Max Weinberg, the music director and band leader for NBC's Late Night with Conan O'Brien and an original member of Bruce Springsteen's legendary E Street Band, will speak at Rider University about his career on Monday, October 17 at 9:30 p.m. in Rider University's Bart Luedeke Center (BLC) Theater.

"An Evening with Max Weinberg," is one of Weinberg's campus tours across the United States and Canada. His talk, a part of the Rider University Lecture Series, is a Student Entertainment Council (SEC) event funded by the Student Activities Fee. "Max Weinberg will take the audience through the ups and down of his 25-year plus career," said Kerry Hawkins, lecture chair of the SEC. "It will be an enlightening presentation."

The Rider University Lecture Series will feature Lani Guinier, noted author and civil rights activist, on Tuesday, October 18 at 7 p.m., and former boxer Rubin "Hurricane" Carter on Monday, November 7 at 8 p.m., both in the BLC.

Weinberg, the leader of the Max Weinberg Seven, Late Night with Conan O'Brien's house band, had previously made his mark with the E Street Band which performed with Bruce Springsteen for nearly 20 years, sold more than 50 million records and played for more than 20 million people around the world. The New York Times stated he was "the rhythmic backbone of the E Street Band." His "Big Beat" snare drum sound was his signature and for many, defined the power of the record-smashing "Born in the USA" album.

Over the years, Weinberg has performed with some of the biggest names in rock and was featured on the classic '70s album, Meatloaf's Bat Out of Hell. He has performed on stage with stars such as Paul McCartney, Bob Dylan, The Who, Sting, George Harrison, Ringo Starr, The Beach Boys, Natalie Merchant and Sheryl Crow.

Weinberg is the author of the critically acclaimed rock history, "The Big Beat: Conversations with Rock's Greatest Drummers" (1991), in which he interviewed 14 of rock's greatest drummers, including his own personal heroes such as Ringo Starr, Charlie Watts of the Rolling Stones and D.J. Fontana. In 1995, he was the first invited speaker to lecture at the newly opened Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Museum in Cleveland, OH. In 1990, he started his own record label and production company known as Hard Ticket Entertainment. The Max Weinberg Seven released a self-titled album in 2000.

Admission is free for Rider University students, faculty and staff; I.D. required at the door. There are a limited amount of guest passes for Rider guests for $5, one guest pass per Rider student. Guests must be accompanied by a Rider student at the event. For more information, call the SEC at (609) 896-5327.