Joe Grushecky

by Erik HageMuch like Bruce Springsteen & the E Street Band or Southside Johnny & the Asbury Dukes, Joe Grushecky & the Houserockers have been making American blue-collar bar rock that draws on classic R&B from the 1970s on. Unlike his New Jersey counterparts, however, Grushecky calls the Iron City of Pittsburgh home. He has also never received the accolades or attention of his New Jersey counterparts. The group, which first emerged as the Iron City Houserockers, released their debut, Loves So Tough, on MCA Records in 1979. A spate of albums followed in the 1980s. However, despite heavy-handed critical accolades from the likes of Rolling Stone and Billboard, among others, the band never achieved commercial success or became a household name. The groups major-label record deal collapsed after four albums that featured production by Steve Cropper and the team of Ian Hunter and Mick Ronson. In 1989, a retooled version of the group resurfaced as Joe Grushecky & the Houserockers with the album Rock & Real. Landing a deal with the record label Razor & Tie in the early 90s, Grushecky was able to quit his teaching job. Joe Grushecky & the Houserockers experienced somewhat of a renaissance in the mid-90s (and a media blitz) when Grusheckys old friend Bruce Springsteen produced, co-wrote, played, and sang on the groups American Babylon album. The Boss even joined the band on guitar for a six-night live stand. On the back of the Springsteen connection, the group was seen on CNN, Entertainment Tonight, and MTV and toured Europe several times. The follow-up, 1997s Coming Home, featured four Springsteen co-writes and a gritty mixture of heartland rock and Dylanesque ballads. Grushecky returned to teaching in the late 90s and a live album followed in 1999. Grushecky released a solo album, Fingerprints, in 2002 and another, True Companion, in 2004. Outtakes and Demos 1975-2003, Five Alive in Spain, and the Good Life arrived in 2006.