Todd Rundgren is an American musician, singer, songwriter, record producer, engineer, video director and software developer from Upper Darby Township, Pennsylvania. Born in 1948, he grows up in Upper Darby after being born in Philadelphia. His work spans rock, progressive rock, pop, power pop, soul, art rock, art pop, blue-eyed soul, crossover prog, electronic music, experimental rock and related styles.

Early career

Rundgren teaches himself guitar and develops an early interest in music through his parents’ record collection, with influences including the Beatles, the Rolling Stones, the Ventures, the Yardbirds and Philadelphia soul. He forms his first band, Money, at 17, then joins the blues rock group Woody’s Truck Stop after leaving Upper Darby High School in 1966. In 1967 he forms Nazz with Carson Van Osten and other musicians. Nazz signs to SGC Records in 1968 and releases Nazz (1968), Nazz Nazz (1969) and Nazz III (1971). Rundgren writes songs including “Open My Eyes” and “Hello It’s Me” and takes an increasingly active role in arranging and producing the group’s recordings before leaving before the last two albums appear.

Solo work and production

After leaving Nazz, Rundgren moves to New York and works as a recording engineer and producer for Bearsville Records under Albert Grossman. Early production credits include recordings by Great Speckled Bird, Jesse Winchester, the Band and the James Cotton Blues Band. His solo debut, Runt (1970), is issued under the name Runt and includes the US Top 40 single “We Gotta Get You a Woman”. It is followed by Runt. The Ballad of Todd Rundgren (1971). He also produces the debut album by Halfnelson, the group that later becomes Sparks.

Something/Anything? (1972) is his first album credited to Todd Rundgren. Much of it is recorded with Rundgren playing nearly all of the instruments himself. It includes the singles “I Saw the Light” and “Hello It’s Me”, with the latter becoming his highest-charting single in the United States. Songs such as “Couldn’t I Just Tell You” are later cited as influential in power pop. His next solo records become more experimental, with A Wizard, a True Star (1973) drawing on progressive rock, psychedelia, jazz and soul, followed by the double album Todd (1974).

Utopia and later 1970s work

Rundgren forms the progressive rock group Utopia, which releases Todd Rundgren’s Utopia (1974) and several further albums through the mid-1980s. Alongside his own recording career, he continues producing for other artists, including Straight Up by Badfinger, We’re an American Band by Grand Funk Railroad, New York Dolls by New York Dolls, Bat Out of Hell by Meat Loaf and Skylarking by XTC.

In the mid-1970s he releases Initiation (1975) and Faithful (1976), with the latter combining original material and recreations of songs from 1966. After travelling through Asia, he establishes Utopia Sound Studios near Woodstock, New York. Utopia releases Ra (1977) and Oops! Wrong Planet (1977), while his solo album Hermit of Mink Hollow (1978) includes “Can We Still Be Friends”, which becomes one of his most widely recorded songs. In 1978 he organises an interactive television concert broadcast simultaneously to multiple locations.

1980s and technology work

During the early 1980s, Rundgren explores computer graphics, video production and digital technology. His video for “Time Heals” is among the first shown on MTV. He develops the Utopia Graphics System for the Apple II and co-develops the Flowfazer screensaver system. In 1980 four masked intruders break into his home in Mink Hollow, tie up Rundgren and his pregnant partner, and rob the property.

The Ever Popular Tortured Artist Effect (1982) includes “Bang the Drum All Day”, a song that later becomes widely used at sporting events, in advertising and other media. The album ends his association with Bearsville Records. He then signs with Warner Bros. Records and releases the entirely vocal album A Cappella (1985). He also composes music for several episodes of the children’s television series Pee-wee’s Playhouse.

1990s and beyond

Nearly Human (1989) and 2nd Wind (1991) are recorded live with minimal overdubbing and include elements of Philadelphia soul. During this period, he tours with Ringo Starr’s All-Starr Band and marries backing vocalist Michele Gray. In the 1990s he records interactive multimedia projects as TR-I, with No World Order (1993) designed for the Philips CD-i platform and allowing listeners to alter playback parameters, and The Individualist (1995) combining music with interactive video elements.

In 1994 he composes the score for Dumb and Dumber and contributes “Can We Still Be Friends?” to its soundtrack. Later releases include With a Twist... (1997), which features bossa nova reinterpretations of his own songs, One Long Year (2000) and the concept album Liars (2004). He also launches PatroNet, an early subscription-based online service that lets fans access works in progress and new recordings directly from him, bypassing traditional record labels.

After the September 11 attacks, Rundgren composes the score for the documentary A Face to a Name. In 2006 he joins the New Cars with members of the Cars and releases the live album The New Cars: It’s Alive. Later albums include Todd Rundgren’s Johnson (2011), a collection of Robert Johnson songs; (re)Production (2011), featuring new versions of songs he originally produced for other artists; White Knight (2017), with collaborations including Trent Reznor, Robyn, Daryl Hall, Joe Walsh and Donald Fagen; and Space Force (2022).

Recent collaborations and recognition

Rundgren publishes his memoir, The Individualist: Digressions, Dreams, and Dissertations, in 2018. In 2019 he tours with Micky Dolenz, Jason Scheff, Christopher Cross and Joey Molland in a concert series marking the Beatles’ 1968 self-titled album. In 2020 he collaborates with Rivers Cuomo on “Down with the Ship” and releases an English-language version of the Dutch song “Flappie”. He reunites with Sparks in 2021 on “Your Fandango”. In 2024 he adds vocals, alongside the Sunday Service Choir, to “My Soul” on ¥$’s Vultures 2.

Rundgren is also associated with developments in music production, interactive media and digital distribution. He is inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2021. His memberships include Nazz, Utopia, Ringo Starr & His All Starr Band, The New Cars, Runt, The Neverland Express, A Walk Down Abbey Road, It Was Fifty Years Ago Today, Woody’s Truck Stop, Doug Legacy & The Legends of the West and What the World Needs Now.