Bruce Springsteen taps Clarence Clemons' nephew, Jake Clemons, as saxophonist

By: Lauren Moraski
Topics: Music

Bruce Springsteen performs at the Paramount Theatre on Jan. 14, 2012, in Asbury Park, N.J.

(Credit: Mike Coppola)

(CBS) It's not the Big Man, but it is close. Bruce Springsteen has tapped Jake Clemons - the nephew of late E Street Band saxophonist Clarence Clemons - to join the upcoming "Wrecking Ball" tour.

He will perform with a horn section that includes trombonist Clark Gayton, saxophonist Eddie Manion, trumpeters Curt Ramm and Barry Danielia, along with back-up singers Cindy Mizelle and Curtis King.

Pictures: Bruce Springsteen

That's on top of the E Street Band, which features Roy Bittan - piano, synthesizer; Nils Lofgren - guitar, vocals; Patti Scialfa - guitar, vocals; Garry Tallent - bass guitar; Stevie Van Zandt - guitar, vocals; and Max Weinberg - drums; with Soozie Tyrell - violin, guitar, vocals and Charlie Giordano - keyboards.

Jake is no stranger to performing. He's played with the E Street Band before, and has shared the stage with the Swell Season and singer-songwriter Nancy Atlas. In 1992, he performed beside Clarence at Bill Clinton's presidential inauguration. They remained close until Clarence died after suffering a stroke last June.

After Clarence's death, Jake wrote on his blog, "People have been saying to me 'It's up to you now', 'You carry the torch', 'You are the legacy'. But this job is not one to be fulfilled by any single person; Clarence was more than a saxophone player, he was an ambassador with a mission to spread Love and Joy to the world. It's up to all of us now. We must all carry the torch. We must all be His Legacy."

Springsteen & the E Street Band will start things off this weekend with a performance at the Grammy Awards. That will be followed by a tour beginning with a special performance March 9 at New York's Apollo Theater. Springsteen's new album, "Wrecking Ball," comes out three days earlier.

Watch Jake perform the sax solo of "Jungleland" with Springsteen: