Ernest Carter is an American drummer. He has toured and recorded with, among others, Bruce Springsteen, David Sancious, Southside Johnny & The Asbury Jukes and Paul Butterfield. During his time with Springsteen, he played the drums on the song "Born to Run". Able to play all forms of rock as well as rhythm and blues, soul and jazz, Carter was formally trained and blends a variety of styles into his drumming. His successor as the drummer with the E Street Band, Max Weinberg later said that Carter devised a jazz fusion part for "Born to Run" that he could never reproduce in concert, and eventually stopped attempting. Although best known as a drummer, Carter is also a guitarist, keyboardist and vocalist and in 2001 he released a solo album, Temple of Boom, singing and playing all of the instruments. Early years Carter was born and raised in Asbury Park, New Jersey. As a teenager he excelled in track and field as well as learning to become an accomplished drummer. He gained the nickname "Boom" when police were summoned to his basement after receiving a report of gunshots being fired. When they arrived on the scene, they found the young Carter practicing his drumming. He was a childhood friend of David Sancious and in the early 1970s they moved to Richmond, Virginia where they worked as session musicians at Alpha Studios. They also performed in a band called Cinnamon and recorded some demos with Garry Tallent. Producer/songwriter Wes Farrell owned the rights to these demos and in 1976 he released them as David Sancious. After Sancious and Tallent were recruited by Bruce Springsteen to help record his debut Greetings From Asbury Park, N.J., Carter moved to Atlanta, Georgia and then toured with Little Royal & The Swing Masters, a James Brown-influenced band. Bruce Springsteen In February 1974 when Vini Lopez left the E Street Band, David Sancious helped recruit Carter as his replacement. He auditioned for the job in a house belonging to the parents of Garry Tallent and then made his debut with the band on February 23 during a concert at the Satellite Lounge in Cookstown, New Jersey. He accompanied Springsteen during an early part of the Born to Run tour, and in August 1974 he laid down the inimitable drum track on the song "Born to Run" at the 914 Sound Studios, his only appearance on a Springsteen