On this day in 1965…..

….The Castiles, which featured a young singer called Bruce Springsteen appeared at The Fire House, Hazlet, New Jersey. The night was billed as a Teenage Go, Go Dance.

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This is the lowdown on the band from their own website….

The Castiles are often named as the first Band Bruce played in, but in fact that had been the “Rouges”. But the Rouges didn’t make it long and it was nothing very important for Bruce’s career. They played a few gigs and Bruce get the first stage experience. After it broke down Bruce joined “The Castiles”. The name was taken from hair shampoo that everybody was using in at this time, as band member George Theiss remembers in an interview with Robert Santalli in June 1985. The Castiles played on local benefits and high school graduation dances, such as Bruce’s own Class of ’67 dance on June 9 1967.

Original band members where Paul Popkin (guitar + vocals) George Theiss (guitar + vocals) Frank Marziotti (bass) and Bart Haynes (drums). Bruce joined the band shortly after it was formed. First changes where done in early 1967 when drummer Bart Haynes joined the army and went to Vietnam. He was killed in action on October 22 1967 in Quang Tri, South Vietnam. He was replaced by Vini Maniello. Frank Marziotti was the next one who left the band shortly after that. He was ten years older that the rest of the band and doesn’t want to be a part of a band that was still struggling. Curt Fluhr took his part in the band. The Castiles where managed by Tex Vineyard who did everything for the band. He bought parts of the equipment and let the band stay at his house where they could rehearse in his living room. He also booked the gigs for the band, he was just like a friend for the guys.

Bruce’s first studio session ever took place on May 18 1966 at “Mr. Music Inc” in Bricktown, New Jersey. The Castiles got half an hour of recording time for recording two sings. The first was named “Baby I” and the second was called “That’s what you got”. Both where written by Bruce and George Theiss during the car ride to the studio. Only few copy’s of that single where pressed on acetate. Four are known to exist today, so it’s nearly a wonder that this record made his way to the hands of the bootleg industry. They where released in 1993 on the bootleg “The Bruce Springsteen Story Vol. 2”. That was the first time that all Springsteen fans around the world had been able to listen to this very first record of Bruce.

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