Nils Lofgren
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Nils Lofgren | |
---|---|
Chicago, Illinois, U.S. | |
Genres | Roots rock, heartland rock, blues rock, hard rock |
Occupation(s) | Musician, songwriter |
Instrument(s) | Vocals, guitar, keyboards, accordion, pedal steel guitar, banjo |
Years active | 1965–present |
Labels | A&M, Columbia, MCA, Rykodisc, Capitol, Vision Music, Pure Records; Fantasy |
Member of | E Street Band, Crazy Horse |
Website | nilslofgren |
Nils Hilmer Lofgren (born June 21, 1951)[1] is an American rock musician, recording artist, songwriter, and multi-instrumentalist. Along with his work as a solo artist, he has been a member of Bruce Springsteen's E Street Band since 1984, a member of Crazy Horse, and founder/frontman of the band Grin. Lofgren was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as a member of the E Street Band in 2014.
Biography
Early life and career
Lofgren was born in Chicago, Illinois, United States,[2] to an Italian mother and a Swedish father. When he was a young child, the family moved to the Washington, D.C., suburb of Bethesda, Maryland.[3] Lofgren's first instrument was classical accordion, beginning at age five,[4] which he studied seriously for ten years.[3] After studying classical music and jazz, throughout his youth, Lofgren switched his emphasis to rock music, and focused on the piano and the guitar.[4]
Lofgren attended his local public high school, Walter Johnson High School in Bethesda, Maryland, although he did not graduate, dropping out in 1968 at age 17 to pursue a career in music.[5] He had been a competitive gymnast in high school, a skill that was used on stage later in his performing career and reflected in the name of his 1985 album, Flip.[6]
Grin
In 1968, Lofgren formed the band Grin with bassist, later turned major record label executive
Lofgren met Neil Young while Young was performing at the Georgetown club The Cellar Door, and began a long association. Young invited Lofgren to come to California and the Grin trio (Lofgren, Daly and Berberich) drove out west and lived for some months at a home Neil Young rented in Laurel Canyon. Lofgren would eventually use his album credits from working with Young to land Grin a record deal in 1971.
Daly left the band early on to become a Columbia Records A&R Executive and was replaced by bassist Bob Gordon, who remained through the release of four critically acclaimed albums[8] of catchy hard rock from 1971 to 1974, with guitar as Lofgren's primary instrument. The single "White Lies" got heavy airplay on Washington, D.C.-area radio. Lofgren wrote the majority of the group's songs, and often shared vocal duties with other members of the band (primarily drummer Bob Berberich). After the second album he added brother Tom Lofgren as a rhythm guitarist. Grin failed to hit the big time, and were released by their record company.[3]
Neil Young and Crazy Horse
Lofgren joined Neil Young at age 19 to play piano and guitar on the album After the Gold Rush.[3] Lofgren maintained his musical relationship with Young, appearing as a part of the Santa Monica Flyers on Young's Tonight's the Night album and tour, and again on the Trans album and tour.[2] He has also been a recurring member of Crazy Horse (1970–1971; 2018–present), appearing on their 1971 LP and contributing songs to their catalogue. In 2018, Lofgren re-joined Crazy Horse and along with the band performed on Young's 2019 album Colorado and 2021's Barn.
In 2023, Neil Young along with the members of Crazy Horse released the album All Roads Lead Home under the band name Molina, Talbot, Lofgren and Young.[9]
Solo career
After Grin disbanded in 1974, Lofgren released his
In 1971, he appeared on stage on the
Lofgren continues to record and to tour as a solo act, with
On June 23, 2006, Lofgren performed at a benefit concert for
In September 2008, Lofgren had
In August 2014, a box set, Face the Music, was released on the Fantasy label. The career-spanning retrospective contains nine CDs and a DVD covering 45 years.
The creation of Lofgren's 2015 live album UK 2015 Face the Music Tour was inspired by his wife Amy commenting that his recent live shows were the best she had seen him perform, as well as fans wanting to have a recording of the show they had just seen.[15]
In December 2018, PBS NewsHour aired a 10-minute career retrospective Nils Lofgren: 50 years of 'just being a guy in the band'.[16]
Lofgren was a guest on a "Private Lives" one-hour radio special on East London Radio in the UK in October 2020. This series is shared across radio stations online and on FM/DAB, covering much of the UK.[17]
Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band
This section of a poorly sourced must be removed immediately from the article and its talk page, especially if potentially libelous. )Find sources: "Nils Lofgren" – news · newspapers · books · scholar · JSTOR (February 2021) |
In 1984, he joined
In 1995, the E Street Band, featuring both Lofgren and Van Zandt, recorded new songs for Springsteen's
Other work
The late novelist Clive Cussler lived close to Lofgren's Arizona home, and collaborated on a song with him titled "What Ever Happened to Muscatel?"[20]
On August 17, 2017, Lofgren was inducted into the Arizona Music & Entertainment Hall of Fame.[21]
In May 2018, Lofgren replaced Frank Sampedro in Crazy Horse for their reunion concerts with Neil Young.
On January 29, 2022, Lofgren pulled his music from Spotify, after Neil Young and Joni Mitchell had done the same. This was in response to their belief that COVID-19 misinformation was spread by the streaming service's The Joe Rogan Experience.[22]
Musical equipment
This section of a biography of a living person does not include any references or sources. (May 2019) |
Lofgren primarily uses a variety of
Guitars
|
For the 2019 album, Colorado, Lofgren brought two guitars:
|
During performances of the song "The River" on
Effects
- Barber Burn Unit overdrive
- Strymon Brigadier dBucket Delay
- TC Electronic ND-1 Nova Delay
Amplifiers
- Fuchs 4 Aces 112 combo [25]
With
Effects
|
|
Amplifiers
|
|
|
Discography
Grin discography
- 1971: Grin (Spindizzy/Epic)
- 1972: 1+1 (Spindizzy/Epic)
- 1973: All Out (Spindizzy/Epic)
- 1973: Gone Crazy (A&M)
Solo discography
Year | Album | Peak chart positions | |||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
AUS [26][27] |
CAN | GER [28] |
NL [29] |
SWE [30] |
UK [31] |
US [32] |
US Ind [33] | ||
1975 | Nils Lofgren (A&M) | — | — | — | — | — | — | 141 | — |
Back It Up!! (Live) (A&M) | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | |
1976 | Cry Tough (A&M) | 96 | 57[34] | — | 12 | 22 | 8 | 32 | — |
1977 | I Came to Dance (A&M) | — | 81[35] | — | — | 14 | 30 | 36 | — |
Night After Night (Live) (A&M) | — | 75[36] | — | — | 23 | 38 | 44 | — | |
1979 | Nils (A&M) | 73 | 85[37] | 21 | 50 | 35 | — | 54 | — |
1981 | Night Fades Away (Backstreet/MCA) | 92 | — | — | — | 22 | 50 | 99 | — |
Best of Nils Lofgren (A&M) | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | |
1982 | A Rhythm Romance (A&M) | — | — | — | — | — | 100 | — | — |
1983 | Wonderland (Backstreet/MCA) | — | — | — | — | 31 | — | 206 | — |
1985 | Flip (CBS) | — | — | — | — | 12 | 36 | 150 | — |
1986 | Code of the Road (Live) (Towerbell/CBS) | — | — | — | — | — | 86 | — | — |
1991 | Silver Lining (Rykodisc) | 122 | — | — | 62 | — | 61 | 153 | — |
1992 | Crooked Line (Rykodisc) | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
1993 | Live on the Test (Windsong) (UK-only release) | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
1994 | Every Breath (Soundtrack) (Crisis) | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
1995 | Damaged Goods (Pure) | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
1997 | Acoustic Live (Vision) | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
2001 | Breakaway Angel (Vision) | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
2002 | Tuff Stuff: The Best of the All-Madden Team Band (Vision) | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
2003 | Nils Lofgren Band Live (Vision) | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
2006 | Sacred Weapon (Vision) | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
2008 | The Loner – Nils Sings Neil (Vision) | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
2011 | Old School (MvD) | — | — | — | — | 60 | — | — | — |
2014 | Face the Music (box set) (Fantasy) | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
2015 | UK 2015 Face the Music Tour (Cattle Track Road) | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
2019 | Blue with Lou (Cattle Track Road) | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 33 |
2020 | Weathered (Live) (Cattle Track Road) | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
2023 | Mountains (Cattle Track Road) | — | — | 85 | — | — | — | — | — |
"—" denotes releases that did not chart or were not released |
With Crazy Horse
- Crazy Horse (1971)
- All Roads Lead Home (2023) (released under the name Molina, Talbot, Lofgren and Young)
With Neil Young
- After the Gold Rush (1970)
- Tonight's the Night (1975)
- Trans (1982)
- In Berlin (1983)
- Unplugged (February 1993)
- Roxy: Tonight's the Night Live (2018) Recorded in (1973)
- Colorado (2019) (with Crazy Horse)
- Barn (2021) (with Crazy Horse)
- World Record (2022) (with Crazy Horse)
- Somewhere Under the Rainbow (2023) Recorded in 1973 (with the Santa Monica Flyers)
With Jerry Williams
- Jerry Williams (Spindizzy) (1972) – Lofgren/Grin played on three songs on the album; additionally, they played on the b-side of the single, "Crazy 'Bout You Baby"
With Lou Reed (as co-writer)
- The Bells (1979)
With Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band
- Live/1975-85(1986)
- Tunnel of Love (1987)
- Chimes of Freedom (1988)
- Greatest Hits (1995)
- Blood Brothers (1996)
- Tracks (1998)
- 18 Tracks (1999)
- Bruce Springsteen & The E Street Band: Live in New York City (2001)
- The Rising (2002)
- The Essential Bruce Springsteen (2003)
- Magic (2007)
- Magic Tour Highlights (2008)
- Bruce Springsteen & The E Street Band Greatest Hits(2009)
- Working on a Dream (2009)
- Wrecking Ball (2012)
- Collection: 1973–2012 (2013)
- High Hopes(2014)
- American Beauty(2014)
- Bruce Springsteen Archives (2014–present)
- Chapter and Verse (2016)
- The Live Series: Songs of the Road(2018)
- The Live Series: Songs of Friendship(2019)
- The Live Series: Songs of Hope(2019)
- Letter to You (2020)
With Lou Gramm
- Ready or Not (1987)
References
- ^ Lofgren, Nils (2007). "Nils Lofgren, Singer, songwriter". Nils Lofgren's official website. Archived from the original on February 20, 2015. Retrieved March 21, 2013.
- ^ ISBN 0-85112-939-0.
- ^ a b c d e J. Freedom du Lac (October 8, 2008). "Six Questions (And Then Some) For ... Nils Lofgren". The Washington Post. Retrieved November 11, 2008.
- ^ a b Huey, Steve (2009). "Nils Lofgren Biography". AllMusic. Retrieved March 14, 2009.
- ^ Walter Johnson High School
- ^ "Nils Lofgren Interview". Djnoble.demon.co.uk. Archived from the original on March 4, 2016. Retrieved February 14, 2011.
- ^ "The Hangmen". Garagehangover.com. Retrieved March 29, 2012.
- ^ Kinsler, Robert (January 28, 2009). "Nils Lofgren marks 25 years with Springsteen". Orange County Register. Retrieved March 14, 2009.
- ^ Gallucci, Michael (March 28, 2023). "Molina, Talbot, Lofgren and Young, 'All Roads Lead Home': Album Review". Ultimate Guitar. Retrieved March 28, 2023.
- ^ "Rocklist.net...NME End of Year Lists 1975". Rocklistmusic.co.uk. May 9, 1992. Retrieved February 14, 2011.
- AllMusic
- ^ "Rocklist.net...NME End of Year Lists 1976". Rocklistmusic.co.uk. May 9, 1992. Retrieved February 14, 2011.
- ISBN 0-394-72107-1.
- ^ "Nils Lofgren on John Madden, the Cardinals and a brand new set of hips..." Billboard. January 2009. Archived from the original on February 4, 2009. Retrieved January 24, 2009.
- ^ a b Moser, John J. (February 8, 2016). "Nils Lofgren on playing with Springsteen: 'Every night I learn stuff and grow'". The Morning Call. Retrieved February 15, 2021.
- ^ "Nils Lofgren on PBS NewsHour". Pbs.org. December 15, 2018.
- ^ "Mixcloud". Mixcloud.com. Retrieved September 26, 2021.
- ^ "Bruce Springsteen and the e Street Band Announce 2023 International Tour". July 5, 2022.
- ^ @backstreetsmag (February 13, 2023). "We're sending out Get Well wishes to #SoozieTyrell @nilslofgren and @StevieVanZandt" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
- ^ "Nils Lofgren Merchandise". Nilslofgren.com. Archived from the original on January 1, 2011. Retrieved February 14, 2011.
- ^ "Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony 2017". Azcentral.com. Retrieved October 9, 2017.
- ^ Kreps, Daniel (January 30, 2022). "Nils Lofgren Pulls Music From Spotify in Solidarity With Neil Young". Rolling Stone. Retrieved January 30, 2022.
- ^ Nils Lofgren Guitar Rig Gear and Equipment Archived April 30, 2009, at the Wayback Machine Uberproaudio.com Retrieved May 16, 2009
- ^ Fender artist – Nils Lofgren / Bruce Springsteen & the E Street Band Archived July 10, 2010, at the Wayback Machine fender.com Retrieved 2010-07-19
- ^ Nils Lofgren: Back on the Horse Premierguitar.com Retrieved November 26, 2019
- ISBN 0-646-11917-6.
- ^ "Bubbling Down Under Week Commencing May 13, 1991". Retrieved June 21, 2022.
- ^ "Suche - Offizielle Deutsche Charts". Offiziellecharts.de. Retrieved December 29, 2020.
- ^ "Dutch Charts - dutchcharts.nl". dutchcharts.nl. Retrieved December 29, 2020.
- ^ "swedishcharts.com - Swedish Charts Portal". swedishcharts.com. Retrieved December 29, 2020.
- ^ "NILS LOFGREN | full Official Chart History | Official Charts Company". Officialcharts.com. May 25, 1985. Retrieved December 29, 2020.
- ^ "Nils Lofgren". Billboard. Retrieved July 19, 2023.
- ^ "Nils Lofgren". Billboard. Retrieved December 29, 2020.
- ^ Canada, Library and Archives (July 17, 2013). "Image : RPM Weekly". Bac-lac.gc.ca. Retrieved December 29, 2020.
- ^ Canada, Library and Archives (July 17, 2013). "Image : RPM Weekly". Bac-lac.gc.ca. Retrieved December 29, 2020.
- ^ Canada, Library and Archives (July 17, 2013). "Image : RPM Weekly". Bac-lac.gc.ca. Retrieved December 29, 2020.
- ^ Canada, Library and Archives (July 17, 2013). "Image : RPM Weekly". Bac-lac.gc.ca. Retrieved December 29, 2020.
External links
This section's use of external links may not follow Wikipedia's policies or guidelines. (October 2020) |
- Official website
- History at nilslofgren.com
- shinesilently.com/nilsalbums Discography on UK fan site
- Nils Lofgren at AllMusic
- Grin at AllMusic
- Nils Lofgren at IMDb
- Favourite Guitarist – Nils Lofgren on LGA
- Alan McGee on Lofgren and Vetiver