Nils Lofgren

小簡(jiǎn)介：

Nils Lofgren 奈爾斯.洛夫格林--杰出的搖滾吉他家兼歌手。生于1951年，19歲就參與了Neil Young的經(jīng)典After the Gold Rush專輯的演出，隨后還和著名的Lou Reed,Bruce Springsteen一同演出。1984年Bruce Springsteen合作發(fā)行專輯《Born In The U.S.A》，不但奪得全美專輯排行的冠軍，也成為美國(guó)有史以來(lái)最暢銷的專輯之一，更一口氣創(chuàng)下7首單曲打進(jìn)全美排行前十名的記錄。雖然他的天才常被這些巨人所掩蓋，但隨時(shí)間流逝，再加上Nils旺盛的創(chuàng)作力，Nils的名字越來(lái)越響亮。

by Steve Huey

While singer/guitarist Nils Lofgren is better known for his work with Neil Young and Bruce Springsteen, his own solo career has produced a worthwhile, if inconsistent, body of work. Lofgren learned to play the accordion at age five and studied jazz and classical music as a child. He switched to rock guitar at 15 and formed the band Grin in 1969 with bassist Bob Gordon, drummer Bob Berberich, and later his brother Tom Lofgren on guitar. Grin quickly built a reputation around Washington, D.C., and Neil Young and Crazy Horse guitarist Danny Whitten caught wind of them while touring in the area. Young invited Lofgren to play piano and sing on 1970s After the Gold Rush, and he also played on and wrote two songs for Crazy Horses debut album the following year.

Instead of remaining with Young, Lofgren used the resulting exposure to get Grin a record contract. The group recorded three albums from 1971 to 1972, garnering critical praise but no sales. A move to A&M produced the lackluster Gone Crazy, which proved to be Grins swan song; Lofgren accepted an invitation from Young to tour in 1973 and play on his Tonights the Night album. Grin officially disbanded in mid-1974 owing to lack of success and financial problems. Lofgren was rumored to be under consideration as a replacement for Mick Taylor in the Rolling Stones; instead, he signed to A&M as a solo artist. His first two solo efforts, Nils Lofgren and Cry Tough, were all-around successes, and Lofgren made a name for himself on supporting tours through stunts such as performing while jumping on a trampoline.

Subsequent releases failed to develop Lofgrens sound any further, and he became more viable as a sideman than a solo performer. Following 1983s Trans tour with Young, Lofgren joined Bruce Springsteens E Street Band, replacing Little Stevie Van Zandt in 1984, remaining there until the unit was dissolved in 1991. Lofgren returned to solo recording that year with Silver Lining, which featured guest appearances from Springsteen and members of Ringo Starrs band. Acoustic Live followed in 1997. Lofgren resurfaced in 2002 with the Vision Music release Breakaway Angel, his first studio effort in six years (and also notable for his emphasis on classical harp in addition to guitar). Shine Silently, on the Spectrum label, arrived in 2004. A year later, Favorites 1990-2005, pulled mostly from Lofgrens 1991 and 1992 Rykodisc records, was released, followed by 2006s Sacred Weapon, which featured appearances from Willie Nelson, Graham Nash, and David Crosby.