Nils Lofgren
Encyclopedia
Nils Hilmer Lofgren is an American rock music recording artist, songwriter, and multi-instrumentalist. Along with his work as a solo artist, he has marked over 25 years as a member of Bruce Springsteen's E Street Band
as well as a former member of Crazy Horse
and Grin.
, near the northern border of Washington, D.C. as a very young child. Lofgren's first instrument was classical accordion
, beginning at age 5, 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 1968, Lofgren formed the band Grin, originally with bassist George Daly, and drummer Bob Berberich, former players in the DC band The Hangmen. 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. During this time, Lofgren met Neil Young
and played for him. 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 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.
and drummer Bob Berberich, and the group played in venues throughout the Washington D.C. area before going to California. 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 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 Nils added brother Tom Lofgren as a rhythm guitarist. Grin failed to hit the big time, and were released by their record company.
solo album was a success with critics; a 1975 Rolling Stone
review by Jon Landau
labeled it one of the finest rock albums of the year, and NME
ranked it 5th in its list of albums of the year. Subsequent albums did not always garner critical favor, although Cry Tough
was voted number 10 in the 1976 NME Album round up; I Came To Dance
in particular received a scathing review in the New Rolling Stone Record Guide. He achieved progressive rock radio
hits in the mid-1970s with "Back It Up", "Keith Don't Go" and "I Came to Dance". His song "Bullets Fever", about the 1978 NBA champion Washington Bullets, would become a favorite in the Washington area. Throughout the 1970s, Lofgren released solo albums and toured extensively with a backing band that again usually included brother Tom on rhythm guitar. Lofgren's concerts displayed his reputation for theatrics, such as playing guitar while doing flips on a trampoline
.
In 1971 he appeared on stage on the Roy Buchanan
Special, PBS TV
, with Bill Graham
. In 1973 he appeared with Grin on NBC on Midnight Special
, performing three songs live. In 1978 he wrote and sang the "Nobody Bothers Me" theme for a D.C. Jhoon Rhee Tae Kwon Do advertisement, and also appeared in the notorious Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band
movie. In 1987 he contributed the TV Show theme arrangement for Hunter. In 1993 he contributed to The Simpsons
, with two Christmas jingles with Bart. In 1995 he appeared on a PBS tribute to the Beatles
along with Dr. John
. From 1991–95 he was the CableAce Awards musical director and composer.
on guitar and vocals, in time for Springsteen's massive Born in the U.S.A. Tour
. Following the tour he appeared on Late Night with David Letterman
, to promote his 1985 solo release Flip. The E Street Band toured again with Springsteen in 1988 on the Tunnel of Love Express. In 1989 Springsteen broke up the E Street Band, but Lofgren and Van Zandt rejoined when Springsteen revived the band in 1999 for their Reunion Tour
, followed by The Rising
and another massive tour in 2002 and 2003
, then again for the Magic
album and world tour of 2007/2008
, and most recently in 2009 for the Working on a Dream Tour
.
, 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. During the 2000s he got his own "Nils Lofgren Day" in Montgomery County, Maryland
(August 25). In 2006 Lofgren released Sacred Weapon, featuring guest appearances by David Crosby
, Graham Nash
, Willie Nelson
and Martin Sexton
. In 2006 he recorded a live DVD Nils Lofgren & Friends: Acoustic Live.
On June 23, 2006, Lofgren performed at a benefit concert for Arthur Lee
at New York's Beacon Theater, along with Robert Plant
, Ian Hunter
, Yo La Tengo
and Garland Jeffreys
. In 2007, he appeared playing guitar as part of Jerry Lee Lewis
' backing band for Lewis' Last Man Standing Live
concert DVD. He released The Loner Nils Sings Neil, an album of acoustic covers of Neil Young songs, in 2008.
In September 2008, Lofgren had hip replacement surgery for both of his hips as a result of years of playing basketball, "performance 'flips' on stage and age." Lofgren has stated on his website that he feels he will be in good condition.
lives close to Lofgren's Arizona home, and collaborated on a song with him, which they co-wrote, and recorded, titled, "What Ever Happened to Muscatel?"
In 2010, Lofgren – a self-described "huge sports fan" – wrote a long open letter to ESPN
and the rest of the sports reporting community, condemning their favorable treatment of Michael Vick
's return to football stardom.
.
During performances of the song "The River" on The E Street Band's Working On A Dream
Tour, Nils would use a custom Fender Stratocaster
double-neck guitar, with one 12-string neck, and one standard six. The 12 string was tuned B-G-Bb-F-D-Eb, and the six string A-G#-Bb-Bb-Bb-F#.
E Street Band
The E Street Band has been rock musician Bruce Springsteen's primary backing band since 1972.The band has also recorded with a wide range of other artists including Bob Dylan, Meat Loaf, Bonnie Tyler, Air Supply, Dire Straits, David Bowie, Peter Gabriel, Stevie Nicks, Tom Morello, Sting, Ian...
as well as a former member of Crazy Horse
Crazy Horse (band)
Crazy Horse is an American rock band best known for its association with Neil Young. It has been co-credited on a number of albums throughout Young's career and has released five albums of its own.-Early years:...
and Grin.
Early life and career
Lofgren was born in Chicago in 1951 to Swedish/Italian parents. He moved to the suburban town of Garrett Park, MarylandGarrett Park, Maryland
Garrett Park is a town in Montgomery County, Maryland. It was named for a former president of the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad, but whether specifically for John Garrett or Robert W. Garrett is a matter of some disagreement between sources. The population was 917 at the 2000 census...
, near the northern border of Washington, D.C. as a very young child. Lofgren's first instrument was classical accordion
Accordion
The accordion is a box-shaped musical instrument of the bellows-driven free-reed aerophone family, sometimes referred to as a squeezebox. A person who plays the accordion is called an accordionist....
, beginning at age 5, which he studied seriously for ten years. After studying classical music and jazz
Jazz
Jazz is a musical style that originated at the beginning of the 20th century in African American communities in the Southern United States. It was born out of a mix of African and European music traditions. From its early development until the present, jazz has incorporated music from 19th and 20th...
, throughout his youth, Lofgren switched his emphasis to rock music, and focused on the piano and the guitar.
By 1968, Lofgren formed the band Grin, originally with bassist George Daly, and drummer Bob Berberich, former players in the DC band The Hangmen. 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. During this time, Lofgren met Neil Young
Neil Young
Neil Percival Young, OC, OM is a Canadian singer-songwriter who is widely regarded as one of the most influential musicians of his generation...
and played for him. 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 joined Neil Young
Neil Young
Neil Percival Young, OC, OM is a Canadian singer-songwriter who is widely regarded as one of the most influential musicians of his generation...
's band at age 17, playing piano and guitar on the album After the Gold Rush
After the Gold Rush
After the Gold Rush is the third studio album by Canadian musician Neil Young. Released in August 1970 on Reprise Records, it was one of the four high-profile albums released by each member of folk rock collective Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young in the wake of their chart-topping 1970 album Déjà Vu...
. 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
Crazy Horse (band)
Crazy Horse is an American rock band best known for its association with Neil Young. It has been co-credited on a number of albums throughout Young's career and has released five albums of its own.-Early years:...
, appearing on their 1971 LP
Crazy Horse (album)
Crazy Horse is the 1971 debut album by Crazy Horse, released by Reprise Records. It peaked at number 84 on the Billboard album chart.- History :...
and contributing songs to their catalogue.
Grin
Lofgren used the Neil Young album credits to land his band Grin a record deal in 1971. Lofgren had formed the band originally with bassist George DalyGeorge Daly (Music Industry)
George Daly is a music executive, songwriter, musician, video and music producer and technology inventor, who originally worked as an A&R music executive...
and drummer Bob Berberich, and the group played in venues throughout the Washington D.C. area before going to California. 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 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 Nils added brother Tom Lofgren as a rhythm guitarist. Grin failed to hit the big time, and were released by their record company.
Solo career, part I
In 1974 Grin disbanded. Lofgren's eponymous debutNils Lofgren (album)
Nils Lofgren is a 1975 album by Nils Lofgren, also known as the "Fat Man Album". It was his first solo album, following the breakup of his group, Grin....
solo album was a success with critics; a 1975 Rolling Stone
Rolling Stone
Rolling Stone is a US-based magazine devoted to music, liberal politics, and popular culture that is published every two weeks. Rolling Stone was founded in San Francisco in 1967 by Jann Wenner and music critic Ralph J...
review by Jon Landau
Jon Landau
Jon Landau is an American music critic, manager and record producer, most known for his association in all three capacities with Bruce Springsteen.He is currently the head of the nominating committee for the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame....
labeled it one of the finest rock albums of the year, and NME
NME
The New Musical Express is a popular music publication in the United Kingdom, published weekly since March 1952. It started as a music newspaper, and gradually moved toward a magazine format during the 1980s, changing from newsprint in 1998. It was the first British paper to include a singles...
ranked it 5th in its list of albums of the year. Subsequent albums did not always garner critical favor, although Cry Tough
Cry Tough
Cry Tough is a 1976 album from Nils Lofgren. As the follow-up to his solo debut, Cry Tough is yet another offering of Lofgren-penned pop/rock...
was voted number 10 in the 1976 NME Album round up; I Came To Dance
I Came to Dance
I Came to Dance is the third solo studio album from Nils Lofgren.- Track listing :All tracks composed by Nils Lofgren; except where indicated# "I Came to Dance" 4:30# "Rock Me at Home" 4:30# "Home Is Where the Hurt Is" 4:12# "Code of the Road" 4:51...
in particular received a scathing review in the New Rolling Stone Record Guide. He achieved progressive rock radio
Progressive rock (radio format)
Progressive rock is a radio station programming format that prospered in the late 1960s and 1970s, in which the disc jockeys are given wide latitude in what they may play, similar to the freeform format but with the proviso that some kind of rock music is almost always what is played...
hits in the mid-1970s with "Back It Up", "Keith Don't Go" and "I Came to Dance". His song "Bullets Fever", about the 1978 NBA champion Washington Bullets, would become a favorite in the Washington area. Throughout the 1970s, Lofgren released solo albums and toured extensively with a backing band that again usually included brother Tom on rhythm guitar. Lofgren's concerts displayed his reputation for theatrics, such as playing guitar while doing flips on a trampoline
Trampoline
A trampoline is a device consisting of a piece of taut, strong fabric stretched over a steel frame using many coiled springs. People bounce on trampolines for recreational and competitive purposes....
.
In 1971 he appeared on stage on the Roy Buchanan
Roy Buchanan
Roy Buchanan was an American guitarist and blues musician. A pioneer of the Telecaster sound, Buchanan was a sideman and solo artist, with two gold albums early in his career, and two later solo albums that made it on to the Billboard chart. Despite never having achieved stardom, he is still...
Special, PBS TV
Public Broadcast Service
The Public Broadcast Service is a government-owned educational radio and television broadcast service located in Barbados. Public Broadcast Service owns a radio station, 91.1FM and its television programming will be introduced in 2009....
, with Bill Graham
Bill Graham
William Carvel "Bill" Graham, PC QC is a former Canadian politician, who served as Minister of Foreign Affairs, Minister of National Defence, and Leader of the Opposition and interim Leader of the Liberal Party of Canada.-Personal life:...
. In 1973 he appeared with Grin on NBC on Midnight Special
The Midnight Special (TV series)
The Midnight Special is an American musical variety series that aired on NBC during the 1970s and early 1980s, created and produced by Burt Sugarman. It premiered as a special on August 19, 1972, then began its run as a regular series on February 2, 1973; its last episode was on May 1, 1981...
, performing three songs live. In 1978 he wrote and sang the "Nobody Bothers Me" theme for a D.C. Jhoon Rhee Tae Kwon Do advertisement, and also appeared in the notorious Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band
Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band (film)
Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band is a 1978 American musical film. Its soundtrack, Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band, features new versions of songs originally written and performed by The Beatles. The film draws primarily from two of their albums, 1967's Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club...
movie. In 1987 he contributed the TV Show theme arrangement for Hunter. In 1993 he contributed to The Simpsons
The Simpsons
The Simpsons is an American animated sitcom created by Matt Groening for the Fox Broadcasting Company. The series is a satirical parody of a middle class American lifestyle epitomized by its family of the same name, which consists of Homer, Marge, Bart, Lisa and Maggie...
, with two Christmas jingles with Bart. In 1995 he appeared on a PBS tribute to the Beatles
The Beatles
The Beatles were an English rock band, active throughout the 1960s and one of the most commercially successful and critically acclaimed acts in the history of popular music. Formed in Liverpool, by 1962 the group consisted of John Lennon , Paul McCartney , George Harrison and Ringo Starr...
along with Dr. John
Dr. John
Malcolm John "Mac" Rebennack, Jr. , better known by the stage name Dr. John , is an American singer-songwriter, pianist and guitarist, whose music combines blues, pop, jazz as well as Zydeco, boogie woogie and rock and roll.Active as a session musician since the late 1950s, he came to wider...
. From 1991–95 he was the CableAce Awards musical director and composer.
E Street Band
In 1984, he joined Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band as the replacement for Steven Van ZandtSteven Van Zandt
Steven Van Zandt is an Italian-American musician, songwriter, arranger, record producer, actor, and radio disc jockey, who frequently goes by the stage names Little Steven or Miami Steve...
on guitar and vocals, in time for Springsteen's massive Born in the U.S.A. Tour
Born in the U.S.A. Tour
The Born in the U.S.A. Tour was the supporting concert tour of Bruce Springsteen's massively popular Born in the U.S.A. album. It was his longest and most successful tour to date. It featured a physically transformed Springsteen. After two years of bodybuilding, Springsteen had bulked up...
. Following the tour he appeared on Late Night with David Letterman
Late Night with David Letterman
Late Night with David Letterman is a nightly hour-long comedy talk show on NBC that was created and hosted by David Letterman. It premiered in 1982 as the first incarnation of the Late Night franchise and went off the air in 1993, after Letterman left NBC and moved to Late Show on CBS. Late Night...
, to promote his 1985 solo release Flip. The E Street Band toured again with Springsteen in 1988 on the Tunnel of Love Express. In 1989 Springsteen broke up the E Street Band, but Lofgren and Van Zandt rejoined when Springsteen revived the band in 1999 for their Reunion Tour
Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band Reunion Tour
The Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band Reunion Tour was a lengthy, top-grossing concert tour featuring Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band that took place over 1999 and 2000....
, followed by The Rising
The Rising (album)
The Rising is the 12th studio album by American recording artist Bruce Springsteen, released in 2002 on Columbia Records. In addition to being Springsteen's first studio album in seven years, it was also his first with the E Street Band in 18 years...
and another massive tour in 2002 and 2003
The Rising Tour
The Rising Tour was a lengthy, worldwide, top-grossing concert tour featuring Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band that took place in arenas and stadiums over 2002 and 2003...
, then again for the Magic
Magic (Bruce Springsteen album)
Magic is the 15th studio album by Bruce Springsteen, released in 2007 on Columbia Records. It is his first with the E Street Band since The Rising in 2002...
album and world tour of 2007/2008
Magic Tour (Bruce Springsteen)
The Magic Tour was Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band's 2007–2008 concert tour of North America and Western Europe.The tour began October 2, 2007, in Hartford, Connecticut, and concluded August 30, 2008 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin...
, and most recently in 2009 for the Working on a Dream Tour
Working on a Dream Tour
The Working on a Dream Tour was a concert tour by Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band, which began in April 2009 and ended in November 2009...
.
Solo career, part II
Lofgren continues to record and to tour as a solo act, with Patti ScialfaPatti Scialfa
Vivienne Patricia "Patti" Scialfa is an American singer, songwriter, and guitarist. She is married to Bruce Springsteen and they have three children.- Early life :...
, with Neil Young, and as a two-time member of Ringo Starr
Ringo Starr
Richard Starkey, MBE better known by his stage name Ringo Starr, is an English musician and actor who gained worldwide fame as the drummer for The Beatles. When the band formed in 1960, Starr was a member of another Liverpool band, Rory Storm and the Hurricanes. He became The Beatles' drummer in...
's All-Starr Band. Many of the people he worked with on those tours appeared on his 1991 album, Silver Lining. During the 2000s he got his own "Nils Lofgren Day" in Montgomery County, Maryland
Montgomery County, Maryland
Montgomery County is a county in the U.S. state of Maryland, situated just to the north of Washington, D.C., and southwest of the city of Baltimore. It is one of the most affluent counties in the United States, and has the highest percentage of residents over 25 years of age who hold post-graduate...
(August 25). In 2006 Lofgren released Sacred Weapon, featuring guest appearances by David Crosby
David Crosby
David Van Cortlandt Crosby is an American guitarist, singer, and songwriter. In addition to his solo career, he was a founding member of three bands: The Byrds, Crosby, Stills & Nash , and CPR...
, Graham Nash
Graham Nash
Graham William Nash, OBE is an English singer-songwriter known for his light tenor vocals and for his songwriting contributions with the British pop group The Hollies, and with the folk-rock band Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young. Nash is a photography collector and a published photographer...
, Willie Nelson
Willie Nelson
Willie Hugh Nelson is an American country music singer-songwriter, as well as an author, poet, actor, and activist. The critical success of the album Shotgun Willie , combined with the critical and commercial success of Red Headed Stranger and Stardust , made Nelson one of the most recognized...
and Martin Sexton
Martin Sexton
Martin Sexton is an American singer-songwriter and producer originally from Syracuse, New York.- Early life :Sexton grew up the tenth of twelve children in a working class Irish-American family. He acquired his first guitar, a Sears & Roebuck acoustic, at the age of 14 and later played in local...
. In 2006 he recorded a live DVD Nils Lofgren & Friends: Acoustic Live.
On June 23, 2006, Lofgren performed at a benefit concert for Arthur Lee
Arthur Lee (musician)
Arthur Lee was the frontman, songwriter and multi-instrumentalist of the Los Angeles rock band Love, best known for the critically acclaimed 1967 album, Forever Changes.-Early years:...
at New York's Beacon Theater, along with Robert Plant
Robert Plant
Robert Anthony Plant, CBE is an English singer and songwriter best known as the vocalist and lyricist of the iconic rock band Led Zeppelin. He has also had a successful solo career...
, Ian Hunter
Ian Hunter (singer)
Ian Hunter Patterson is an English singer-songwriter. He was the lead singer of the English rock band Mott the Hoople from its inception in 1969 to its dissolution in 1974, and he again fronted them at the time of their 2009 reunion. Hunter was a musician and songwriter before Mott The Hoople, and...
, Yo La Tengo
Yo La Tengo
Yo La Tengo, sometimes abbreviated as YLT, is an American alternative rock band formed in Hoboken, New Jersey in 1984. Since 1992, the lineup has consisted of Ira Kaplan , Georgia Hubley , and James McNew .Despite achieving limited mainstream success, Yo La Tengo has been called "the quintessential...
and Garland Jeffreys
Garland Jeffreys
Garland Jeffreys is a part African-American, and Puerto Rican American, singer and songwriter, transversing the musical genres of rock and roll, reggae, blues and soul.-Career:...
. In 2007, he appeared playing guitar as part of Jerry Lee Lewis
Jerry Lee Lewis
Jerry Lee Lewis is an American rock and roll and country music singer-songwriter and pianist. An early pioneer of rock and roll music, Lewis's career faltered after he married his young cousin, and he afterwards made a career extension to country and western music. He is known by the nickname 'The...
' backing band for Lewis' Last Man Standing Live
Last Man Standing Live
Last Man Standing Live is an album recorded live 2006, by Jerry Lee Lewis in cooperation with other musicians...
concert DVD. He released The Loner Nils Sings Neil, an album of acoustic covers of Neil Young songs, in 2008.
In September 2008, Lofgren had hip replacement surgery for both of his hips as a result of years of playing basketball, "performance 'flips' on stage and age." Lofgren has stated on his website that he feels he will be in good condition.
Other work
Novelist Clive CusslerClive Cussler
Clive Eric Cussler is an American adventure novelist and marine archaeologist. His thriller novels, many featuring the character Dirk Pitt, have reached The New York Times fiction best-seller list more than seventeen times...
lives close to Lofgren's Arizona home, and collaborated on a song with him, which they co-wrote, and recorded, titled, "What Ever Happened to Muscatel?"
In 2010, Lofgren – a self-described "huge sports fan" – wrote a long open letter to ESPN
ESPN
Entertainment and Sports Programming Network, commonly known as ESPN, is an American global cable television network focusing on sports-related programming including live and pre-taped event telecasts, sports talk shows, and other original programming....
and the rest of the sports reporting community, condemning their favorable treatment of Michael Vick
Michael Vick
Michael Dwayne Vick is an American football quarterback for the Philadelphia Eagles of the National Football League...
's return to football stardom.
Musical equipment
Lofgren primarily uses a variety of Fender guitars and amplifersFender Amplifiers
Fender Amplifiers have a long history. Leo Fender began building guitar amps before he started manufacturing guitars. The first of these amps were the K&F models, which were produced between 1945 and 1946...
.
Guitars
- Fender StratocasterFender StratocasterThe Fender Stratocaster, often referred to as "Strat", is a model of electric guitar designed by Leo Fender, George Fullerton, and Freddie Tavares in 1954, and manufactured continuously by the Fender Musical Instruments Corporation to the present. It is a double-cutaway guitar, with an extended top...
– Including two 1961 which he often uses. - Fender JazzmasterFender JazzmasterThe Fender Jazzmaster is an electric guitar designed as an upmarket sibling to the Fender Stratocaster. First introduced at the 1958 NAMM Show, it was initially marketed at jazz guitarists, but found favor among surf rock guitarists in the early 1960s...
s - Gibson Les PaulGibson Les PaulThe Gibson Les Paul was the result of a design collaboration between Gibson Guitar Corporation and the late jazz guitarist and electronics inventor Les Paul. In 1950, with the introduction of the Fender Telecaster to the musical market, electric guitars became a public craze. In reaction, Gibson...
– 1952 Goldtop. - Gibson SGGibson SGAt the launch of the SG in 1961, Gibson offered four variants of the SG; the SG Junior , the SG Special, the SG Standard, and the top-of-the-line SG Custom. However, Gibson's current core variants as of 2010 are the SG Standard and the SG Special...
– Cherry red. Used on Johnny Bye, Bye during the E Street Band's Magic Tour. - Gibson Flying VGibson Flying V-External links:*, , , , and , from the Gibson website*, a June 2001 article from Guitar Collector magazine*, a tribute site that lists all models and re-issues and most notable players**...
– Used during Grin's reunion tour in 2001. - BC. Rich Mockingbird
- Epiphone Les PaulEpiphone Les PaulThe Epiphone Les Paul is a line of solid body electric guitars produced by Epiphone as a more modestly priced version of the famous Gibson Les Paul. Epiphone is a subsidiary of the Gibson Guitar Corporation and manufactures the Les Paul and other budget models at a lower cost in Asia. Visually and...
– Used on tours with Ringo StarrRingo StarrRichard Starkey, MBE better known by his stage name Ringo Starr, is an English musician and actor who gained worldwide fame as the drummer for The Beatles. When the band formed in 1960, Starr was a member of another Liverpool band, Rory Storm and the Hurricanes. He became The Beatles' drummer in...
. - Martin D-18C. F. Martin & CompanyC.F. Martin & Company is a US guitar manufacturer established in 1833 by Christian Frederick Martin. Martin is highly regarded for its steel-string guitars, and is a leading mass manufacturer of flattop acoustics with models that retail for thousands of dollars and vintage instruments that often...
– Given to Lofgren by Neil YoungNeil YoungNeil Percival Young, OC, OM is a Canadian singer-songwriter who is widely regarded as one of the most influential musicians of his generation...
. - Gretsch Black PenguinGretschThe Gretsch Company was founded in 1883 by Friedrich Gretsch, a twenty-seven year old German immigrant recently arrived in the US. Friedrich Gretsch manufactured banjos, tambourines, and drums, until his death in 1895. His son, Fred, moved operations to Brooklyn, New York in 1916...
- Fender TelecasterFender TelecasterThe Fender Telecaster, colloquially known as the Tele , is typically a dual-pickup, solid-body electric guitar made by Fender.Its simple yet effective design and revolutionary sound broke ground and set trends in electric guitar manufacturing and popular music...
- Fender TelecasterFender TelecasterThe Fender Telecaster, colloquially known as the Tele , is typically a dual-pickup, solid-body electric guitar made by Fender.Its simple yet effective design and revolutionary sound broke ground and set trends in electric guitar manufacturing and popular music...
Black. Used on Born To Run during the "Magic" Tour. - Gibson L-10 acousticGibson Guitar CorporationThe Gibson Guitar Corporation, formerly of Kalamazoo, Michigan and currently of Nashville, Tennessee, manufactures guitars and other instruments which sell under a variety of brand names...
- Spector ARC6SpectorSpector is an American based company that manufacturers bass guitars. Founded in 1974 by self-taught luthier Stuart Spector, Spector's first few instruments were essentially crude experiments in instrument design and craftsmanship...
- Takamine acoustic guitarsTakamine Guitarsis a Japanese guitar manufacturer based in Nakatsugawa, Gifu, Japan. Takamine is known for its steel-string guitars.The company was founded in May 1962; in 1978 they were one of the first companies to introduce acoustic-electric models, where they pioneered the design of the preamp-equalizer...
- Owens/Zeta Resonator GuitarsResonator guitarA resonator guitar or resophonic guitar is an acoustic guitar whose sound is produced by one or more spun metal cones instead of the wooden sound board . Resonator guitars were originally designed to be louder than conventional acoustic guitars which were overwhelmed by horns and percussion...
- Carter Pedal steel guitarsPedal steel guitarThe pedal steel guitar is a type of electric guitar that uses a metal bar to "fret" or shorten the length of the strings, rather than fingers on strings as with a conventional guitar. Unlike other types of steel guitar, it also uses pedals and knee levers to affect the pitch, hence the name "pedal"...
During performances of the song "The River" on The E Street Band's Working On A Dream
Working on a Dream
Working on a Dream is the 16th studio album by Bruce Springsteen, released on January 27, 2009 through Columbia Records. It has sold more than 3 million copies worldwide, with over 585,000 in the United States as of September 2010.-History:...
Tour, Nils would use a custom Fender Stratocaster
Fender Stratocaster
The Fender Stratocaster, often referred to as "Strat", is a model of electric guitar designed by Leo Fender, George Fullerton, and Freddie Tavares in 1954, and manufactured continuously by the Fender Musical Instruments Corporation to the present. It is a double-cutaway guitar, with an extended top...
double-neck guitar, with one 12-string neck, and one standard six. The 12 string was tuned B-G-Bb-F-D-Eb, and the six string A-G#-Bb-Bb-Bb-F#.
Effects
- VocoderVocoderA vocoder is an analysis/synthesis system, mostly used for speech. In the encoder, the input is passed through a multiband filter, each band is passed through an envelope follower, and the control signals from the envelope followers are communicated to the decoder...
- Electro-Harmonix POGElectro-HarmonixElectro-Harmonix is a New York-based company that makes high-end electronic audio processors. The company was founded by Mike Matthews in 1968. They are most famous for a series of popular guitar effects pedals introduced in the 1970s and 1990s....
- Barber Burn Unit Overdrives
- FullTone Fulldrive2
- Line 6 DL4 Delay
- Digital Music GCX audio switcher
- Furman Power Conditioner
- Line 6 Pod Pro
- BOSS OC-3Boss CorporationBoss is a manufacturer of effects pedals for electric guitar and bass guitar. It is a division of the Roland Corporation, a Japanese manufacturer that specializes in musical equipment and accessories...
- BOSS DD-3Boss CorporationBoss is a manufacturer of effects pedals for electric guitar and bass guitar. It is a division of the Roland Corporation, a Japanese manufacturer that specializes in musical equipment and accessories...
- Korg DTR tunerElectronic tunerThe term electronic tuner can refer to a number of different things, depending which discipline you wish to study.In the Discipline of radio frequency electronics an electronic tuner is a device which tunes across a part of the radio frequency spectrum by the application of a voltage or appropriate...
- Peterson AutoStrobe 490
- Voodoo Lab Ground Control
Amplifers
- Fender Twin Reverbs – Used most recently.
- Fender blackface Super ReverbsFender Super ReverbThe Fender Super Reverb was a guitar amplifier made by Fender. It was introduced in 1963 and was discontinued in 1982. This was essentially a Fender Super amplifier with built-in reverb and vibrato. The original Super Reverb amplifiers were all tube design and featured spring reverb. There were...
– With four 10" speakers. - Fender Hot Rod Deluxe
- Fender Vibro KingsFender AmplifiersFender Amplifiers have a long history. Leo Fender began building guitar amps before he started manufacturing guitars. The first of these amps were the K&F models, which were produced between 1945 and 1946...
– With three 10" speakers' - Fender Vibro King CustomFender AmplifiersFender Amplifiers have a long history. Leo Fender began building guitar amps before he started manufacturing guitars. The first of these amps were the K&F models, which were produced between 1945 and 1946...
- Fender Hot Rod DeVilleFender Hot Rod DeVilleThe Fender Hot Rod DeVille is a combo tube guitar amplifier manufactured and sold by Fender. It was introduced in 1996 as part of Fender's Hot Rod line of amplifiers, and since then has been in continuous production...
s
Grin discography
- 1971: GrinGrin (Grin album)Grin is a 1971 album by Grin, featuring songs by their guitarist Nils Lofgren. As well as being an album in its own right, this was released by CBS in the UK as part of a 1976 double album set along with its successor 1+1.- Track listing :...
(Spindizzy/Epic) - 1972: 1+11+1 (Grin album)-Personnel:* Nils Lofgren – Guitars, Keyboards, Vocals* Bob Berberich – Drums, Vocals* Bob Gordon – Bass, Vocals* Graham Nash – Vocals on "Hi, Hello Home"* David Blumberg – Orchestration on "Just a Poem" & "Soft Fun"...
(Spindizzy/Epic) - 1973: All OutAll Out (Grin album)All Out is a 1973 album by Grin. The title of the album does not appear on the outside cover. The mouth on the front cover is a flap. When you raise the flap an open mouth is revealed with "ALL OUT" written on it. The back cover features a photo of Nils with a thought bubble drawn in containing the...
(Spindizzy/Epic) - 1973: Gone CrazyGone Crazy (Grin album)Gone Crazy is a 1973 album by Grin. The original album was a gatefold. The outside front and back covers feature a colorful drawing, by Lanny Tupper, of animals, dishes, and musical instruments going crazy. A photo on Nils doing a flip is also on the front cover. The inside cover has nineteen...
(A&M)
Solo discography
- 1975: Nils LofgrenNils Lofgren (album)Nils Lofgren is a 1975 album by Nils Lofgren, also known as the "Fat Man Album". It was his first solo album, following the breakup of his group, Grin....
(A&M) - 1975: Back It Up!! (Live)Back It Up!! (Live) (album)Back It Up!! is a promotional "live" album from Nils Lofgren initially released 1975. The title of the original vinyl LP was Back It Up!! – Nils Lofgren Live – An Authorized Bootleg...
(A&M) - 1976: Cry Tough (A&M)
- 1977: I Came to DanceI Came to DanceI Came to Dance is the third solo studio album from Nils Lofgren.- Track listing :All tracks composed by Nils Lofgren; except where indicated# "I Came to Dance" 4:30# "Rock Me at Home" 4:30# "Home Is Where the Hurt Is" 4:12# "Code of the Road" 4:51...
(A&M) - 1978: Night After NightNight After Night (Nils Lofgren album)Night After Night is a live double album by Nils Lofgren, released in 1977. It was his fourth solo album.- Track listing :All tracks composed by Nils Lofgren; except where indicated# "Take You to the Movies Tonight"# "Back It Up"...
(A&M) - 1979: NilsNils (album)Nils is the fifth solo album from Nils Lofgren.- Track listing :All tracks composed by Nils Lofgren; except where indicated# "No Mercy" – 4:06# "I'll Cry Tomorrow" – 4:28# "Baltimore" – 6:43...
(A&M) - 1981: Night Fades Away (Backstreet/MCA)
- 1981: Best of Nils Lofgren (A&M)
- 1982: A Rhythm Romance vinyl/cassette only, UK (A&M)
- 1983: Wonderland (Backstreet/MCA)
- 1985: FlipFlip (album)Flip is a 1985 solo album from Nils Lofgren, longtime guitarist for Neil Young and Bruce Springsteen. The sound is typical of the style of the mid-80's, with a heavy emphasis on the snare drum sound, Lofgren's guitar, and plenty of synthesizer....
(CBS) - 1986: Code Of The Road, Live '85, Europe/Japan only (A&M)
- 1987: Classics Vol. 13/Best Of Nils Lofgren (A&M)
- 1991: Nils Lofgren Live, video aka Nils Lofgren Band Live at Town and Country Club, UK (Castle Music Pictures)
- 1991: Silver Lining (Rykodisc)
- 1992: Don't Walk. Rock, Best Of, UK only (Connoisseur)
- 1992: Crooked Line (Rykodisc)
- 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)
- 2008: The Loner – Nils Sings Neil (Vision)
- 2011: Old School (to be released December 2011)
With Neil Young
- After the Gold RushAfter the Gold RushAfter the Gold Rush is the third studio album by Canadian musician Neil Young. Released in August 1970 on Reprise Records, it was one of the four high-profile albums released by each member of folk rock collective Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young in the wake of their chart-topping 1970 album Déjà Vu...
(1970) - Tonight's the Night (1975)
- TransTrans (album)Trans is the twelfth studio album by Canadian musician Neil Young, released in 1982. Recorded partially and released during his notorious Geffen era in the 1980s, Trans baffled many Neil Young fans. Some suggested that the album could be a satirical message that Young was trying to send about the...
(1982) - UnpluggedUnplugged (Neil Young album)Unplugged is a 1993 live album by Neil Young. It contains a previously unreleased song "Stringman", that dates from 1976. The taping of the show was also released on VHS....
(February 1993)
With Bruce Springsteen
- Live/1975-85Live/1975-85Live/1975–85 is a live album by Bruce Springsteen & the E Street Band. It consists of 40 tracks recorded at various concerts between 1975 and 1985. It was released as a box set with either five vinyl records, three cassettes, or three CDs...
(1986) - Tunnel of LoveTunnel of Love (album)Tunnel of Love is the eighth studio album by Bruce Springsteen released in 1987.In 1998, Q magazine readers voted Tunnel of Love the 91st greatest album of all time....
(1987) - Chimes of FreedomChimes of Freedom"Chimes of Freedom" is a song written and performed by Bob Dylan and featured on his 1964 album Another Side of Bob Dylan , produced by Tom Wilson. It was written in early 1964 and was influenced by the symbolist poetry of Arthur Rimbaud. The song depicts the feelings and thoughts of the singer...
(1988) - Greatest HitsGreatest Hits (Bruce Springsteen album)Greatest Hits is Bruce Springsteen's first compilation album, released February 27, 1995 on Columbia Records. It is a collection of some of Springsteen's hit singles and popular album tracks through the years and four extra numbers at the end, mostly recorded with the E Street Band in 1995...
(1995) - Bruce Springsteen & the E Street Band: Live In New York CityBruce Springsteen & the E Street Band: Live In New York CityBruce Springsteen & the E Street Band: Live In New York City is the name of a concert film done by HBO, featuring the first ever major televised Bruce Springsteen concert...
(2001) - The RisingThe Rising-Memorials:*The Rising , 2006 memorial in Westchester County, New York to the victims of the September 11 attacks-Music:* The Rising , 2002 album by Bruce Springsteen...
(2002) - MagicMagic (Bruce Springsteen album)Magic is the 15th studio album by Bruce Springsteen, released in 2007 on Columbia Records. It is his first with the E Street Band since The Rising in 2002...
(2007) - Working on a DreamWorking on a DreamWorking on a Dream is the 16th studio album by Bruce Springsteen, released on January 27, 2009 through Columbia Records. It has sold more than 3 million copies worldwide, with over 585,000 in the United States as of September 2010.-History:...
(2009)
External links
- nilslofgren.com (official website)
- History at nilslofgren.com
- shinesilently.com/nilsalbums Discography on UK fan site
- Alan McGee on Lofgren and Vetiver