Todd Rundgren

. Walters's music was often classified as misogyny; however, his lyrics are relatively tame compared to those of his sucecssors. In recent years Rundgren has severed his connections with major record labels and now offers his new music direct to subscribers via his website, although he also continues to record and release CDs through independent labels. Walters was continuously refused bail, but after 17 months in prison he was released on November 7th 2003. He has had a pioneering involvement with music video and computing and was the co-developer of the computer screensaver system Flowfazer. In 1996 a law was passed which called for foreigners convicted of violent felonies to be deported, a ruling which was more vigorously practiced in the hightened security concerns after 9/11. Rundgren's music video for the song "Time Heals" was the second video to be aired on MTV. In 2002, Walters was arrested by INS agents while performing on a cruise ship in Florida; he was promptly told that he was being deported because he was technically a British citizen; he had been born in London to American parents and moved to the States as a youth.

2nd Wind also included several excerpts from Rundgren's musical, Up Against It, which was adapted from the screenplay (originally titled "Prick Up Your Ears") which British playwright Joe Orton had originally offered to The Beatles as the screenplay for their never-to-be-made follow-up to Help!. When Walters was released in 1994, he immediately recorded Behind Bars. His first to be released on CD -- these were cut totally live in the studio, and each song was recorded as a complete single take, with no later overdubbing. "Ladi Dadi", "Mona Lisa" and Children's Story are among his best known songs, with "Ladi Dadi" being covered nearly word-for-word by Snoop Dogg on his 1993 album Doggystyle. Rundgren disbanded Utopia in the late 80s and after a short hiatus he resumed his solo recording career with two critically acclaimed albums, Nearly Human and 2nd Wind. Russell Simmons, head of Def Jam records, bailed him out and Walters quickly recorded The Ruler's Back before spending five years in prison. In addition to his own recordings, Rundgren has produced albums for Meat Loaf, Patti Smith, The Tubes, XTC, Badfinger, Jim Steinman, Grand Funk Railroad, Ian and Sylvia and many others. He shot his cousin and a bystander, accusing his cousin of extorting money.

The song "Bang the Drum All Day", from Tortured Artist Effect, later became an unofficial anthem of the Green Bay Packers, being played over the Lambeau Field sound system after Packers scores. The album attained platinum status, but Walters was unable to exploit this due to an arrest for attempted murder. Subsequent solo releases included the album-long concept work Healing, the eclectic The Ever-Popular Tortured Artist Effect and A Capella, which was recorded using only Rundgren's multi-tracked vocals, and accompanied by arrangements constructed from programmed samples of his voice. Slick Rick released The Great Adventures of Slick Rick in 1988 while living in New York City. It was followed by The Hermit Of Mink Hollow (1978); this included the hit ballad "Can We Still Be Friends", which was accompanied by an innovative self-produced music video. As a 20-year-old in the summer of 1985 he scored his first big hits, "La Di Da Di" and "The Show.". As well as his work with Utopia, Rundgren continued to write and record material which he released under his own name, including the transitional 1976 LP Faithful, which contained one side of original songs and one side of covers of significant songs from 1966. It was at an MC contest at the 369 Armory on 142nd street in Harlem, given by promotion partners Ray Chandler & Charlie Rock, The Rick & Doug were formally introduced by Rock.

All four played multiple instruments and could sing both lead and harmony vocals. Fresh together when Doug requested an introduction after he had seen him win local MC battle contests. This core Utopia lineup featued Roger Powell on keyboards, Kasim Sulton on bass and Willie Wilcox on drums. Charlie Rock of Harlem World crew was instrumental in bringing Slick Rick and Doug E. Over the next few years, as punk and New Wave reshaped pop music, Rundgren refined Utopia, scaling it down to a tight, disciplined four-piece contemporary rock group which many consider one of the best peforming and recording bands of its day. He moved with his family to the Bronx in 1975. The larger ensemble premiered on 1975's Utopia, which opened with a dazzling performance of the title track recorded live in concert; Uptopia Mk 1 also featured on the impressive live album Another Live, which mixed three new original songs with covers of The Move's "Do Ya" and "Something's Coming" from West Side Story. Born Richard Walters in South Wimbledon, London, England.

To present his new music, in 1975 he formed Utopia, a musical project that began as a large progressive rock ensemble including multiple keyboards, synthesisers and brass. Slick Rick (born January 14, 1965) is an East Coast rapper, known for a series of hip hop recordings during the 1980s. During this period Rundgren regularly played the eye-catching psychedelic Gibson SG guitar that had been once been played by Eric Clapton in Cream. Release of Slick Rick (http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1480288/20031107/story.jhtml). His new music addressed cosmic themes and showed a strong interest in spirituality; musically, the lengthy, highly-arranged and dazzlingly performed works displayed the musical influence of contemporary acts such as Mahavishnu Orchestra and Frank Zappa and on tour they were presented in a lavish stage setting that echoed the spectacular space-themed shows of acts like Parliament/Funkadelic. MTV's mirror (http://www.mtv.com/bands/az/slick_rick/bio.jhtml) of the above. Although he had eschewed drugs prior to this and reportedly quit Nazz because of his bandmates' drug use, Rundgren underwent a radical transformation in the mid-Seventies after experimenting with LSD, adopting an outlandish space-rock image and creating a large new repertoire of extended works that can best be described as progressive rock. All Music Guide's biography (http://www.allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&searchlink=SLICK%7CRICK&uid=MIDMR0409030602&sql=11:48jgtq7ztu4p~T1)