Much like Bruce Springsteen & the E Street Band or Southside Johnny & the Asbury Dukes, Joe Grushecky & the Houserockers have been making American blue-collar bar rock that draws on classic R&B from the 1970s on. Unlike his New Jersey counterparts, however, Grushecky calls the Iron City of Pittsburgh home. The group, which first emerged as the Iron City Houserockers, released their debut, Love's So Tough, on MCA Records in 1979. A spate of albums followed in the 1980s. 

Joe Grushecky & the Houserockers experienced somewhat of a renaissance in the mid-'90s (and a media blitz) when Grushecky's old friend Bruce Springsteen produced, co-wrote, played, and sang on the group's American Babylon album. The Boss even joined the band on guitar for a six-night live stand. On the back of the Springsteen connection, the group was seen on CNN, Entertainment Tonight, and MTV and toured Europe several times. The follow-up, 1997's Coming Home, featured four Springsteen co-writes and a gritty mixture of heartland rock and Dylanesque ballads. Grushecky returned to teaching in the late '90s and a live album followed in 1999. Grushecky released a solo album, Fingerprints, in 2002 and another, True Companion, in 2004. Outtakes and Demos 1975-2003, Five Alive in Spain, and the Good Life arrived in 2006.

Joe Grushecky's Website