Editing Openai/67bf2631-0338-800a-827e-4ba18dbb4e0c (section)

==== WGOE Radio Sessions and Recordings ====

WGOE (1590 AM) was Richmond’s groundbreaking free-form rock station in the early 1970s – and it played a pivotal role in Springsteen’s Richmond story. In the days before FM rock dominated, WGOE’s AM airwaves championed underground artists; a local blogger reminisced that “what a gem WGOE was – a free-form AM radio station”, the last great Richmond rock outlet of that eraslantblog.blogspot.com<ref>{{cite web|title=slantblog.blogspot.com|url=https://slantblog.blogspot.com/2011/01/springsteen-on-wgoe-1973.html#:~:text=Thanks%20Terry,now|publisher=slantblog.blogspot.com|access-date=2025-11-17}}</ref>. Springsteen benefited directly from WGOE’s support. Most famously, on May 31, 1973, Bruce Springsteen and his then-new E Street Band recorded an in-studio session at Richmond’s Alpha Audio (also referred to as Alfa Studios) specifically for broadcast on WGOEslantblog.blogspot.com<ref>{{cite web|title=slantblog.blogspot.com|url=https://slantblog.blogspot.com/2011/01/springsteen-on-wgoe-1973.html#:~:text=Springsteen%20on%20WGOE%20|publisher=slantblog.blogspot.com|access-date=2025-11-17}}</ref>richmondmagazine.com<ref>{{cite web|title=richmondmagazine.com|url=https://richmondmagazine.com/arts-entertainment/the-boss-is-back-in-town/#:~:text=May%2031%2C%201973%2C%20the%20Richmond,defunct%20Richmond%20rock%20station%20WGOE|publisher=richmondmagazine.com|access-date=2025-11-17}}</ref>.

1973 Alpha Audio Session: This WGOE session featured Springsteen performing a six-song acoustic set – including tracks like “Wild Billy’s Circus Story” from his upcoming album The Wild, The Innocent & The E Street Shuffle – along with interview segmentsrichmondmagazine.com<ref>{{cite web|title=richmondmagazine.com|url=https://richmondmagazine.com/arts-entertainment/the-boss-is-back-in-town/#:~:text=May%2031%2C%201973%2C%20the%20Richmond,defunct%20Richmond%20rock%20station%20WGOE|publisher=richmondmagazine.com|access-date=2025-11-17}}</ref>. It was aired live as a preview for his concert later that day at the Richmond Coliseum (where Springsteen was booked to open for the band Chicago)richmondmagazine.com<ref>{{cite web|title=richmondmagazine.com|url=https://richmondmagazine.com/arts-entertainment/the-boss-is-back-in-town/#:~:text=May%2031%2C%201973%2C%20the%20Richmond,defunct%20Richmond%20rock%20station%20WGOE|publisher=richmondmagazine.com|access-date=2025-11-17}}</ref>. The recording captures Springsteen in a unique setting: after his Steel Mill days but before national fame, joking with the DJ and playing solo with just an acoustic guitar. Tapes of this WGOE broadcast have survived among collectors, and it’s now a minor piece of Springsteen lore (officially unreleased, but well-known via bootlegs)archive.org<ref>{{cite web|title=archive.org|url=https://archive.org/details/bruce-springsteen-alpha-studios-va-1973-wgoe#:~:text=Bruce%20Springsteen%20Alpha%20Audio%20VA,VA%20on%20May%2031%2C%201973|publisher=archive.org|access-date=2025-11-17}}</ref>youtube.com<ref>{{cite web|title=youtube.com|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=naRG3zudU-k#:~:text=...%20%28WGOE,The|publisher=youtube.com|access-date=2025-11-17}}</ref>. The WGOE appearance underscores how Richmond’s media embraced Springsteen early on – giving him a platform to reach Virginia listeners even as his first albums were just coming out.

Other WGOE Connections: While the May ’73 session is the most documented, WGOE had likely been spinning Springsteen’s records and promoting his shows around that time. The station’s staff and fans followed Springsteen’s Richmond performances closely. In fact, Springsteen’s Feb. 14, 1973 concert at VCU (with Dan Hicks) was advertised on local radio, and by March 1973 the Commonwealth Times noted that “Bruce Springsteen… plans to tour with Richie Havens later this year,” reflecting the kind of music news WGOE would sharescholarscompass.vcu.edu<ref>{{cite web|title=scholarscompass.vcu.edu|url=https://scholarscompass.vcu.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1177&context=com%2F#:~:text=,Richie%20Havens%20later%20this%20year|publisher=scholarscompass.vcu.edu|access-date=2025-11-17}}</ref>. WGOE’s enthusiastic coverage helped build a Richmond-area following. Longtime Richmond DJ Terry “TL” Rea recalled how extraordinary it was to hear Springsteen on an AM station like WGOE, which was “all the way to the right” on the dial in more ways than oneslantblog.blogspot.com<ref>{{cite web|title=slantblog.blogspot.com|url=https://slantblog.blogspot.com/2011/01/springsteen-on-wgoe-1973.html#:~:text=recording%20www,before%20the%20E%20Street%20Band|publisher=slantblog.blogspot.com|access-date=2025-11-17}}</ref>slantblog.blogspot.com<ref>{{cite web|title=slantblog.blogspot.com|url=https://slantblog.blogspot.com/2011/01/springsteen-on-wgoe-1973.html#:~:text=Thanks%20Terry,now|publisher=slantblog.blogspot.com|access-date=2025-11-17}}</ref>. In sum, WGOE featured Springsteen both in studio and on air, becoming an important cheerleader for the Boss during his climb in the early ’70s.