Key Takeaways
- Steven Van Zandt revealed that Little Richard officiated his 1982 wedding to Maureen but lied about having performed a wedding before: “He hadn’t.”
- Bruce Springsteen served as best man at the New Year’s Eve ceremony, while Percy Sledge sang “When a Man Loves a Woman.”
- Van Zandt joked that they’re “probably not married to this day,” but Little Richard held ministerial ordination, and no evidence suggests the marriage was legally invalid.
Steven Van Zandt had Bruce Springsteen as his best man, Percy Sledge sing at his wedding, and Little Richard officiate the whole thing. The only problem? Little Richard apparently lied about having done it before.
During a November 3 appearance on Craig Melvin's Glass Half Full podcast, the Sopranos star joked that his 1982 wedding to his wife, Maureen, might not have been entirely legitimate, thanks to the rock-and-roll legend who presided over the ceremony.
"I got Little Richard to officiate because I know he had turned into a preacher for a minute," Van Zandt explained. "I don't care how legitimate it was, we're probably not married to this day."
The E Street Band guitarist said he specifically asked Richard whether he'd ever performed a wedding ceremony. The answer wasn't exactly truthful. "I said, 'Richard, you done it before?' He says, 'Oh yeah.' He hadn't," Van Zandt recalled. "He lied. So yeah, he came and did the ceremony and it was incredible."
The New Year's Eve wedding was a star-studded affair, especially for a guy who never intended to get married in the first place. "I was never gonna get married, I wasn't a marrying guy," Van Zandt admitted. But once he decided to marry Maureen, he wanted to do it his way.
That meant recruiting as many musicians named "Little" as possible. Little Walter had already died, Little Anthony was away on a cruise, and Little Richard was available. Springsteen stood beside him as best man, while Sledge performed his classic "When a Man Loves a Woman."
And Little Richard wasn't simply playing preacher for the occasion. He was an ordained minister who had repeatedly stepped away from rock and roll to pursue his religious calling. The "Tutti Frutti" singer famously abandoned secular music in 1957 to study theology and record gospel music, then returned to evangelism in 1977.
By the time Van Zandt recruited him in 1982, Richard had spent years preaching the gospel. His lack of experience conducting weddings, however, was another matter entirely.
Although Van Zandt joked about the ceremony's legitimacy, there's no evidence the couple's marriage was legally invalid.
Of course, Van Zandt has spent much of his career surrounded by larger-than-life personalities. Beyond his decades playing guitar alongside Springsteen, he became a television fixture as Silvio Dante on HBO's The Sopranos.
Maureen, a former ballerina and actress, even played his character's wife, Gabriella Dante, on the series.
Their real-life marriage has lasted nearly 44 years, despite the musician's demanding touring schedule.
