The Boss hits the town Saturday night

He's known as The Boss — and with good reason.

Originally a young Bruce Springsteen came by the nickname back in the '60s when he took on the task of collecting his early band's nightly pay and dispersing it among his then bandmates, but in the decades since he's lived up to the moniker having sold more than 65 million albums, earning 18 Grammy awards and even an Oscar.

After initially signing with Columbia Records he was heralded by critics as the much-needed savior of rock 'n roll, but it wasn't until the 1984 release of "Born in the U.S.A.," one of the best-selling albums of all time, that his commercial success equaled the critical accolades.

Although it's not always mentioned, one must be fair in recognizing the importance of MTV in relation to Springsteen's career. The reality is that he's part of the first generation of artists who benefitted from the emergence of the network in the '80s.

That statement is not meant, however, to diminish in any way his talent as a singer, a songwriter, or as one of the most engaging performers.

In fact, it's comparable to the '20s, when sound was added to movies and a whole new generation of movie stars was discovered.

Back in the '50s and '60s as well as the current decade, we were entertained by the marketing of "American Idol." Springsteen was anything but an idol. He was perhaps a hero to some, but more importantly his days of being broadcast on MTV coincided with the emergence of an American icon.

After all, Springsteen's music is as American as the national anthem.

The 58-year-old's songs have often told stories of working-class struggles to earn a living in America, so it's no surprise that he's as identifiable for his social and political activism. Although his albums have generally alternated between commercially viable (anthemlike rock songs) and critically heralded (his folk-oriented material), Springsteen's efforts to help others and to bring their struggles to the attention of a mainstream audience have been unyielding.

After all, he's simply known as The Boss — and with good reason.

TIME LINE

(Note: Information provided by the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame and Museum.)

Sept. 23, 1949: Bruce Springsteen is born in Freehold, N.J.

May 3, 1972: Springsteen auditions for Columbia Records and signs with the label a month later.

Jan. 31, 1973: Springsteen performs in New York for the first time.

Nov. 1, 1973: "The Wild, the Innocent and the E Street Shuffle," Springsteen's second album in less than a year, is released. Though neither album charts until 1975, Springsteen and his newly christened E Street Band steadily win fans on the road with their powerful two-hour sets.

May 22, 1974: A performance in Cambridge, Mass., inspires music journalist Jon Landau to write, "I saw rock and roll's future — and its name is Bruce Springsteen."

Oct. 27, 1975: The Boss appears simultaneously on the covers of Newsweek and Time after "Born to Run," his much-anticipated third album, quickly vaults to No. 3 on the album chart.

July 1976-May 1977: Springsteen is engaged in a legal battle with manager Mike Appel, during which time an injunction prohibits him from recording "Born to Run" with co-producer and soon-to-be manager Jon Landau.

June 1, 1977: After a settlement is reached in his lawsuits on May 28, Springsteen begins work on "Darkness on the Edge of Town," his long-delayed fourth album.

May 23, 1978: Springsteen and his band kick off their first major arena tour in Buffalo. It ends seven months and 109 cities later in Cleveland on Jan. 1, 1979.

Sept. 23, 1979: On the very day he turns 30, Springsteen performs a set at New York's Madison Square Garden as part of the Musicians United for Safe Energy benefit concert. His "Mitch Ryder Medley" is a favorite part of the multi-artist three-album set, "No Nukes," culled from the concert.

June 17, 1984: Selected from roughly 100 songs recorded over the previous year and a half, Springsteen's "Born in the U.S.A." is released. It becomes one of the biggest albums of the 1980s, remaining at No. 1 for seven weeks and selling more than 15 million copies.

Oct. 2, 1985: Springsteen's globe-trotting "Born in the U.S.A." tour draws to a close at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. The 15-month, 150-date outing found him performing at mammoth outdoor stadiums and indoor arenas.

Nov. 29, 1986: Bruce-mania remains in full swing as Springsteen's hotly anticipated five-album box set, "Live 1975-1985," becomes a retail sensation.

Nov. 5, 1987: "Tunnel of Love" becomes his fourth No. 1 album, following "The River," "Born in the U.S.A." and "Live 1975-1985." According to Billboard, he is the only artist to amass four No. 1 albums in the past 10 years.

June 9, 1991: Springsteen and Patti Scialfa, a member of his E Street Band since 1984, are married in a ceremony at their home in Beverly Hills, Calif.

Nov. 11, 1992: MTV presents Springsteen in its first televised concert performance, "Bruce Springsteen Plugged."

Sept. 2, 1995: Backed by Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band, Jerry Lee Lewis sings "Whole Lotta Shakin' Goin' On" and "Great Balls of Fire," while Chuck Berry performs "Johnny B. Goode" at a concert for the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in Cleveland.

March 15, 1999: Springsteen is inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame at the 14th annual induction dinner. Bono (of U2) is his presenter.

April 9, 1999: Bruce Springsteen's reunion tour with the E Street Band kicks off in Barcelona, Spain. The band plays for three hours without a break.

July 15, 1999: The U.S. leg of the Bruce Springsteen and the E-Street Band reunion tour commences with the first of 15 sold-out shows at New Jersey's Continental Airlines Arena.

ACADEMY AWARDS

--Best Rock Vocal Performance, Male, "Dancing in the Dark" (1984)

--Best Rock Vocal Performance, Male, "Tunnel of Love" (1987)

--Song of the Year, "Streets of Philadelphia" (1994)

--Best Rock Song, "Streets of Philadelphia" (1994)

--Best Rock Vocal Performance, Solo, "Streets of Philadelphia" (1994)

--Best Song Written Specifically for a Motion Picture or Television, "Streets of Philadelphia" (1994)

--Best Contemporary Folk Album, "The Ghost of Tom Joad" (1996)

--Best Rock Album, "The Rising" (2002)

--Best Rock Song, "The Rising" (2002)

--Best Male Rock Vocal Performance, "The Rising" (2002)

--Best Rock Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal, "Disorder in the House" (with Warren Zevon) (2003)

--Best Solo Rock Vocal Performance, "Code of Silence" (2004)

--Best Solo Rock Vocal Performance, "Devils & Dust" (2005)

--Best Traditional Folk Album, "The Seeger Sessions: We Shall Overcome" (2006)

--Best Long Form Music Video, "Wings for Wheels: The making of Born to Run" (2006)

--Best Solo Rock Vocal Performance, "Radio Nowhere" (2007)

--Best Rock Song, "Radio Nowhere" (2007)

--Best Rock Instrumental Performance, "Once Upon a Time in the West" (2007)

--Best Song, "Streets of Philadelphia" (from "Philadelphia") (1993)

DISCOGRAPHY

--Greetings from Asbury Park, N.J. (1973)

--The Wild, the Innocent & the E Street Shuffle (1973)

--Born to Run (1975)

--Darkness on the Edge of Town (1978)

--The River (1980)

--Nebraska (1982)

--Born in the U.S.A. (1984)

--Live 1975-1985 (1987)

--Tunnel of Love (1987)

--Chimes of Freedom (1988)

--Human Touch (1992)

--Lucky Town (1992)

--Lucky Town Live (1993)

--In Concert MTV Plugged Live (1993)

--Greatest Hits (1995)

--The Ghost of Tom Joad (1995)

--Tracks (1998)

--18 Tracks (1999)

--Live in New York City (2001)

--The Rising (2002)

--The Essential Bruce Springsteen (2003)

--Maximum Bruce Springsteen (2003)

--Devils & Dust (2005)

--Born to Run: 30th Anniversary (2005)

--Hammersmith Odeon, London '75 Live (2006)

--We Shall Overcome: The Seeger Sessions (2006)

--Live in Dublin (2007)

--Magic (2007)

--Born to Run

--Rosalita (Come Out Tonight)

--Born in the U.S.A.

--Darkness on the Edge of Town

--Blinded by the Light

--Jungleland

--Dancing in the Dark

--Tunnel of Love

--The River

--Streets of Philadelphia

--Better Days

Keith Ryan Cartwright is a Colorado-based freelance entertainment journalist.