Shelley Duvall
American actress (1949-2024)
Max Weinberg is a legendary American drummer best known as the longtime drummer for Bruce Springsteen’s E Street Band and as the bandleader for Conan O’Brien’s late-night TV shows. He has had an incredible career spanning music, television, and even a brief consideration of a law career.
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About the Max Weinberg
Max Weinbergis an American drummer and television personality, most widely known as the longtime drummer for Bruce Springsteen’s E Street Band and as the bandleader for Conan O’Brien on Late Night with Conan O’Brien and The Tonight Show with Conan O’Brien. He is the father of former Slipknot drummer Jay Weinberg.
Weinberg grew up in suburban New Jersey and began drumming at an early age. He attended college planning to be a lawyer but got his big break in music in 1974 when he won an audition to become the drummer for Springsteen. Weinberg became a mainstay of Springsteen’s long concert performances. Springsteen dissolved the band in 1989, and Weinberg spent several years considering a law career and trying the business end of the music industry before deciding he wanted to continue with drumming.
In 1993, Weinberg got the role as bandleader of The Max Weinberg 7 for Late Night with Conan O’Brien. Weinberg’s drums-driven jump blues sound and his role as a comic foil prospered along with the show, giving him a second career. In 1999, Springsteen re-formed the E Street Band for a series of tours and albums; Weinberg worked out an arrangement that allowed him to play with both O’Brien and Springsteen. In 2009, Weinberg moved to the short-lived Tonight Show with Conan O’Brien as leader of Max Weinberg and The Tonight Show Band. Upon that program’s conclusion, Weinberg was not invited to follow O’Brien to the new Conan show. Weinberg continued playing with Springsteen, and in 2014 was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as a member of the E Street Band.
Frequently Asked Questions
Max Weinberg is an American drummer and television personality, most widely known as the longtime drummer for Bruce Springsteen’s E Street Band and as the bandleader for Conan O’Brien on Late Night with Conan O’Brien and The Tonight Show with Conan O’Brien.
Max Weinberg was born on April 13, 1951.
Max Weinberg grew up in suburban New Jersey and began drumming at an early age. He attended college planning to be a lawyer but got his big break in music in 1974 when he won an audition to become the drummer for Bruce Springsteen.
Weinberg became a mainstay of Springsteen’s long concert performances. When Springsteen dissolved the band in 1989, Weinberg spent several years considering a law career and trying the business end of the music industry before deciding he wanted to continue with drumming. In 1993, he got the role as bandleader of The Max Weinberg 7 for Late Night with Conan O’Brien, giving him a second career.
Max Weinberg is the father of former Slipknot drummer Jay Weinberg.
In 2014, Max Weinberg was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as a member of the E Street Band.
Weinberg served as the bandleader for The Max Weinberg 7 on Late Night with Conan O’Brien, and later for Max Weinberg and The Tonight Show Band on The Tonight Show with Conan O’Brien.
10 Quotes by Max Weinberg
- 1.
I take my fun very seriously, whether it’s playing the drums or acting in comedy bits. The need to be disciplined about it, and not take it lightly, and not be too casual, is something I take deeply to heart.
Max WeinbergAmerican drummer
- 2.
All I ever wanted to do was play the drums; I felt good about myself when I played the drums. So I worked anywhere and everywhere I could lug my drums in.
Max WeinbergAmerican drummer
- 3.
I will always desire to play with Bruce Springsteen. He’s the most inspirational, most dedicated, most committed and most focused artist I’ve ever seen. I like to be around people like that.
Max WeinbergAmerican drummer
- 4.
I was a really crazy kid. I’m still a crazy kid. That’s the nice thing about being in a rock band. You can feel 14 forever.
Max WeinbergAmerican drummer
- 5.
I have been very lucky to find something I am good at and can make money at… Playing with Bruce was the embodiment of everything that a little kid could dream about.
Max WeinbergAmerican drummer
- 6.
My father wasn’t a very good lawyer. He thought the law was sacred and something that was meant to help people. He didn’t charge people like he should have… which is why I was allowed to play bars and strip joints when I was 14.
Max WeinbergAmerican drummer
- 7.
I think ‘Bat Out Of Hell’ will probably last forever.
Max WeinbergAmerican drummer
- 8.
There’s a certain groove you pick that makes the music flow, and when you have it it’s in your pocket. It’s the feeling behind the rhythm… to me, the hardest thing to strive for is that feeling, behind the groove.
Max WeinbergAmerican drummer
- 9.
The best thing about the E Street Band was we had the best lead singer around.
Max WeinbergAmerican drummer
- 10.
I have to give my family credit for putting up with the racket, because as some of you may know, its not the easiest thing in the world to live with a kid who’s trying to become a rock and roll drummer.
Max WeinbergAmerican drummer