Nils Lofgren

About

Also known as: Nils Hilmer Lofgren, Nils Lofgrin, Nils Logfren

Few guitarists can claim they played piano on a Neil Young classic at age 18, fronted their own critically loved band, and then spent decades as a core member of Bruce Springsteen's E Street Band. Nils Lofgren has done all of that. He founded Grin in 1968, a band that put out four sharp rock albums before splitting in 1974, and his debut solo record landed so well that Rolling Stone's Jon Landau called it one of the finest rock albums of the year. Mid 70s radio staples like "Back It Up" and "Keith Don't Go" showed off his guitar chops, while his live shows had their own reputation: Lofgren would do actual flips on a trampoline while playing. He joined the E Street Band in 1984 and was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame with them in 2014. His ties to Neil Young run just as deep. He appeared on After the Gold Rush and Tonight's the Night, re joined Crazy Horse in 2018, and played on Young's albums Colorado, Barn, and World Record. His 2006 solo album Sacred Weapon brought in David Crosby, Graham Nash, and Willie Nelson, and he has kept recording steadily, with Mountains arriving in 2023.