Joe Grushecky & The Houserockers

Although it's not entirely inaccurate to call Joe Grushecky the poor man's Bruce Springsteen, when one considers that the longtime Pittsburgh rocker's biggest supporter is in fact the Boss, the label takes on a whole new meaning. Grushecky led the beloved bar rock outfit the Iron City Rockers throughout the 1980s, garnering heaps of nationwide critical praise and making a fan out of kindred spirit Springsteen, though never achieving any true commercial success. Grushecky continued to play with the Houserockers (sans the Iron City label) well into the '90s and started releasing true solo albums in the 2000s. His friendship with Springsteen remained, with the Boss frequently known to join Grushecky onstage in Pittsburgh, bringing a little glitz to the latter's intimate club gigs.