Course

Springsteen didn’t reinvent rock and roll; he made his own stamp and developed his own signature. Just as you can listen to any Berry song and say,” that’s the Chuck Berry sound.” you can listen to a Bruce song and say “that’s the Springsteen sound.” We will break the course up chronologically into six distinct periods in the life and career of Bruce Springsteen, now 76, from his birth in 1949 to the present, celebrating 52 years—and counting—in what may be the most remarkable career in rock and roll.

Faculty Bio

Pete Elman is a musician, an author, a journalist, a historian — and a star educator. He has performed, recorded and produced popular music since 1962, authored four books, been a sportswriter, taught K-12, and, since 2015, has wowed OLLI members with more than a dozen courses on American music. 

This is an In-Person, Livestreamed + Recorded Course

• Classes will meet in person at the Freight and Salvage, at 2020 Addison St, Berkeley, CA 94704
• Classes will also stream live simultaneously, and be video recorded
• Please note: Due to copyright restrictions, some songs and video clips may be edited out of the final recording
• You must be a current OLLI @Berkeley member to register. Learn about membership, including our fee assistance program.

Schedule Highlights

• Course starts on Wednesday, Jan. 21, and ends on Wednesday, Feb. 25
• Classes meet for 6 weeks, 2 hours per session (1–3 PM)
• All course materials will be available in Member Dashboards through March 29

Member Praise for Pete Elman

Another wonderful class from Pete! Once again, he added to my appreciation and understanding of the music and contributions from artists I already have enjoyed and admired for so long.

I gained so much appreciation for the musicians and their music than I expected to. Very, very enjoyable. I'll take any course Pete Elman offers.

Faculty Q&A

• Read an interview with Pete Elman from our archive.