Bruce Springsteen’s great appeal is based on his common touch, which fans perceive as authentic. Through a remarkable string of albums that includes Darkness on the Edge of Town, The River, Nebraska ,and Born in the U.S.A., Springsteen turned an increasingly compassionate eye on society’s downtrodden and regular folk such as Vietnam veterans and blue-collar men and women. “The Boss,” as he is known to fans, also manages to balance his albums with songs that celebrate life’s simple joys.

But while Springsteen’s artistic sympathies are well known, relatively few are aware of his significant charitable works. His acts of compassion are managed, for the most part, without fanfare, and are steered directly to those in need. And he’s been helping people for a long time. As Marsh describes in Two Hearts, Springsteen used his new found fame and fortune during the 1984 Born in the U.S.A. tour to donate generously to food banks and pantries in the cities where he performed.

He has also performed in big charity concerts such as No Nukes, and at benefits for Amnesty International and for victims of 9/11.

In July 2008 Bruce announced that he was releasing a live EP that includes several highlights and guest appearances from his ongoing ‘Magic’ tour. ‘Magic Tour Highlights’ came out July 15 2008 via digital retailers. It included four tracks with accompanying videos including guest spots from Rage Against The Machine’s Tom Morello, Alejandro Escovedo and the E Street Band’s late keyboardist Danny Federici in his final performance with the band.  All net profits from sales of the EP will go to the Danny Federici Melanoma Fund, as artists, record labels and iTunes store have agreed to waive their fees.

In November of 2008, Springsteen helped to raise over $100,000 for wounded war veterans when he threw his leather jacket in a charity auction. The legendary star took part in the New York Comedy Festival for the Bob Woodruff Foundation, which also saw appearances by funnyman Ricky Gervais, Regis Philbin and Saturday Night Live comic Darrell Hammond.  But Springsteen was the highlight of the show, riding onstage on his 1994 Harley-Davidson motorcycle, which he was donating to the sale.

Guest auctioneer Whoopi Goldberg helped get proceedings underway, but when bidding on the powerful motorbike stalled at $40,000, kind-hearted Springsteen literally sold the clothes off his back - taking off the leather jacket he was wearing to boost the sale. The two items eventually sold for $70,000. But that wasn’t all Springsteen gave away - CNN correspondent Christiane Amanpour handed over $50,000  for The Boss’ autographed guitar.

Much of the direct help that Springsteen offers the needy is consistent with the criteria laid out by Acton Institute senior fellow Marvin Olasky. In “Effective Compassion: Seven Principles from a Century Ago,” Olasky wrote: “Before developing a foundation project or contributing to a private charity, we should ask: ‘Does it work through families, neighbors, and religious or community organizations, or does it supersede them?’”

Springsteen limited his giving in the early 1980s to communities on his itinerary that had reputable mechanisms for distributing food and necessities to individuals needing temporary assistance. Some of his charitable works have helped individuals and groups in his home state of New Jersey, the state that served as inspiration for many of his better-known songs. He financed the building of the Newark Community Food Bank in the 1980s, and donated a reported $50,000 to replace the roof when it collapsed. He donated another $80,000 to help out union workers laid off from the 3M factories in Freehold. In the late 1990s, he gave more than $350,000 to provide home improvements for the needy in Monmouth County. The Newark Star-Ledger reported that $9,500 of that sum went to repair the home of a retiree confined to a wheelchair.

Recognition of the inherent dignity of all human persons is a theme of many of Springsteen’s songs. That sympathy colors his private charitable acts. Rather than succumb totally to the impulse to donate his talents and fortune to high-profile causes run by abstract bureaucracies, Springsteen told Kurt Loder in the 1980s: “I want to try and just work more directly with people; try to find some way [to] tie into the communities we come into.” Aside from a body of pop music rivaled only by the Beatles and Bob Dylan, this may be his most worthwhile legacy.