In September 1967, an Episcopal priest named Father Fred Coleman set up a tape recorder at The Left Foot, a church-owned teen center in Freehold, New Jersey. He wanted to capture the music of a popular local high school band as they played for the center's opening night. It was the first live recording of Bruce Springsteen.
The man who would be Boss was just 17 when his band, The Castiles, first played at The Left Foot. Admission was $1.50.
Coleman used a Sony stereo reel-to-reel deck and two microphones, which he placed on the floor by the band. "I just knew that The Castiles were a quality band, and I would like to maybe just get them down on tape," he tells reporter Mark Urycki from member station WKSU.
Urycki listens in on the historical recordings and catches up with members of the band.
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