Vini Lopez
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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, 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.
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 Spingsteen 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."
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