Todd Rundgren

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 <a href="/facts/Nazz/qMRXmzRm">Nazz</a> and <a href="/facts/Utopia_(band)/BKPPoz2t">Utopia</a>. He is known for his sophisticated and often unorthodox music, his occasionally lavish stage shows, and his later experiments with <a href="/facts/Interactive_art/gmLkuXgd">interactive art</a>. 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 <a href="/facts/Digital_distribution/9gbe83sK">music distribution</a> in the late 1990s.
A native of Upper Darby, Rundgren began his professional career in the mid-1960s, forming the <a href="/facts/Psychedelic_music/RkxWNDTa">psychedelic</a> band <a href="/facts/Nazz/qMRXmzRm">Nazz</a> in 1967. After two years, he left Nazz to pursue a solo career and immediately scored his first US <a href="/facts/Top_40/vHTAW2M6">top 40</a> hit with "<a href="/facts/We_Gotta_Get_You_a_Woman/dq6Cw4f3">We Gotta Get You a Woman</a>" (1970). His best-known songs include "<a href="/facts/Hello_It%2527s_Me/Sk4jmgo8">Hello It's Me</a>" and "<a href="/facts/I_Saw_the_Light_(Todd_Rundgren_song)/7INgGtGE">I Saw the Light</a>" from <a href="/facts/Something%2fAnything%253F/lbwG3QLy">Something/Anything?</a> (1972), which get frequent air time on <a href="/facts/Classic_rock/XelnbBW3">classic rock</a> radio stations, the 1978 "<a href="/facts/Can_We_Still_Be_Friends/7KeAUXFy">Can We Still Be Friends</a>", and the 1983 single "<a href="/facts/Bang_the_Drum_All_Day/YyBfkTWY">Bang the Drum All Day</a>", which is featured in many sports arenas, commercials, and movie trailers. Although lesser known, "<a href="/facts/Couldn%2527t_I_Just_Tell_You/eUKenuHM">Couldn't I Just Tell You</a>" (1972) was influential to many artists in the <a href="/facts/Power_pop/Qm1GdDl1">power pop</a> genre. His 1973 album <a href="/facts/A_Wizard%2c_a_True_Star/4lNxpPYt">A Wizard, a True Star</a> remains an influence on later generations of <a href="/facts/Bedroom_music/c0HswxI3">bedroom musicians</a>.
Rundgren is considered a pioneer in the fields of <a href="/facts/Electronic_music/zfGNfUvR">electronic music</a>, <a href="/facts/Progressive_rock/79MRoIU7">progressive rock</a>, music videos, computer software, and Internet music delivery. He organized the first <a href="/facts/Interactive_television/09p5bXuj">interactive television</a> concert in 1978, designed the first color <a href="/facts/Graphics_tablet/tydCnPqP">graphics tablet</a> in 1980, and created the first interactive album, <a href="/facts/No_World_Order/KeLShsy6">No World Order</a>, in 1993.
Additionally, he was one of the first acts to be prominent as both an artist and producer. His notable production credits include <a href="/facts/Badfinger/A1jHFcEH">Badfinger</a>'s <a href="/facts/Straight_Up_(Badfinger_album)/z0lkfQ4m">Straight Up</a> (1971), <a href="/facts/Grand_Funk_Railroad/DSMnyoED">Grand Funk Railroad</a>'s <a href="/facts/We%2527re_an_American_Band/0C5A2Vwe">We're an American Band</a> (1973), the <a href="/facts/New_York_Dolls/WS21LMb6">New York Dolls</a>' <a href="/facts/New_York_Dolls_(album)/jwksu8V8">New York Dolls</a> (1973), <a href="/facts/Meat_Loaf/hW0INp0r">Meat Loaf</a>'s <a href="/facts/Bat_Out_of_Hell/AkpIyorU">Bat Out of Hell</a> (1977), and <a href="/facts/XTC/G8T6BAP1">XTC</a>'s <a href="/facts/Skylarking/BnDaqdcP">Skylarking</a> (1986). He was inducted into the <a href="/facts/Rock_and_Roll_Hall_of_Fame/6hRagsTD">Rock and Roll Hall of Fame</a> in 2021.

Todd Rundgren open-in-new

Todd Rundgren