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Nils Lofgren

A world-renowned singer, songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, and Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductee as a member of the E Street Band, Nils Lofgren has been touring and recording his own music for over 55 years.

Lofgren’s storied career began when he was still a teenager. He was touring with his band Grin at 17, when he met Neil Young, and wound up playing on Young’s landmark After the Gold Rush album, and later the Crazy Horse debut and Tonight’s the Night. Grin would go on to release a quartet of albums loved by critics, but little noticed by the public. After Grin, Nils embarked on a solo career, which produced revered fan favorites like “I Came to Dance,” “Keith Don’t Go” and “Cry Tough” during the ’70’s.

While perhaps best known now for his work with Springsteen, Lofgren has a resume that is amazingly diverse and star-studded. Besides his work with Young, he has recorded with music legends Jerry Lee Lewis, Del Shannon and Carl Perkins, collaborated with Lou Reed, and toured with Ringo Starr. His rock rollcall includes Rod Stewart, Bob Seger, Paul Rodgers, and Stephen Stills, but he has also played with Cab Calloway, Willie Nelson, Branford Marsalis, and Rick James.

2014 saw the release of his monumental Face the Music box set, a nine-CD/one-DVD retrospective covering near five-decade career that was roundly admired by critics. Charles Pitter, in Pop Matters, called it a “testament to Lofgren’s impressive career and demonstrates Lofgren is a lot more than just a notable sideman,” while American Songwriter’s Hal Horowitz hailed it as a “terrific and lovingly curated set that displays the impressive life’s work of a classy, talented, journeyman rocker yet to find the commercial or critical acclaim he deserves.”

The UK2015 Face The Music Live album followed. Then the critically acclaimed 2019 Blue with Lou album, an all-new collection featuring a dozen dazzling, forceful songs, half of which were penned in collaboration with the late, legendary Lou Reed. Lofgren began shaping those tunes and refining his own new original songs during his stint with Bruce Springsteen’s E Street Band during the group’s River Tour in 2016. All captured live in the studio following a solid week of rehearsal time with the rhythm section, the newly recorded Lofgren-Reed compositions — “Attitude City,” “Give,” “Talk Thru the Tears,” “City Lights,” “Don’t Let Your Guard Down,” and “Cut Him Up” — exhibit the combination of swagger and sensitivity that has always characterized the work of both artists. Riding a sound that is straight-ahead and largely unadorned, save for a small men’s choir and the featured vocals of Cindy Mizelle, Blue with Lou is as direct and hard-hitting as any recording of Nils Lofgren’s long and distinguished career.

The double live album Weathered followed next. “Turning up to ‘eleven’ and wailing inside this amazing band was a joy and revelation to me, having been away from playing with my own electric band for so long,” Nils shares. “Proud to share this rough and ready collection that breathes new life and inspiration into the best of my songs.”

Nils reunited with the rest of the E Street Band in the recording of the Bruce Springsteen release Letter To You in a record five days. Nils says “After 36 years in the band, Letter To You represents Bruce and the E St Band at our finest. Recording these great songs live, all together again, was an honor and a joy. So grateful they’re being shared with the world.” While back on the road with Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band in 2023 (continuing into 2024 and upcoming dates in 2025), Nils released the critically acclaimed “Mountains” solo album, featuring guest appearances by Ringo Starr, Neil Young, David Crosby, Ron Carter, Cindy Mizelle, and The Howard Gospel Choir and launched his Rockality video series on his nilslofgren.com website. These 30–40 minute videos consist of Nils’ storytelling at its best, as he recounts the twists and turns of his path in the world of music. 2024 saw the release of “Spares,” a 31-song collection of previously unreleased, beloved songs.

When Will Hermes, in Rolling Stone, proclaimed that “there are ‘musician’s musicians,’ and there’s Nils Lofgren,” it wasn’t idle praise. Nils was honored recently with the “Outstanding Contribution Award” at the Classic Rock Awards held in London. Lofgren joins an esteemed company of previous winners who have included fellow Rock Hall of Famers Jeff Beck, Ronnie Wood, and John Paul Jones. Lofgren has enjoyed an incredible career, and he is still going strong. To quote music critic Stephen Thomas Erlewine, Nils Lofgren is “a rocker unlike any other.”