Something special to honor and remember our back-to-back birthday-boy prophets on E Street...

"The Phantom" (left, R.I.P.) and "Mad Dog" (right) flank their friend, bandmate, and boss - THE "Boss" - on the Jersey Shore back in the Summer of '73 (cropped photo by David Gahr/Getty Images; courtesy of The Estate of David Gahr; used with permission)

January 22, 2025

Happy back-to-back birthdays to former E Street Band drummer Vini "Mad Dog" Lopez (born on January 22, 1949) and the late, great E Street Band keyboardist "Phantom Dan" Federici (born on January 23, 1950.) Vini and Danny - who also are both Rock and Roll Hall of Famers, of course - are the only E Streeters to have celebrated back-to-back birthdays over the years.

To honor and remember each of them on their respective special day this year, we're sharing above a rarely seen photographic image of the two E Street Band members flanking their bandleader Bruce Springsteen - on the Jersey Shore, no less - in an outtake from photo-sessions for The Wild, The Innocent & The E Street Shuffle photographed by the late, great David Gahr on August 29, 1973. We've cropped this image from the full photographic image that we've licensed from Gahr's estate, which also can be seen below:

photo by David Gahr/Getty Images; courtesy of The Estate of David Gahr; used with permission

Happy Birthday today, Vini, and many, many more to you in the years to come, good sir. And Happy Birthday tomorrow to you in Rock and Roll Heaven, Danny. Much love and thanks to you both for all of the great music you've made. May it continue to be heard, appreciated, and enjoyed forevermore.