Nils Lofgren
- For the Swedish scientist who developed the anaesthetic lidocaine , see Nils Löfgren.
Nils Lofgren is an American rock music singer, songwriter, and guitarist.
He was born in Chicago, Illinois on June 21, 1951 to Swedish/Italian parents. Moving to the Washington, D.C., area as a teenager, Lofgren joined Neil Young's band at age 17, playing piano on the album After the Gold Rush among others. He was also briefly a member of Crazy Horse appearing on their 1971 LP. From 1971 to 1974 recorded four albums with his own band, Grin.
After that he continued as a solo artist, and had FM radio hits in the mid-1970s with "Back It Up", "Keith Don't Go" (about Keith Richards' Toronto drug arrest crisis), and "I Came to Dance". His song "Bullets Fever", written about the 1978 NBA champion Washington Bullets, would become a cult favorite in the Washington area.
In 1984, he joined Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band as the replacement for Steven Van Zandt in the second guitarist role. The E Street Band was mostly inactive for the decade after 1989, but both he and Van Zandt rejoined it when Springsteen revived the band in 1999.
He continues to record and to tour as a solo act, with Springsteen, with Patti Scialfa, with Neil Young, and as a two-time member of Ringo Starr's All-Starr Band. Many of the people he worked with on those tours appeared on his 1991 album, Silver Lining. Nils recently got his own "Nils Lofgren Day" in Montgomery County, Maryland (August 25).
Lofgren has a reputation for theatrics such as playing guitar while jumping on a trampoline.
Lofgren is also an accomplished player of the accordion, his first instrument.
Discography
- 1975 : Nils Lofgren (A&M)
- 1976 : Cry Tough (A&M)
- 1977 : I Came To Dance (A&M)
- 1978 : Night After Night (A&M)
- 1979 : Nils (A&M)
- 1981 : Night Fades Away MCA/Backstreets)
- 1981 : Best of Nils Lofgren (A&M)
- 1982 : Rhythm Romance vinyl only, UK (A&M)
- 1983 : Wonderland (MCA/Backstreets)
- 1985 : Flip (CBS)
- 1986 : Code Of The Road, Live '85, Europe/Japan only (A&M)
- 1987 : Classics Vol. 14/Best Of Nils Lofgren (A&M)
- 1990 : Walk Don't Run, Best Of, UK only (Connissuer)
- 1991 : Silver Lining (Ryco)
- 1992 : Crooked Line(Ryco)
- 1993 : Every Breath, Soundtrack (Stampede)
- 1993: Every Breath, with 4 track EP, diff. cover, with Lou Gramm, Dutch (SPV)
- 1993: Every Breath, RE, diff cover, (Vision)
- 1993: Live On The Test, UK only, (Windsong)
- 1994 : Code Of The Road, Live (Stampede)
- 1994 : Soft Fun, Tough Tears - Best Of with Grin, Australia only (Raven)
- 1995 : Damaged Goods(Pure)
- 1995 : Shine Silently, Best Of, Germany only (Spectrum)
- 1996 : Steal Your Heart, Best of, Dutch only (A&M)
- 1997 : Acoustic Live (Vision)
- 1997 : Archive Live, Live N.J. Stone Pony 1985 (A.A.)
- 1997 : Code Of The Road, RE, diff cover, Live 1985 (Right Stuff)
- 1998 : Acoustic Live, RE, diff. cover (Right Stuff)
- 1998 : Into the Night, Best Of, Germany Live (BMG)
- 1998 : Best Of A&M Years, Nils+Grin, Dutch only (Spectrum)
- 1998 : New Lives BBC, UK only (HUX)
- 1999: Ultimate Collection, Best of (Hip-O)
- 2001 : Bootleg, 1975, Live (Vision)
- 2001 : Nils Lofgren, re-issue with 2 bonus tracks (A&M)
- 2001 : Nils, with 1 bonus track (A&M)
- 2001 : Flip, with 1 bonus track (CBS)
- 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)
