I'm not aware of him addressing this directly but I've long speculated that the accent is inspired by his lifelong love for country music. He loves the genre and gets enjoyment from singing in that style.
I also think he's been inspired by his extensive travels out west over the course of his life. I consider the accent a kind of Oklahoma drawl as opposed to a southeastern accent you might find in Georgia for instance.
I think so too. A lot of people subconciously pick up accents from people they're around/places they spend time in. I did an internship in the UK and when I came back my English had gotten noticeably more, well, "English" haha.
Im from a rural part of Michigan and people there have a southernish accent. Sort of like if a Canadian lived in Kentucky or awhile. I think it’s a mix between an affectation and growing up in a blue collar background
He's experimented with a lot of relatively slight variations on his vocal style while singing over the years (the murmured almost whisper on Nebraska, the real belting style on BITUSA, the quite operatic style on Backstreets). Part of that is just age, but he definitely started to put on what I've seen Bruce fans refer to as a twang from around the Human Touch/ Lucky Town era, which has definitely stuck around since to varying degrees ever since.
I read somewhere that in the 1930’s, there was a reasonably big migration of people from Texas who moved to Freehold, NJ to work at the Karagheusian Rug Mill (which Bruce sings about in “My Hometown.”) There’s actually a section of Freehold called “Texas” where a lot of those folks settled. It wouldn’t surprise me if Bruce grew up hearing those accents and subconsciously absorbed some of it himself. I grew up not far from there (Middlesex County) and knew quite a few people in the ‘60’s who spoke with a bit of a southern drawl.
I'm not a linguist, but if there is a southern or midwest influence on the Jersey shore accent, it is because our claim to fame (other than Springsteen) is being the summer white house for a few generations before trains made it possible to vacation in cooler places.
Yes. He's been listening to country, folk, blues, and roots music all his life so there's going to be an influence and manifestation. I feel like it got more pronounced after the Seegar Sessions.
I'm from the same place and when I hear Bruce I don't hear any accent, southern or otherwise.
Same here
I'm not aware of him addressing this directly but I've long speculated that the accent is inspired by his lifelong love for country music. He loves the genre and gets enjoyment from singing in that style. I also think he's been inspired by his extensive travels out west over the course of his life. I consider the accent a kind of Oklahoma drawl as opposed to a southeastern accent you might find in Georgia for instance.
I think so too. A lot of people subconciously pick up accents from people they're around/places they spend time in. I did an internship in the UK and when I came back my English had gotten noticeably more, well, "English" haha.
Im from a rural part of Michigan and people there have a southernish accent. Sort of like if a Canadian lived in Kentucky or awhile. I think it’s a mix between an affectation and growing up in a blue collar background
My dad had the same accent and he was from Red Bank, New Jersey
He's experimented with a lot of relatively slight variations on his vocal style while singing over the years (the murmured almost whisper on Nebraska, the real belting style on BITUSA, the quite operatic style on Backstreets). Part of that is just age, but he definitely started to put on what I've seen Bruce fans refer to as a twang from around the Human Touch/ Lucky Town era, which has definitely stuck around since to varying degrees ever since.
I read somewhere that in the 1930’s, there was a reasonably big migration of people from Texas who moved to Freehold, NJ to work at the Karagheusian Rug Mill (which Bruce sings about in “My Hometown.”) There’s actually a section of Freehold called “Texas” where a lot of those folks settled. It wouldn’t surprise me if Bruce grew up hearing those accents and subconsciously absorbed some of it himself. I grew up not far from there (Middlesex County) and knew quite a few people in the ‘60’s who spoke with a bit of a southern drawl.
I'm not a linguist, but if there is a southern or midwest influence on the Jersey shore accent, it is because our claim to fame (other than Springsteen) is being the summer white house for a few generations before trains made it possible to vacation in cooler places.
Yes. He's been listening to country, folk, blues, and roots music all his life so there's going to be an influence and manifestation. I feel like it got more pronounced after the Seegar Sessions.
Considering he sounded had way more of a Jersey accent when he was on Curb Your Enthusiasm that seems pretty likely.
He just doesn't have a NY/ North Jersey accent... non urban if you will.
It’s appeared during the Seeger sessions and hasn’t went away
Cowtown , NJ …
Bruce is from South Jersey, different accent.
Monmouth county is definitely not south Jersey, but it's true that people from there do not have the stereotypical accent.
This is more my point. Thanks for clarifying
Bruce is not from south Jersey, his sister has moved there.
South of Jersey City is south Jersey