It took one phone call from Bruce Springsteen to inform Clarence Clemons that he was disbanding the E Street Band. What people may not know is that Ringo Starr was the one who gave Clemons the phone.
"These things that happened, they were just like a fantasy," Clemons says. "I guess that's the crowd I hung around with."
Clemons was out on the road with Ringo's All-Star Band that year and they were chatting in a Japanese hotel when Starr received the phone call from the Boss.
"When Bruce told me, 'Big Man, it's over,' I thought he was saying that being out with Ringo was over and I had to come home to get ready for his tour or his album. I had no idea he was going to talk about breaking up the band."
Clemons embraced the news and filled the void with acting and performing with other artists.
"Hearing Ringo say, 'Hey, man, I've been through this too' -- he got through it, so I figured I would get through it."
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June 12, 2026 17:14 ET Major central bank action was the focus this week in economic news. The European Central Bank became the first major central bank to move in response to the rising inflationary pressures in the backdrop of the conflict in the Middle East. In North America, the U.S. inflation and trade data as well as Canada’s central bank decision gained attention. The Chinese trade data was the main news in Asia.