes in "Your Own Worst Enemy" - one of his last tricks

He wasn't flashy - he never took much camera time away from Bruce, Clarence, or Stevie. He was just always there in the background holding it all together.

Rest in peace Danny. They couldn't have done it without you.