While the month is supposed to bring holiday cheer, the first part of December always leaves Beatles fans feeling solemn. It was on December 8 that the band’s co-founder, John Lennon, was assassinated in New York in 1980.

When investigators searched Mark David Chapman’s hotel room after Lennon’s murder, they found only one album. While everyone thought it would be Imaginemy gold Double fantasy or one of the many famous Beatles records, it turned out to be a Todd Rundgren release.

Although he had a number five hit with “Hello It’s Me” along with others like “I Saw the Light” and “Can We Still Be Friends”, Rundgren was an unlikely artist to be followed by a disturbed Beatles fan. . However, Rundgren has had a remarkable and unique career, as well as a direct connection to the Fab Four.

A decade before Lennon’s murder, Rundgren was working in Britain as one of the first producers at The Beatles’ new Apple Studio. He did Straight Up for the British band Badfinger, which featured George Harrison on the album.

The year before, Rundgren had served as a recording engineer for a group closely related to America’s most influential artist, Bob Dylan. In that role, Rundgren helped make scary internship one of the band’s most enduring albums, containing two major hits on “The Shape I’m In” and the title track.

He continued to work as an esteemed producer throughout the years, mastering classic albums in several different genres. Rundgren oversaw the production of the debut album for the New York Dolls, a controversial punk rock band led by David Johansen.

Among his other projects has been the Lark album by an alternative band XTC, and We are an american band of the rock group Grand Funk. Rundgren was also instrumental in launching the careers of fellow Philly Darryl Hall and John Oates, the most successful duo in rock music history.

He continued to be innovative even beyond the 1970s, creating artistic videos in the early days of MTV. In fact, Rundgren’s “Time Heals”, inspired by Salvador Dalí, became the eighth video when MTV was released in 1981, airing between The Pretenders’ “Brass In Pocket” and REO Speedwagon’s “Take It On the Run.”

With all that musical success, one would have assumed that his offspring would have pursued careers in that field as well. However, his son Rex Rundgren chose a completely different area for his profession, one that involved bases rather than lows.

Rex enjoyed a career in baseball, being drafted by the Boston Red Sox in 1999 and again in 2001 by the Florida Marlins. The infielder was very successful in the minor leagues, advancing to Triple-A before leaving the game.

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