Todd Harry Rundgren (born June 22, 1948) is an American musician, singer, songwriter, and record producer who has performed a diverse range of styles as a solo artist and as a member of the bands Nazz and Utopia. He is known for his sophisticated and often unorthodox music, his occasionally lavish stage shows, and his later experiments with interactive art. He also produced music videos and was an early adopter and promoter of various computer technologies, such as using the Internet as a means of music distribution in the late 1990s.

A native of Upper Darby, Pennsylvania, Rundgren began his professional career in the mid-1960s, forming the psychedelic band Nazz in 1967. After two years, he left Nazz to pursue a solo career and immediately scored his first US top 40 hit with "We Gotta Get You a Woman" (1970). His best-known songs include "Hello It's Me" and "I Saw the Light" from Something/Anything? (1972), which get frequent air time on classic rock radio stations, the 1978 "Can We Still Be Friends", and the 1983 single "Bang the Drum All Day", which is featured in many sports arenas, commercials, and movie trailers. Although lesser known, "Couldn't I Just Tell You" (1972) was influential to many artists in the power pop genre. His 1973 album A Wizard, a True Star remains an influence on later generations of bedroom musicians.

Additionally, he was one of the first acts to be prominent as both an artist and producer. and taught himself how to play guitar with little help. As a child, Rundgren was fascinated by his parents' small record collection, which consisted of show tunes and symphonic pieces, and especially by the operettas of Gilbert and Sullivan. Later, he grew infatuated with the music of the Beatles, the Rolling Stones, the Ventures, and the Yardbirds, as well as the Philadelphia soul of Gamble & Huff, the Delfonics, and the O'Jays. At the age of 17, he formed his first band, Money, with then-best friend and roommate Randy Reed and Reed's younger brother.

After graduating from Upper Darby High School in 1966, Rundgren moved to Philadelphia and began his career in Woody's Truck Stop, a blues rock group in the style of Paul Butterfield Blues Band. to form the rock band Nazz in 1967. By then, Rundgren had lost interest in the blues and wanted to pursue a recording career with original songs in the style of newer records by the Beatles and the Who. As a member of the Nazz, he learned his craft as a songwriter and vocal arranger, and was determined to equal the artistry of the Beatles. In 2016, Rundgren told an interviewer: "It doesn't have the same cachet as a Nobel Peace Prize or some historical foundation. If I told you about how they actually determine who gets into the Hall of Fame, you'd think that I was bullshitting you, because I've been told what's involved. ... It's just as corrupt as anything else, and that's why I don't care."

  • 2021: Inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

Discography

Solo albums

  • Runt (1970)
  • Runt. The Ballad of Todd Rundgren (1971)
  • Something/Anything? (1972)
  • A Wizard, a True Star (1973)
  • Todd (1974)
  • Initiation (1975)
  • Faithful (1976)
  • Hermit of Mink Hollow (1978)
  • Healing (1981)
  • The Ever Popular Tortured Artist Effect (1982)
  • A Cappella (1985)
  • Nearly Human (1989)
  • 2nd Wind (1991)
  • No World Order (1993)
  • The Individualist (1995)
  • With a Twist... (1997)
  • One Long Year (2000)
  • Liars (2004)
  • Arena (2008)
  • Todd Rundgren's Johnson (2011)
  • (re)Production (2011)
  • State (2013)
  • Global (2015)
  • White Knight (2017)
  • Space Force (2022)

Nazz

  • Nazz (1968)
  • Nazz Nazz (1969)
  • Nazz III (1971)

Utopia

  • Todd Rundgren's Utopia (1974)
  • Another Live (1975)
  • Ra (1977)
  • Oops! Wrong Planet (1977)
  • Adventures in Utopia (1979)
  • Deface the Music (1980)
  • Swing to the Right (1982)
  • Utopia (1982)
  • Oblivion (1984)
  • POV (1985)

Other albums

  • Up Against It! (1997) <br />
  • Somewhere/Anywhere (1998) <br />
  • Disco Jets (2001) <br />
  • It's Alive! (2006) <br />
  • Runddans (2015)

Selected productions

  • The American Dream (1970) – The American Dream
  • Straight Up (1971) – Badfinger
  • Halfnelson (1971) – Halfnelson/Sparks
  • New York Dolls (1973) – New York Dolls
  • We're an American Band (1973) – Grand Funk Railroad
  • Ass (1973) – Badfinger
  • Shinin' On (1974) – Grand Funk Railroad
  • War Babies (1974) – Hall & Oates
  • Bat Out of Hell (1977) – Meat Loaf
  • Remote Control (1979) – The Tubes
  • Wave (1979) – Patti Smith Group
  • Wasp (1980) – Shaun Cassidy
  • Walking Wild (1981) – New England
  • Forever Now (1982) – The Psychedelic Furs
  • Next Position Please (1983) – Cheap Trick
  • Love Bomb (1985) – The Tubes
  • Skylarking (1986) – XTC
  • Dreams of Ordinary Men (1986) – Dragon
  • Yoyo (1987) – Bourgeois Tagg
  • Love Junk (1988) – The Pursuit of Happiness
  • One Sided Story (1990) – The Pursuit of Happiness
  • Things Here Are Different (1990) – Jill Sobule
  • The World's Most Dangerous Party (1993) – Paul Shaffer & The Party Boys of Rock 'n' Roll
  • The New America (2000) – Bad Religion
  • Separation Anxieties (2000) – 12 Rods
  • Cause I Sez So (2009) – New York Dolls

Notes

References

Sources

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  • Ubben Lecture at DePauw University (April 8, 2009)
  • Todd Rundgren Interview NAMM Oral History Program
  • Todd Rundgren Radio