Todd Rundgren Receiving Key To Woodstock Next Week

Honor for Todd Rundgren will coincide with two sold out shows at Bearsville Theater.

Rock legend Todd Rundgren, a multi-instrumentalist, singer, songwriter, and record producer began his career in the mid-1960s with the start of his band Nazz (1967). He'd leave Nazz and go solo 2 years later.

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1972 saw the release of the album Something/Anything? featuring a couple of his most well-known songs, "Hello It's Me" and "I Saw the Light". His 1983 single "Bang on the Drum All Day" is another popular favorite. Rundgren also formed the rock band Utopia which was active from 1973 to 1976.

Producing Credits

Rundgren worked at Bearsville Studios, which was founded by Albert Grossman in the late 1960s. Rundgren was the in-house producer and engineer for Bearsville Records, the label owned by Grossman. Rundgren recorded 11 albums on Bearsville and was the label's best-known artist.

In addition to his biggest success as a producer, 1977's Bat Out of Hell from Meat Loaf, his other production credits include Badfinger's Straight Up (1971), Grand Funk Railroad's We're an American Band (1973), and New York Dolls' New York Dolls (1973) among others.

Fronting The Cars

Todd Rundgren actually fronted the short-lived reunion of The Cars under the name The New Cars active from 2005-2007. The band featured original members Elliot Easton on guitar and Greg Hawkes on keyboards, along with Rundgren on lead vocals, Rundgren's former Utopia bandmate Kasim Sulton on bass, and drummer Prairie Prince of The Tubes. The band releases a live album that also featured a couple of new songs. I actually really liked The New Cars and was happy to see them perform live at the Paramount Hudson Valley Theater in Peekskill in 2006.

Todd Rundgren Receiving Key to Woodstock October 23rdown Supervisor Bill

Woodstock, NY Town Supervisor Bill McKenna will present a key to the town of Woodstock to legendary musician Todd Rundgren on Oct. 23 as part of a celebration of Rundgren’s career, coinciding with a two-date residency at the historic Bearsville Theater, as originslly reported by the Times Union.

Rundgren is an “important contributor to Woodstock’s long and iconic history as a global nexus for all genres of musical creativity,” McKenna said in a release.