{"id":5413,"date":"1988-03-28T11:00:37","date_gmt":"1988-03-28T19:00:37","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/estreetshuffle.com\/?p=5413"},"modified":"2026-02-08T07:53:00","modified_gmt":"2026-02-08T15:53:00","slug":"meeting-across-the-river-bruce-springsteen-and-joe-grushecky-pumping-iron","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/estreetshuffle.com\/index.php\/1988\/03\/28\/meeting-across-the-river-bruce-springsteen-and-joe-grushecky-pumping-iron\/","title":{"rendered":"Pumping Iron"},"content":{"rendered":"

In 1980, Joe Grushecky’s band, the Iron City Houserockers, were recording their second album,\u00a0Have a Good Time But Get Out Alive<\/em>.<\/p>\n

Steven Van Zandt produced and arranged five of the songs on that album (and played guitar on one), all while still working in the studio with the E Street Band on The River.\u00a0<\/em>One night, Steve invited Joe to tag along and introduced him to Bruce. That, as they say, was the beginning of a long and beautiful friendship.<\/p>\n

One of the songs that Steve did\u00a0not<\/em> have a hand in but still ended up on the album was “Pumping Iron,” as much an anthem for Pittsburgh as anything Bruce ever wrote for New Jersey.<\/p>\n