Biography
Nils Lofgren (born Nils Hilmer Lofgren, June 21, 1951, Chicago, Illinois, United
States) is an American rock music singer, songwriter, and multi-instrumentalist.
Famous as a solo artist, he has marked 25 years as a member of Bruce
Springsteen's E Street Band as well as a former member of Crazy Horse.
Lofgren was born in Chicago in 1951 to
Swedish/Italian parents. Moving to the suburban town of Garrett Park, Maryland,
on the northern border of Washington, D.C. as a child, Lofgren's first
instrument was classical accordion, beginning at age 5,[2] which he studied
seriously for ten years. After studying classical music and jazz, throughout his
youth, Lofgren switched his emphasis to rock music, and focused on the piano and
the guitar. By 1969, Lofgren formed the band Grin, with bassist Bob Gordon, and
drummer Bob Berberich, and the group played in the venues throughout the
Washington, D.C. area. Lofgren had been a competitive gymnast in high school, a
skill that popped up later in his career.
Lofgren joined Neil Young's band at age 17, playing piano and guitar on the
album After the Gold Rush. Young gave him this role despite his having virtually
no experience on the instrument; Lofgren worked on his parts around-the-clock
when recording was not in session. Lofgren maintained a close musical
relationship with Young, appearing on his Tonight's the Night album and tour
among others. He was also briefly a member of Crazy Horse, appearing on their
1971 LP and contributing songs to their catalogue.
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Nils Lofgren on allmusic.com |
