Vini Lopez

Vini "Mad Dog" Lopez is an American drummer, best known as the original drummer for Bruce Springsteen's E Street Band.

Lopez had begun drumming with Springsteen in 1969, playing in the bands Child, Steel Mill, Dr. Zoom and the Sonic Boom, and The Bruce Springsteen Band, [University of Arizona School of Fine Arts] ( [http://www.arts.arizona.edu/sturman/sturmansoundfiles/music109soundfiles/CD004soundfiles/CD004-links/Sturman-00401.html University of Arizona School of Fine Arts] ) before what would become known as The E Street Band came together in 1972. He played drums on Springsteen's first two albums, "Greetings from Asbury Park, N.J.", and "The Wild, the Innocent and the E Street Shuffle", . He then left the band in 1974 after being asked to resign. The reasons for his dismissal are unclear; some reports claim that Springsteen was unhappy with his playing style, others say Lopez was involved in an altercation with an important promoter.

An accurate first-hand theory on the dismissal suggests he was asked to leave after a violent and threatening reaction to the legal holder of Saxophonist Clarence Clemons' child support. This legal promoter failed to pay and take responsibility of Clemons's child support finances, leading to the arrest of Mr. Clemons one night before a show, which the band had to cancel. Angered by such after the long awaiting of a hometown show, Vini "Mad Dog" Lopez put the blame on the promoter and was completely out of control. It was the "last straw" some say of Lopez's constant outbreaks and increasing struggles with alcohol. The band felt a change was needed, where they sought a new drummer Ernest "Boom" Carter who subsequently left and was replaced by current drummer Max Weinberg. However, Vini's music career did not stop there.

In recent years, Lopez and his new band Steel Mill Retro have performed songs originally written by Springsteen for the original Steel Mill. Steel Mill Retro has released a CD with some of the early never recorded songs written by Bruce Springsteen along with fellow New Jersey shore musicians John Luraschi, Ricky DeSarno, and Bill Kacerek and is currently working on a second release. Lopez has recently written a memoir concerning his time with Springsteen and the E Street Band. He joined Springsteen on stage at Giants Stadium in 2003, guest drumming on "Spirit in the Night" after being introduced as having come "straight from the 18th green at Deal Country Club," a reference to Lopez' former job as Caddymaster of Deal Golf Club in Deal, New Jersey.

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