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World-Renowned Photographers Band Together to Raise Money For – and Awareness About – Hunger in America

Hillside, N.J., April 23, 2009 – People say a picture is worth a thousand words, but “Photographers Against Hunger” is hoping that fourteen photographs of Bruce Springsteen prove to be even more valuable. In partnership with Backstreets magazine, the group is seeking to raise funds for the Community FoodBank of New Jersey, member of Feeding America, by providing fourteen photographs—spanning over three decades of the iconic rocker’s career—for a very special charitable effort. For each $25 donation to the Community FoodBank of New Jersey, Springsteen fans will have the chance to receive one of the photographs, signed by the photographer. Fans can view the images and enter at www.backstreets.com/hunger.

The photographers have made most, if not all, of the iconic images of Springsteen, including the album covers for Born to Run, Darkness on the Edge of Town, The River, Nebraska, Born in the U.S.A., Tunnel of Love, Lucky Town, The Rising, Devils & Dust and The Seeger Sessions. The fourteen photographers are: Mary Alfieri, Danny Clinch, Anton Corbijn, Lynn Goldsmith, David Michael Kennedy, Annie Leibovitz, Eric Meola, Neal Preston, Barbara Pyle, David Rose, Pam Springsteen, Frank Stefanko, Albert Watson and Timothy White.

Donations may be made starting on April 23, 2009, and 100 percent of each donation of $25 will go toward supporting the FoodBank’s efforts. Once 14,000 donations have been made, 14 lucky fans will be chosen at random to each receive a print.

Among the unique prints are a limited edition palladium print by David Michael Kennedy which was part of the series he made for Nebraska; a Frank Stefanko print which was used as the jacket sleeve for Darkness on the Edge of Town; and a rare photograph by Barbara Pyle which was made during the Born to Run studio sessions and which few people have ever seen.

“Each of the photographers who contributed to this has personally worked with Bruce Springsteen and has been touched by his generosity and passion for helping others,” said Eric Meola, esteemed photographer, and well-known in the Bruce Springsteen world for the Born to Run album cover. “This project has allowed each of us to follow his lead and ‘pay-it-forward,’ combining a cause that is close to Bruce’s heart with our love of photography; but we also want Bruce’s fans and the readers of Backstreets to realize that they are the most important part of this effort.»

Helping the Hungry

As a result of the recession, the Community FoodBank of New Jersey—which provides food for more than 500,000 New Jersey residents—has been struggling to keep up with increased demand for food. Sadly, this is a situation that is playing out in food banks across the nation.

“The current economic crisis has placed people from all walks of life in difficult financial situations. Families are turning to emergency food providers in record numbers,” said Kathleen DiChiara, founder of the Community FoodBank of New Jersey. “We hope that Bruce Springsteen’s words will once again be a symbol of hope and that these photos will inspire people to give back to their communities in whatever way they can.”

«I credit Bruce with raising my own awareness about the issue of hunger, and he’s always been passionate about giving back to the community; so it’s fitting that the proceeds from these photographs that mark defining moments in his career will help many families in New Jersey who are struggling to redefine their lives,» said Chris Phillips, editor of Backstreets.

To learn more about the project or to make a donation, please visit: www.backstreets.com/hunger.

The May issue of Uncut features Bruce on its cover. The magazine includes a CD with 15 songs handpicked by Bruce as his «walk-in» music for his live shows. Steve Van Zandt writes about Bruce’s long career and is interviewed by the magazine. Read more.

27 songs, nearly 3 hours, special guests and three tour premieres: «I Wanna Be Sedated», the great Ramones punk-rock song, by popular request; «For You», and «So Young and In Love» (video), back since its last performance in Belgium last year. Plus a perfect «Jungleland» (in lieu of «The Wrestler»), «She’s the One», and a long set of encores which ended with «Seven Nights to Rock».

During encore time Tim Brennan (from Boston’s Dropkick Murphys) came up to play on «So Young and In Love», and was later joined by another two members of the Murphys on «American Land». It was a great night for Jay Weinberg too, who got to play on the last 4 songs of the main set, plus «American Land» and «Glory Days» in the encores. A great show for a great crowd, which Bruce acknowledged by saying goodbye with these words: «You guys never disappoint. You still stoke the fire in our belly when we get here».

See complete set list.

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