 |
| Todd Rundgren - Upper Darby |
Todd Rundgren was born in the Stonehurst section of Upper Darby in 1948. He attended Beverly Hills Middle School and performed Bob Newhart routines in the school talent show. He graduated from Upper Darby High School and attended Indiana University.
His career began at Woody's Truck Stop, but he left the band in 1967 with bassist Carson Van Osten to form the garage rock group Nazz. The group gained minor recognition with Rundgren's songs, Open my Eyes and Hello It's Me, a song he later recorded solo.
Rundgren's debut solo album Runt (1970) was strongly influenced by Laura Nyro, a musician he admired and wrote about in the song Baby Let's Swing.
Since 1969, Rundgren has been heavily involved in music production, and has engineered and produced albums for several notable acts such as Ian and Sylvia, Meatloaf, Badfinger, Hall & Oates and Patti Smith.
Rundrgen has always been on the cutting edge of technology and is considered a genius by many in the business including Grammy winning producer Jim Steinman. In 1981, Rundgren developed one of the first computer paint programs for the Apple II. His song, Time Heals was among the first videos aired on MTV. As a composer he has written for the 1986 TV series Pee-wee's Playhouse, Crime Story and the 1994 film Dumb and Dumber.
In 2011 he toured with Ringo Star & His All-Star Band for the third time and in 2013 Rundgren performed with the Akron Symphony Orchestra. He continues to explore new and exciting areas of music and technology.
