Nils Lofgren is famous for playing guitar in the E Street Band, Bruce Springsteen's veteran

group which has recently been revived for a world tour. But Lofgren has been on the music

scene since the late '60s as part of other groups, as a session musician and as a critically

acclaimed solo artist.

Lofgren was born 47 years ago today in Chicago. As a child, Lofgren studied jazz and

classical music and played the accordion. In his mid-teens, Lofgren began playing guitar, which

led to his forming the rock band Grin in 1969.

Grin, which also included Lofgren's brother, Tom, on guitar, became a cult favorite in

Washington, D.C., and was spotted there by Danny Whitten, guitarist for Neil Young and

Crazy Horse. Lofgren was invited to play on Young's classic 1970 LP After the Gold

Rush and the 1971 Crazy Horse debut album.

Lofgren's extracurricular activity led to a record contract for Grin, which issued such critically

lauded LPs as its eponymous 1971 debut and the following year's All Out. But after

Lofgren toured with Young in 1973, Grin split up.

Having earned a reputation as a versatile player, Lofgren was an in-demand guitarist whose

name began flying around as a possible replacement for Mick Taylor in the Rolling Stones.

But Lofgren chose to go solo and issued a self-titled 1975 debut on A&M Records. The LP

featured Lofgren's plea to his drug-addled guitar hero Keith Richards,

"Keith Don't Go (Ode to the Glimmer Twin)" (RealAudio excerpt of live version).

The laid-back roots-rock grooves of that album and its successor, Cry Tough, were

well-received. Lofgren toured at the time, and made news for performing stunts on a

trampoline during his shows. But succeeding albums such as 1979's Nils didn't sell

well, leaving Lofgren to consider other career options.

He toured with Young again in the early '80s, before replacing Little Steven Van Zandt as

guitarist in the E Street Band. Lofgren toured with Springsteen around the world during the

commercial peak of the New Jersey rock legend's career. But Springsteen split the band near

the end of the decade.

Lofgren issued the solo Silver Lining and toured with Ringo Starr's band of veteran

rock stars. Lofgren's voice deepened through the years, as evidenced on last year's

Acoustic Live.

Lofgren, who can be heard on Springsteen's recent box set Tracks, is now in the midst

of the E Street Band's tour, the group's first since 1989.

Other birthdays: Ray Davies (Kinks), 55; Chris Britton (Troggs), 54; Joey Molland

(Badfinger), 52; Joey Kramer (Aerosmith), 49; Mark Brzezicki (Big Country), 42.