Staying Creative and Remaining Relevant
Musician, producer, actor, and founder STEVEN VAN ZANDT has been a part of globally successful projects that have stood the test of time – from the E Street Band to The Sopranos. Van Zandt has gained unique insight into how to stay creative while also staying relevant, no matter the industry. In entertaining talks, Van Zandt shares anecdotes from his storied career, illuminating how people from any industry can uphold their creative integrity while adapting to the ever-changing demands of the world around them.
A Life of Activism: Collaborating for a Cause
For four decades, rock ‘n roll icon STEVEN VAN ZANDT has been leveraging his platform for causes that matter to him and impact the world. In 1985, he formed Artists United Against Apartheid and wrote Sun City, an anthemic protest song. Over 50 artists performed on the track, which was considered by political experts to be a fatal blow to Apartheid. Van Zandt produced a documentary about the experience and was honored by the United Nations for the project.
Van Zandt has also worked to promote Indigenous sovereignty, to foster economic development in harmony with the Earth, and performed on behalf of Vietnam veterans, missing children, and more. In uplifting and engaging talks, Van Zandt shares how he has focused on world issues through his music, entrepreneurship, and philanthropy.
The Importance of Music Education
STEVEN VAN ZANDT knows firsthand how music changes lives. Van Zandt’s foundation, Rock and Roll Forever, was founded to provide solutions to two escalating problems – music classes being cut, and a growing high school drop-out epidemic. Van Zandt believes that student engagement is a significant facet of the crisis, and so he conceived a curriculum based around popular music that can be taught by any teacher or department.
Rock and Roll Forever has attracted powerful partners including Scholastic Inc., ABC News, the Grammy Museum, and more, and has launched an online educational resource – TeachRock.org – to support teachers and students everywhere, for free. In speaking engagements, Van Zandt explains the importance of creative curriculum for student growth and engagement, and the profound impact his foundation has achieved.
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HBO Original Documentary shares the impact Steven Van Zandt has had on entertainment
Rock ‘n Roll legend STEVEN VAN ZANDT’s HBO Original Documentary Stevie Van Zandt: Disciple shares the broad impact of his work on the cultural and entertainment landscape, with E Street Band, The Godfather, and much more. Van Zant’s passion for projects supporting social equity, the preservation of rock and roll, and his creative circles electrifies a room.
Watch Steven Van Zandt speak at Rutgers University >>
Watch Steven Van Zandt speak at the New Jersey School Boards Association >>
Steven Van Zandt joins the E Street Band for an epic global tour
Rock and Roll disciple STEVEN VAN ZANDT met Bruce Springsteen when he was still a teenager – as Van Zandt was just trading in his devotion to the Baptist religion of his childhood for an obsession with Rock and Roll. Springsteen would become one of his most important friends and bandmates, as they founded the E Street Band and conquered the Rock and Roll world. After anchoring the band, Van Zandt embarked on his own odyssey as a musician, producer, entrepreneur, actor, activist, and author of the international bestseller Unrequited Infatuations. Now, Van Zandt has rejoined the E Street Band for an epic global tour that he calls “a hurricane from beginning to end” (USA Today).
On LAMag’s The Originals podcast, Van Zandt explored the meaning of success and failure, and how even obstacles can instead “provide untold opportunities for achievement and fulfillment.” As in all his keynotes and conversations, Van Zandt brings star power, an undeniable sense of humor, and wisdom drawn from a singular life of creativity and rock.
Watch Steven Van Zandt on USA Today >>
Watch Steven Van Zandt on The Big Interview with Dan Rather >>
Steven Van Zandt’s ‘Unrequited Infatuations’ was an instant NYT bestseller and an epic tale of self-discovery
This story starts in suburban Jersey in the early 60s, unfolds on stage across the globe, and demonstrates over and over again how Rock ‘n Roll has the power to change the world for the better. STEVEN VAN ZANDT anchored the E Street Band as they conquered the Rock and Roll world, and then embarked on his own odyssey – and he shares his epic tale of self-discovery in Unrequited Infatuations: A Memoir. Unrequited Infatuations became an instant international bestseller, gracing bestseller lists for The New York Times, USA Today, The Wall Street Journal, Los Angeles Times, and Publishers Weekly.
A rocker, an activist, and a successful and beloved actor on The Sopranos, Van Zandt shares the twists and turns of his surprising life in his writing and in entertaining events. His book is one of a kind, because Van Zandt is a complete original – devoted to the arts, activism, and forever, rock and roll.
Watch Steven Van Zandt on Real Time with Bill Maher >>
Watch Steven Van Zandt’s commencement keynote for Rutgers University >>
Stevie Van Zandt is an award winning Musician, Performer, Songwriter, Arranger, Producer, Actor, Director, International DJ, Activist, Historian, Teacher, New York Times best selling author, Radio Hall of Fame nominee, member of the New Jersey Hall of Fame and Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, and is recognized internationally as one of the world’s foremost authorities on both Contemporary and Traditional Rock and Roll.
After helping create the “Jersey Shore” sound with the Asbury Jukes he became a founding member of Bruce Springsteen’s E Street Band, and went on to become a successful solo artist in his own right recording and performing solo with his band Little Steven and the Disciples of Soul.
In 2021 he released his critically acclaimed memoir “Unrequited Infatuations” which debuted as a New York Times bestseller. He is also the star of the Grammy nominated HBO documentary “Stevie Van Zandt: Disciple” that debuted last year at the Tribeca Film Festival.
His songs have been performed by artists such as Jackson Browne, Pearl Jam, Jimmy Cliff, Damian Marley, Margo Price, Gary U.S. Bonds, Darlene Love, Nancy Sinatra, Brian Setzer, Black Uhuru, and more.
Stevie Co-Produced the seminal Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band albums “The River”, and “Born in the U.S.A.” He has also produced albums for Southside Johnny and the Asbury Jukes, Gary U.S. Bonds, Ronnie Spector, Demolition 23, Arc Angels, Majek Fashek, and many more. He Arranged and Produced “Introducing Darlene Love,” for the legendary Darlene Love, star of the Oscar winning documentary "Twenty Feet From Stardom."
In 1985, Van Zandt formed Artists United Against Apartheid and wrote “Sun City,” a song featuring over 50 major recording artists protesting the Apartheid system and considered by many political experts to be one of the fatal blows to Apartheid, leading to Nelson Mandela being freed only a few years later. HeStevie has twice been honored by the United Nations for his political activism, including the “Sun City” project and film, and his involvement in “International Peace Day” along with Peter Gabriel. He also established the Solidarity Foundation to promote the sovereignty of indigenous peoples and to foster economic development in harmony with the earth.
Stevie Co-Starred in all seven seasons of the Sopranos, playing principle character "Silvio Dante,” a character that he created. He Starred in, Co-Wrote, Executive Produced, provided the music supervision and scoring, and Directed (the final episode) for the award winning series "Lilyhammer,” which was the FIRST original programming for Netflix.
In 2001 he launched “Little Steven’s Underground Garage,” his internationally syndicated radio show and the most successful syndicated Rock music radio show in the past 50 years. Stevie also created and produces the FIRST two channels of original content on SiriusXM Satellite Radio, the Underground Garage (Channel 21) and Outlaw Country (Channel 60). He has recently launched a third channel called Little Steven’s Coolest Songs In The World (Channel 721). In 2006 he began his record label, Wicked Cool Records, to further support new Rock and Roll.
In 2013 he Wrote, Directed, and Co-Produced with Maureen Van Zandt “The Rascals: Once Upon A Dream,” the critically acclaimed theatrical event/reunion concert tour that included a 15 night sold out run on Broadway and then played to over 100,000 people nationwide and in Canada.
In 2013 Dr. Van Zandt (he gave the commencement speech to the Class of 2017 and received an honorary Doctorate of Fine Arts from Rutgers University), created the Rock and Soul Forever Foundation, a 501 (c)(3) non-profit and has developed a curriculum called TeachRock.org.
TeachRock uses the lens of music to help students connect all subjects, with innovative lesson plans developed by experienced educators and top experts in the field from history, social studies, and language arts to geography, media studies, science, general music, and more. All state certified lesson plans are based around popular music, which provides immediate common ground with children’s interests and passions no matter the subject.
This online educational resource is offered at NO COST to educators and individuals everywhere. With over 200 lesson plans it is now used by more than 65,000 teachers in all 50 states, with 21 official partner schools, and has reached over 1,000,000 students.
“Music will forever be humanity’s most effective and consistent source of inspiration and motivation, and, we have learned, music turns out to be our most solid common ground for establishing communication between teachers and students which is where education begins.” - Stevie Van Zandt
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