Steve Van Zandt

Steven Van Zandt
Van Zandt at the 2011 MIPCOM, in Cannes
Background information
Birth name	Steven Lento
Also known as	Little Steven, Miami Steve, Silvio, Stevie Van Zandt
Born	(1950-11-22) November 22, 1950 (age 66) Boston, Massachusetts, United States
Origin	Middletown Township, New Jersey, United States
Genres	Rock, heartland rock
Occupation(s)	Singer-songwriter musician producer actor disc jockey
Instruments	Vocals guitar bass harmonica piano mandolin
Years active	1968–present
Labels	Columbia, Epic, EMI America, BMG, Manhattan, RCA, Renegade Nation, Wicked Cool Records
Associated acts	Bruce Springsteen E Street Band Steel Mill Southside Johnny & The Asbury Jukes Joey Ramone Little Steven and the Disciples of Soul The Miami Horns Bon Jovi Darlene Love Gary U.S. Bonds
Website	undergroundgarage.com littlesteven.com
Notable instruments
Rickenbacker 660/12 Guild X-79

Steven Van Zandt (born November 22, 1950) is an American musician and actor, who frequently goes by the stage names Little Steven or Miami Steve. He is a member of Bruce Springsteen's E Street Band, in which he plays guitar and mandolin. He has also acted in television dramas such as The Sopranos (1999–2007) and Lilyhammer (2012–2014). Van Zandt also had his own solo band called Little Steven and The Disciples of Soul in the 1980s. In 2014, Van Zandt was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as a member of the E Street Band.

Steven Van Zandt was born on November 22, 1950, in Boston, Massachusetts. Steven Van Zandt was born as Steven Lento and is of South Italian descent (his grandfather was from Calabria and his grandmother's parents were Neapolitans). He lived at 16 Edgecliff Road in Watertown, Massachusetts.

His mother, Mary Lento, remarried in 1957 and Steven took the last name of his stepfather, William Brewster Van Zandt. The family moved from Massachusetts to Middletown Township, New Jersey, when he was seven.

Steven Van Zandt found his love for music at an early age, when he learned how to play the guitar. He watched the performances of the Beatles on the Ed Sullivan Show and Rolling Stones on Hollywood Palace in 1964 and referred to the former as "The Big Bang of Rock n' Roll". He said that when he was 13, George Harrison was his favorite Beatle, but he is now friends with Paul McCartney and Ringo Starr. Around August 1964, Steven formed his first band, the Whirlwinds, which was short lived. He would later form the Mates in 1965 and join the Shadows in May 1966. Van Zandt would later cite British Invasion bands such as the Dave Clark Five, as well as Ravi Shankar and the culture of India as early influences.