BIOGRAPHY
Max Weinberg, born Maxwell Sachel Weinberg on April 13, 1951 in Newark, New Jersey, is an American drummer and television personality, best known as the longtime drummer for Bruce Springsteen's E Street Band as well as the bandleader on Late Night with Conan O'Brien and The Tonight Show with Conan O'Brien.
Weinberg gained an interest in the drums at the age of two, and by the age of five, knew that he wanted to play the drums — having watched D.J. Fontana play for Elvis Presley on The Milton Berle Show in 1956. Max actually started playing the drums at the age of six; a year later he was playing publicly.
Weinberg's early drumming influences included Fontana, Buddy Rich, Gene Krupa, Ed Shaughnessy, Ringo Starr and Levon Helm.
In 1974, Weinberg left college to make $110 per week playing for Bruce Springsteen. His first album with Springsteen was the 1975 hit, Born to Run.
Around 1980 Weinberg suffered from several things — a self-acknowledged drumming slump, repetitive stress injury and tendinitis. The tendinitis would eventually require seven operations on his hands and wrists. Max studied with legendary jazz drummer, Joe Morello, who helped him play through the tendinitis.
In 1993, Max put together a band, The Max Weinberg 7, to audition for the house band for Late Night with Conan O'Brien. He got the gig and the band played on every show since.
