Man Tracks Down Rare Springsteen Photos to Fulfill Brother's Dying Wish
Russ Ceccola is on a mission to fulfill his late brother Phil's dying wish by compiling a book of rare photos taken by the West Conshohocken photographer during Bruce Springsteen's early career. The collection includes pictures of the Boss performing at local venues, hanging out with musicians like Billy Joel and David Bowie, and even mooning behind the camera.
Phil Ceccola met Springsteen in the mid-1970s when they were both young photographers learning their craft. The two became close friends, with Phil giving Springsteen a ride to gigs and letting him crash at his apartment. One of Phil's photos was even used on the cover of Springsteen's 1999 "18 Tracks" album.
However, tracking down information about the photos has proven to be a challenge for Russ. His brother was never organized, and the photos were haphazardly organized with no labels or dates. A fire at his brother's house in 2000 destroyed thousands of photos and records that could have helped identify the locations where the pictures were taken.
Russ has spent years tracking down venue managers, former employees, performers, photographers, and friends to piece together the story of his brother's time with Springsteen. He has become a "forensic detective" of sorts, analyzing photographs to try and determine their origins.
One of Russ' favorite photos shows Springsteen, estimated to be around 21 or 22 years old, wearing mismatched shoes and playing guitar in Phil's apartment. Another shot captures Springsteen mid-air playing guitar with his original band members around him.
To find out where the photos were taken, Russ has spent days calling and searching archives for venues in the area that displayed similar decorations around that time. He finally pinpointed a concert hall in Washington, D.C., as the location of one of the photos.
Throughout the years, Phil Ceccola photographed renowned artists like Billy Joel, Jimmy Buffett, and Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young. Russ has even stumbled upon photos of Van Halen members mooning behind his brother's camera.
Russ met Springsteen at the Bruce Springsteen Archives & Center for American Music at Monmouth University a few years ago and told him about the book's progress. The musician recognized his brother's name and expressed enthusiasm for the project.
Despite some remaining questions, Russ' journey has brought him newfound awe for his older brother as a photographer and person. He wishes he had more time to talk to Phil about his work, saying, "I'd have so many questions."
Russ Ceccola is on a mission to fulfill his late brother Phil's dying wish by compiling a book of rare photos taken by the West Conshohocken photographer during Bruce Springsteen's early career. The collection includes pictures of the Boss performing at local venues, hanging out with musicians like Billy Joel and David Bowie, and even mooning behind the camera.
Phil Ceccola met Springsteen in the mid-1970s when they were both young photographers learning their craft. The two became close friends, with Phil giving Springsteen a ride to gigs and letting him crash at his apartment. One of Phil's photos was even used on the cover of Springsteen's 1999 "18 Tracks" album.
However, tracking down information about the photos has proven to be a challenge for Russ. His brother was never organized, and the photos were haphazardly organized with no labels or dates. A fire at his brother's house in 2000 destroyed thousands of photos and records that could have helped identify the locations where the pictures were taken.
Russ has spent years tracking down venue managers, former employees, performers, photographers, and friends to piece together the story of his brother's time with Springsteen. He has become a "forensic detective" of sorts, analyzing photographs to try and determine their origins.
One of Russ' favorite photos shows Springsteen, estimated to be around 21 or 22 years old, wearing mismatched shoes and playing guitar in Phil's apartment. Another shot captures Springsteen mid-air playing guitar with his original band members around him.
To find out where the photos were taken, Russ has spent days calling and searching archives for venues in the area that displayed similar decorations around that time. He finally pinpointed a concert hall in Washington, D.C., as the location of one of the photos.
Throughout the years, Phil Ceccola photographed renowned artists like Billy Joel, Jimmy Buffett, and Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young. Russ has even stumbled upon photos of Van Halen members mooning behind his brother's camera.
Russ met Springsteen at the Bruce Springsteen Archives & Center for American Music at Monmouth University a few years ago and told him about the book's progress. The musician recognized his brother's name and expressed enthusiasm for the project.
Despite some remaining questions, Russ' journey has brought him newfound awe for his older brother as a photographer and person. He wishes he had more time to talk to Phil about his work, saying, "I'd have so many questions."
i mean can u even imagine having a bro who took pics with the boss himself? 
russ ceccola's on this mission to compile that book and it's like he's digging through his bro's old trunk for clues 
but seriously how hard must it be trying to track down info about those photos without any labels or dates? 
i'd be all over it too, trying to find out where those pics were taken and who else was there. and wow that pic of springsteen in phil's apartment is like totally iconic 
good luck with the book russ, i hope u get to fulfill that dying wish 
I'm so impressed with Russ Ceccola's dedication to fulfilling his brother's dying wish! The story of how he tracked down rare Springsteen photos is like a real-life detective novel 
. It's amazing how much work and perseverance went into piecing together Phil's time with Springsteen. And can you imagine having Van Halen members mooning behind your camera? 
I'm kinda skeptical about this whole thing... like, how rare are these photos supposed to be? 
Was that a thing back in the day?
his brother phil's passing must've left him with so much emotional baggage, but at least he got to fulfill that special wish of his thru this book project 
i love how he met springsteen back in the day tho! and can you even imagine mooning behind phil's camera 
those pics are gonna be epic! gotta respect russ for going through all that hassle to get them together
man this is such a cool story russ is literally on a mission to fulfill his bro's dying wish and it's so admirable how dedicated he is to making this book happen 
. i mean, 21 year old springsteen wearing mismatched shoes playing guitar in phil's apt? that's just awesome 
. and the photos of van halen mooning behind his bro's camera? that's just wild 
.
russ ceccola is like, the ultimate springsteen superfan 
. i mean, can you even imagine having a pic of the boss mooning behind your camera? 