Kurt Robert Neumann (born October 9, 1961) is an American singer, guitarist, and songwriter. He is a co-founder of the roots-rock band

BoDeans BoDeans is an American rock band formed in Waukesha, Wisconsin. BoDeans came to prominence in the 1980s. The band's sound encompasses multiple rock genres, including roots rock, heartland rock, and alternative rock. The band's biggest hit to da ...

History

Neumann co-founded BoDeans in Wisconsin in the 1980s. The band's style encompasses multiple rock genres, including

roots rock Roots rock is a genre of rock music that looks back to rock's origins in folk, blues and country music. It is particularly associated with the creation of hybrid subgenres from the later 1960s, including blues rock, country rock, Southern rock, ...

, heartland rock, and

alternative rock Alternative rock, or alt-rock, is a category of rock music that emerged from the independent music underground of the 1970s and became widely popular in the 1990s. "Alternative" refers to the genre's distinction from Popular culture, mainstre ...

. In January 1987, a ''

Rolling Stone ''Rolling Stone'' is an American monthly magazine that focuses on music, politics, and popular culture. It was founded in San Francisco, San Francisco, California, in 1967 by Jann Wenner, and the music critic Ralph J. Gleason. It was first kno ...

'' reader poll voted BoDeans the Best New American Band. The band's biggest hit to date is "

Closer to Free "Closer to Free" is a 1993 song by American rock band BoDeans featured on their fifth studio album, ''Go Slow Down''. It is the band's biggest hit, peaking at number 16 on the US ''Billboard'' Hot 100, number 11 in Australia, and number one in C ...

", which was used as the theme song to the hit TV series ''

Party of Five ''Party of Five'' is an American television teen and family drama created by Christopher Keyser and Amy Lippman that originally aired on Fox for six seasons from September 12, 1994, to May 3, 2000. The series featured an ensemble cast led by Sc ...

''. BoDeans has a permanent installation at the

Rock and Roll Hall of Fame The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame (RRHOF), sometimes simply referred to as the Rock Hall, is a museum A museum ( ; plural museums or, rarely, musea) is a building or institution that cares for and displays a collection of artifacts and othe ...

Museum in Cleveland, Ohio. In 1997, Neumann recorded a cover of

Bruce Springsteen Bruce Frederick Joseph Springsteen (born September 23, 1949) is an American singer and songwriter. He has released 21 studio albums, most of which feature his backing band, the E Street Band. Originally from the Jersey Shore, he is an originat ...

's "

Atlantic City Atlantic City, often known by its initials A.C., is a coastal resort city in Atlantic County, New Jersey, United States. The city is known for its casinos, Boardwalk (entertainment district), boardwalk, and beaches. In 2020 United States censu ...

" for the compilation ''One Step Up/Two Steps Back: The Songs of Bruce Springsteen''. In 2000, Neumann released a solo album entitled ''Shy Dog''. He played all the instruments on the album. Neumann builds and plays custom "Bastard" guitars, which are made from unique parts from other guitars and feature hand-painted

tung oil Tung oil or China wood oil is a drying oil obtained by pressing the seed from the nut of the tung tree (''Vernicia fordii''). The oil and its use are believed to have originated in ancient China and appear in the writings of Confucius from abou ...

finishes. The guitars are mostly built in the form of

Stratocaster The Fender Stratocaster, colloquially known as the Strat, is a model of electric guitar designed from 1952 into 1954 by Leo Fender, Bill Carson, George Fullerton, and Freddie Tavares. The Fender Musical Instruments Corporation has continuously ...

s, but have rear-routed bodies.

Discography

*''Shy Dog'' (2000)

References

External links

BoDeans
{{DEFAULTSORT:Neumann, Kurt 1961 births Living people American rock guitarists American male guitarists American rock singers American rock songwriters People from Waukesha, Wisconsin Guitarists from Wisconsin 20th-century American guitarists BoDeans members 20th-century American male musicians American male singer-songwriters Singer-songwriters from Wisconsin