They say not to mix work and romance, but Bruce Springsteen and Patti Scialfa have made it work for decades—ever since she joined his E Street Band in 1984.

How Bruce Springsteen and Patti Scialfa fell in love

Springsteen and Scialfa first met in the early 80s after the famed rocker had seen her sing at iconic New Jersey music venue The Stone Pony in Asbury Park. The two struck up a conversation when he complimented her voice and shared a beer and from there, they developed a close friendship, having shared much in common as two people with an appreciation for music who had grown up in New Jersey.

“Once in a while I’d bump into him—we’d be in the same bar and we’d sit and talk and when the night was over he’d always give me a ride home or we’d go out for a hamburger,” she told The Guardian. “We just became friends, casual friends.” Though they toured together in the ‘80s, their romance didn’t blossom until after Springsteen’s divorce from Julianne Phillips. A few years later, the couple made things official and got married in 1991—and they’ve been happily together ever since.

Bruce Springsteen and Patti Scialfa, 1994
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Patti Scialfa’s music career

While many know her as Bruce Springsteen’s bandmate, Patti Scialfa is also a talented musician with a successful solo career. Some of her notable works include the 1993 album Rumble Doll, the 2004 album 23rd Street Lullaby, and the 2007 album Play It As It Lays.

Back in 2004, she commented on the public perception of her music career being married to someone so famous. “People were a little leery when I was doing the press for my last album Rumble Doll, yes. It’s always that thing that this is a dilettante or a pet project. That’s just the price that comes from being married to someone who’s really famous,” she revealed to The Guardian. However, with or without Bruce, Scialfa is a musical force to be reckoned with.

Bruce Springsteen and Patti Scialfa, 2004
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Do Bruce Springsteen and Patti Scialfa have kids together?

After tying the knot in 1991, Bruce and Patti welcomed three children. Evan is the eldest Springsteen child, and has followed in his parents’ footsteps as a musician. Jessica is the middle child, who has forged her own path as a successful equestrian who took home a silver medal at the 2020 Summer Olympics. Samuel is the youngest Springsteen and works entirely out of the limelight as a firefighter in New Jersey. Despite their upbringing with two famous parents, according to Bruce and Patti, there was never any indication of fame in their household.

“You walk into our home, especially when the kids were growing up, you wouldn’t know what anybody did for a living,” Patti shared on The Howard Stern Show. “There was nothing in the house that indicated there’s somebody famous in the house or this is an overwhelming situation. No pictures related to the work or anything.”

After decades together, this couple have stayed by each other’s side through it all, including Patti’s diagnosis with multiple myeloma, a form of blood cancer, in 2018. Here’s to many more years of love and happiness for this rock and roll duo!