Neil Young
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Neil Young also credited as Bernard Shakey and referred to as the Godfather of Grunge was once associated with acts like The Jades, The Esquires, The Mynah Birds, Buffalo Springfield, Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young, The Stray Gators, The Stills-Young Band, The Ducks, Northern Lights, Randy Bachman and the Crazy Horse. After leaving the Californian folk-rock band Buffalo Springfield in 1968, he gradually established himself as one of the most prominent and unique singer/songwriters of his time. For staying in the biz for four decades now, he remains one of the most active rock musicians working today.
Contents |
About
Neil Percival Young was born November 12, 1945 in Toronto, Canada to parents Rassy and Scott Young. Early years of his life, he survived diabetes, polio, epilepsy and the divorce of his parents. In 1960, Neil moved with his mother to Winnipeg, Manitoba following her divorce from his sports-journalist father. It was in high school when Young began playing music.
After switching from ukelele to guitar, he became associated with some Winnipeg-based bands including The Jades, The Esquires, The Classics and Neil & Young and the Esquires. Aside from these bands, he also played in local folk clubs and coffeehouses where he met Joni Mitchell and Stephen Stills. Eventually, Young and Stills became fast friends but soon lost track of one another as The Squires splintered in the summer of '65. Because of the incident, Young returned to Toronto and began to play as a solo folk act.
In 1966, He joined the Toronto-based band called the Mynah Birds led by Rick James (who popularized the song Superfreak) with bassist Bruce Palmer. The group recorded multiple singles for Motown Records in Detroit but was ignored. Unfortunately, Rick James was arrested due to deserting the US Navy reason for Mynah Birds to split. Due to lack of success in Detroit, Palmer and Young (along with his Pontiac hearse) drove from Toronto to Los Angeles. Stills and Richie Furay spotted his hearse along traffic in Sunset Boulevard. The four parked in a supermarket parking lot and talked of forming a band. Soon came drummer Dewey Martin and the Buffalo Springfield was born. Despite of the band's commercial success, they still plague with tension. Young left the band in the spring of '67 and abandoned the group for good in May 1968.
With Elliot Roberts as his manager, Young signed a contract with Reprise Records and released his self-debut album in January 1969. By the time the album was released, Young got acquainted with a rough-hewn Los Angeles-based band called The Rockets, which featured the guitarist/vocalist Danny Whitten, bassist Billy Talbot and drummer Ralph Molina. Young renamed the group Crazy Horse and in weeks time, they have recorded his second album, Everybody Knows This Is Nowhere which featured Young stapled hits like Cinnamon Girl and Down by the River. The album went gold after its release in July.
Despite of his success as a solo artist, Young still agreed to joined forces with Crosby, Stills and Nash in the summer of '69 for their 1970 album Deja Vu. Though already associated with the group Crosby, Stills and Nash, Young continued to pursue his career as a solo artist. He recorded After the Gold Rush at the end of the year. Its carrier single Only Love Can Break Your Heart only heightened Young's career as a solo artist and even added through his association with CSNY. Despite of the group's commercial success, they still splintered in the spring of 1971 after the release of their 4-Way Street live album.
Young's solo career has to keep going. The following year, he released his first number one album, Harvest which featured his number one single, Harvest Gold which he recorded with the band he dubbed The Stray Gators (include bassist Tim Drummond, steel guitarist Ben Keith and drummer Kenny Buttrey) James Taylor, Linda Ronstadt and The London Symphony Orchestra also guest appeared on the said album. Young followed this album with a noisy bleak live film Journey Through the Past in 1972 and released a soundtrack album preceded the film's release in 1973. It was the same year when Young recorded and released the live album Time Fades Away, an album he recorded with The Stray Gators. Due to devastation by the drug-related deaths of former Crazy Horse guitarist Danny Whitten and his roadie Bruce Barry, Young produced six introspective albums between 1972 to 1977 which some of its songs reflecting his deep sense of loss.
Aside from singing, Young also write, direct and appeared in the movie Journey Through the Night in 1973, which was also the title of one of those six albums. He ended the decade releasing two live albums from the previous year's tour with Crazy Horse, Rust Never Sleeps and Live Rust (both 1n 1979), but the concert film he directed, Rust Never Sleeps (1979) did not made it big at the box office. Recognizing his efforts throughout the '70s, Young was voted by Rolling Stone Magazine's Artist of the Decade.
All throughout the 80s, Young experimented from doing New Wave to 50s rock to country. And in the late 80s, Young returned to his roots and recorded Freedom in 1989 that featured the anthem-like single Rockin' In The Free World. Freedom became his most critically applauded album since Rust Never Sleeps and followed it with Ragged Glory in 1990 which he recorded with the Crazy Horse. With Harvest as an exception, Young's greatest successes as a solo artist always come with the band.
Young rediscovery of electric guitar has brought him the nickname The Godfather of Grunge which even strengthened when he collaborated with Pearl Jam on Mirror Ball in 1995 and earned him a Grammy nomination for Best Male Rock Vocal Performance. Young also wrote and performed the title song for Jonathan Demme's film Philadelphia (1993) which earned him an Academy Award nomination and also composed the music for Jarmusch's Dead Man in 1996. Also this year when Young released Broken Arrow backed by the Crazy Horse that garnered a Grammy nod for Best Album. Then Year of the Horse came in which featured footages from Crazy Horse concerts, rehearsals and general escapades of 1976, 1986 and 1996. In 1999, Young reunited with Crosby, Stills and Nash for their Looking Forward LP. Followed in the spring of 2000 were his solo effort, Silver & Gold. The following fall, he released the live album Road Rock Vol.1 featuring his two-night performance at the Red Rocks Amphitheater in Morrison, CO.
In early 2005, Young was diagnosed with a potentially deadly brain aneurysm but the ailment did not slow him down, he continuously recorded Prairie Wind in the fall of the same year. 2006 saw the release of his most talked about CD/DVD Living With War which featured a collection of protest songs against the war in Iraq. Some tracks from the album includes Let's Impeach the President, Shock and Awe and Lookin' For A Leader.
Awards
Awards Won
| Year | Award | Category |
|---|---|---|
| 1982 | MTV Video Music Award | Video of the Year (This Note's For You) |
| 1982 | Genie Award | Best Song (in the movie Silence of the North) |
| 1989 | MTV Video Music Award | Video of the Year for This Note's For You |
| 1994 | Juno Award | Album of the Year for Harvest Moon |
| 1995 | Juno Award | Male Vocalist of the Year |
| 1995 | Rock and Roll Hall of Fame | Performer |
| 2001 | Juno Award | Best Male Artist |
| 2005 | Won Founders Award | |
| 2006 | Juno Award | Adult Alternative Album of the Year for Prairie Wind |
| 2006 | Juno Award | Jack Richardson Producer of the Year for "The Painter" - Prairie Wind |
Awards Nominated
| Year | Award | Category |
|---|---|---|
| 1975 | Juno Award | Composer of the Year |
| 1979 | Juno Award | Male Vocalist of the Year |
| 1980 | Juno Award | Male Vocalist of the Year |
| 1981 | Juno Award | Male Vocalist of the Year |
| 1982 | Juno Award | Male Vocalist of the Year |
| 1982 | Juno Award | Canadian Music Hall of Fame Award |
| 1982 | Genie Award | Best Achievement in Original Song [from movie Silence of the North (1981)] |
| 1984 | MTV Video Music Award | Most Experimental Video (for Wonderin') |
| 1986 | Juno Award | Male Vocalist of the Year |
| 1988 | Grammy Award | Best Concept Music Video: This Note's For You |
| 1989 | Juno Award | Male Vocalist of the Year |
| 1989 | MTV Video Music Award | Viewer's Choice for This Note's For You |
| 1990 | Grammy Award | Best Rock Vocal Performance - Male (Freedom) |
| 1990 | Juno Award | Male Vocalist of the Year |
| 1991 | Grammy Award | Best Rock Vocal Performance - Male (Rockin' In The Free World) |
| 1991 | Juno Award | Male Vocalist of the Year |
| 1993 | Grammy Award | Best Rock Vocal Perfromance (Solo nomination): All Along The Watchtower |
| 1993 | Academy Award | Best Song (in the movie Philadelphia) |
| 1993 | Juno Award | Male Vocalist of the Year |
| 1993 | Juno Award | Songwriter of the Year |
| 1994 | Grammy Award | Record of the Year Song of the Year (songwriter) (Harvest Moon) Best Rock Vocal Performance by a Duo or Group (My Back Pages with Bob Dylan, Roger McGuinn, Tom Petty, Eric Clapton, George Harrison). |
| 1994 | Juno Award | Album of the Year Harvest Moon |
| 1994 | Juno Award | Single of the Year Harvest Moon |
| 1994 | Oscar Award | Best Music, Original Song [from movie Philadelphia (1993)] for Philadelphia |
| 1995 | Juno Award | Male Vocalist of the Year |
| 1995 | Juno Award | Songwriter of the Year |
| 1995 | Juno Award | Entertainer of the Year |
| 1995 | Grammy Award | Best Rock Vocal Performance - Male (Philadelphia) and Best Rock Album (for Sleeps With Angels). |
| 1996 | Grammy Award | Best Rock Song (songwriter) (Downtown), Best Rock Vocal Performance - Male (Peace And Love) and Best Rock Album (Mirror Ball). |
| 1996 | Juno Award | Male Vocalist of the Year |
| 1996 | Juno Award | Best Rock Album Mirror Ball |
| 1997 | Juno Award | Male Vocalist of the Year |
| 1997 | Grammy Award | Best Rock Album (Broken Arrow). |
| 2000 | Grammy Award | Best Country Collaboration w/ Vocal: After The Goldrush (performed by Dolly, Linda & Emmylou) |
| 2001 | Juno Award | Best Male Artist |
| 2001 | Juno Award | Best Roots/Traditional Album Silver & Gold |
| 2001 | California Music Award (fomerly BAM awards) | Outstanding Rock/Pop Album Silver & Gold |
| 2001 | California Music Award (fomerly BAM awards) | Outstanding songwriter |
| 2006 | Grammy Award | Best Rock Vocal Solo Performance (The Painter) and Best Rock Album (Prairie Wind). |
| 2006 | Juno Award | Songwriter of the Year for The Painter, When God Made Me, Prairie Wind |
| 2007 | Grammy Award | Best Rock Song for Lookin' for a Leader |
| 2007 | Grammy Award | Best Rock Song (awarded to the songwriter) Best Solo Rock Vocal Performance (Lookin' For A Leader), and Best Rock Album (Living With War). |
| 2007 | Juno Award | Adult Alternative Album of the Year for Living With War |
Certifications
| Year | Album | Certification |
|---|---|---|
| October 16, 1970 | Everybody Knows This Is Nowhere | Gold |
| November 2, 1970 | After The Goldrush | Gold |
| February 18, 1972 | Harvest | Gold |
| December 7, 1973 | Time Fades Away | Gold |
| September 23, 1974 | On The Beach | Gold |
| October 11, 1977 | American Stars 'N' Bars | Gold |
| November 21, 1978 | Comes A Times | Gold |
| August 28, 1979 | Rust Never Sleeps | Gold |
| August 9, 1979 | Decade | Gold |
| February 7, 1980 | Rust Never Sleeps | Platinum |
| March 11, 1980 | Live Rust | Gold |
| December 22, 1986 | Decade | Platinum |
| November 13, 1986 | After The Goldrush | 2x Platinum |
| November 13, 1986 | Everybody Knows This Is Nowhere | Platinum |
| November 13, 1986 | Harvest | 3x Platinum |
| October 13, 1986 | Harvest | 3x Platinum |
| February 17, 1988 | Live Rust | Platinum |
| February 21, 1990 | Freedom | Gold |
| January 15, 1993 | Harvest Moon | Gold |
| February 3, 1993 | Harvest Moon | Platinum |
| November 16, 1993 | Unplugged | Gold |
| October 18, 1994 | Sleeps With Angels | Gold |
| June 27, 1994 | Harvest | 4x Platinum |
| September 12, 1995 | Mirror Ball | Gold |
| February 7, 1997 | Zuma | Gold |
| July 16, 1997 | Harvest Moon | 2x Platinum |
| January 23, 2006 | Prairie Wind | Gold |
| January 23, 2006 | Greatest Hits | Gold |
Chart Toppers
| Year | Song | US Hot 100 | US Mainstream Rock Tracks | US Hot Country Singles & Tracks | UK Singles | Album |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970 | Cinnamon Girl | 55 | Everybody Knows This Is Nowhere | |||
| 1970 | Only Love Can Break Your Heart | 33 | After the Gold Rush | |||
| 1971 | When You Dance I Can Really Love | 93 | After the Gold Rush | |||
| 1972 | Heart Of Gold | 1 | 10 | Harvest | ||
| 1972 | War Song (with Graham Nash) | 61 | (no album release) | |||
| 1972 | Old Man | 31 | Harvest | |||
| 1973 | Time Fades Away | Time Fades Away | ||||
| 1974 | Walk On | 69 | On the Beach | |||
| 1975 | Drive Back | Zuma | ||||
| 1975 | Lookin' for a Love | Zuma | ||||
| 1977 | Hey Babe | American Stars 'n Bars | ||||
| 1977 | Like a Hurricane | American Stars 'n Bars | ||||
| 1978 | Comes a Time | Comes a Time | ||||
| 1978 | Four Strong Winds | 61 | 57 | Comes a Time | ||
| 1979 | Hey Hey, My My (Into The Black) | 79 | Rust Never Sleeps | |||
| 1980 | The Loner (live) | Live Rust | ||||
| 1980 | Stayin' Power | Hawks & Doves | ||||
| 1981 | Opera Star | Re-ac-tor | ||||
| 1981 | Southern Pacific | 70 | Re-ac-tor | |||
| 1982 | Surfer Joe And Moe The Sleaze | 56 | Re-ac-tor | |||
| 1982 | Little Thing Called Love | 71 | 12 | Trans | ||
| 1982 | Sample And Hold | Trans | ||||
| 1983 | Wonderin' | Everybody's Rockin' | ||||
| 1983 | Cry, Cry, Cry | Everybody's Rockin' | ||||
| 1983 | Mr. Soul | 14 | Unplugged/Trans | |||
| 1983 | We R In Control | 42 | Trans | |||
| 1985 | Get Back to the Country | 33 | Old Ways | |||
| 1986 | Touch the Night | 8 | Landing on Water | |||
| 1986 | Weight of the World | 33 | Landing on Water | |||
| 1987 | Long Walk Home | 14 | Life | |||
| 1987 | Mideast Vacation | Life | ||||
| 1988 | Ten Men Workin' | 6 | This Note's for You | |||
| 1988 | This Note's for You | 19 | This Note's for You | |||
| 1989 | No More | 7 | Freedom | |||
| 1989 | Rockin' in the Free World | 2 | Freedom | |||
| 1990 | Mansion on the Hill | 3 | Ragged Glory | |||
| 1990 | Crime in the City (live) | 34 | Weld | |||
| 1990 | Over and Over | 33 | Ragged Glory | |||
| 1992 | War of Man | 7 | Harvest Moon | |||
| 1993 | Harvest Moon | 36 | Harvest Moon | |||
| 1993 | The Needle and the Damage Done (live) | 75 | Unplugged | |||
| 1993 | Long May You Run (live) | 71 | Unplugged | |||
| 1993 | Unknown Legend | 38 | Unplugged/Harvest Moon | |||
| 1994 | Change Your Mind | 18 | Sleeps with Angels | |||
| 1994 | Philadelphia | 62 | Philadelphia | |||
| 1995 | Downtown (featuring Pearl Jam) | 6 | Mirror Ball | |||
| 1995 | Peace and Love | 34 | Mirror Ball | |||
| 1995 | I Got Id (credited to Pearl Jam featuring Neil Young) | 7 | 2 | 25 | Mirror Ball | |
| 1996 | Big Time | 35 | Broken Arrow | |||
| 2002 | Let's Roll | 36 | Are You Passionate? |
News
Tours & Concerts
Helplessly Hoping / Mr. Soul, 2007
- New York City, New York (Rose Theatre) Ahmet Ertegun Tribute
Love Like Water / Number Nine Train / Sometimes Like A River, 2007
- Big Sur, California (The Henry Miller Library) guests w/ Pegi Young
- Santa Cruz, California (The Attic) guests w/ Pegi Young
- Redwood City, California (Little Fox Theatre) guests w/ Pegi Young
Farm Aid 2007
- New York City, New York (Randall's Island - Festival Site)
Bridge 21, 2007
- Mountain View, California (Shoreline Amphitheatre)
- Mountain View, California (Shoreline Amphitheatre)
Announcements
Discography
Albums
 November 12, 1968 Reprise, Wea |
 May 14, 1969 Reprise, Wea |
 September 19, 1970 Reprise |
 February 1, 1972 Reprise, Wea |
 October 15, 1973 Reprise, Warner Bros. |
 July 19, 1974 Reprise, Wea |
 June 20, 1975 Reprise, Wea |
 November 10, 1975 Reprise, Wea |
 May 27, 1977 Reprise, Wea |
 October 21, 1978 Reprise, Wea |
 June 22, 1979 Reprise, Wea |
 October 29, 1980 Reprise, Wea |
 October 28, 1981 Reprise, Wea |
 December 29, 1982 Geffen |
 July 27, 1983 BMG, Geffen, Interscope |
 August 12, 1985 Interscope Records |
 July 21, 1986 UME |
 Released: Geffen |
 October 2, 1989 Reprise, Wea |
 September 9, 1990 Reprise, Wea |
 November 2, 1992 Reprise, Wea |
 Released: Reprise, Wea |
 August 6, 1994 Reprise, Wea |
 August 7, 1995 Reprise, Wea |
 April 25, 2000 Reprise, Wea |
 April 9, 2002 Reprise, Wea |
 August 19, 2003 Reprise, Wea |
 September 27, 2005 Reprise, Wea |
 May 2, 2006 Reprise, Wea |
 December 19, 2006 Reprise, Wea |
Singles
| Date | Title | Label |
|---|---|---|
| 1969 | Cinnamon Girl | Reprise |
| 1970 | Only Love Can Break Your Heart | Reprise |
| 1970 | When You Dance I Can Really Love | Reprise |
| 1972 | Heart of Gold | Reprise |
| 1972 | War Song | Reprise |
| 1977 | Like a Hurricane | Reprise |
| 1979 | Hey Hey, My My (Into the Black) | Reprise |
| 1989 | Eldorado | Reprise |
| 1990 | Mansion on the Hill | Wea International |
| 1992 | Harvest Moon | Warner Bros. / Wea |
| 1993 | Philadelphia | Reprise |
| 1994 | Rockin' in the Free World | Reprise / Wea |
| 1995 | Downtown | Reprise |
| 1995 | Throw Your Hatred Down | Reprise |
| 1996 | Big Time | Phantom Sound & Vision |
| 1998 | This Note's For You | Reprise |
Compilations & Live Releases
 October 28, 1977 Reprise, Wea |
 November 14, 1979 Reprise, Wea |
 October 23, 1991 Reprise, Wea |
 October 23, 1991 Warner Bros., Wea |
 January 6, 1993 Lucky Thirteen |
 June 8, 1993 Reprise, Wea |
 June 17, 1997 Reprise, Wea |
 December 5, 2000 Reprise, Wea |
 November 16, 2004 Reprise, Wea |
 November 14, 2006 Reprise, Wea |
 March 13, 2007 Reprise, Wea |
Other artists
Similar artists
Influences
Contemporaries
Trivia
- He has two sons with cerebral palsy: Zeke, born by a relationship with actress Carrie Snodgress, and Ben (with Pegi Morton).
- Refused a million dollar offer to appear at "Woodstock '94" on the basis of its over-emphasis on commercialism.
- Has turned down every commercial endorsement he has been offered. He even wrote a song about his stance: "This Note's For You".
- Lives in Northern California.
- One of his major hobbies is collecting model trains.
- Some of his best known songs include "Cinnamon Girl", "Down by the River", "Heart of Gold", "After the Gold Rush", "Hey Hey, My My", and "Rockin' In The Free World".
- In his 1995 Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction speech, he thanked Kurt Cobain for inspiring him to renew his dedication to making music. Eddie Vedder, once the target of criticism by Kurt Cobain, introduced him.
- In Spin magazine's list of the top 100 Alternative Albums in 1995, Tonight's The Night (1975) came in at #14, and Rust Never Sleeps (1979) came in at #61.
- The melody for his song "Mother Earth (Natural Anthem)" is taken from the Old English folk song, "O Waly, Waly". He is known to close his concerts with this song.
- Guitarist and singer for rock group Crosby Stills Nash & Young.
- In the early 1960s he played in a rock band with future R&B artist Rick James in Canada. James was AWOL from the US Army and hiding out from the authorities. Prior to signing a record deal, he was extradited and jailed. Of course, Young and James never worked together musically after this.
- Inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1995 (as a solo artist) and in 1997 (as a member of Buffalo Springfield).
- Young, a lifelong devotee of model trains, read that Lionel Trains LLC, probably the most famous model-train manufacturer in the world, was going into bankruptcy and would probably have to shut down. Not wanting to see that happen, he invested his own money in the company, in which he is now a part-owner, and today the company is financially sound and thriving.
- His songs "Southern Man" and "Alabama" were attacks on racism in the Southern USA. The songs were "answered" by Lynyrd Skynyrd with their song "Sweet Home Alabama" (which in turn was "answered" by Warren Zevon's song "Play It All Night Long"). Some have interpreted Young's "Walk On" as an answer on his turn, although others think it's more likely the lyrics in "Walk On" refer to Crosby, Stills and Nash. After Ronnie Van Zant and Steve Gaines of Lynyrd Skynyrd were killed in a plane crash (1977), Neil Young performed a rare live version of "Alabama" at Bicentennial Park, Miami, Florida on 11-12-1977, for Children's Hospital Charity with The Gone With The Wind Orchestra and he changed the lyric chorus from "Alabama" to "Sweet Home Alabama".
- Left Buffalo Springfield prior to their appearance on "The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson" (1962) in 1967. He was replaced for that gig, as well as their appearance at the Monterey Pop Festival, by his future band-mate in Crosby Stills Nash & Young, David Crosby.
- Raised in Omemee, Ontario. Scott Young Public School in Omemee is named after his father.
- He was voted the 34th Greatest Artist of all time in Rock 'n' Roll by Rolling Stone.
- Called Carrie Snodgress after he'd seen her in the movie Diary of a Mad Housewife (1970). In "A Man Needs A Maid", he sings: "I fell in love with the actress / She was playing a part I could understand". The relationship lasted until 1975.
- Hospitalized to remove a brain aneurysm in April 2005.
- Wrote the song "Ohio" shortly after the infamous 1970 Kent State shootings.
- Wrote an infamous dark trilogy "Time Fades Away", "On The Beach" and "Tonight's The Night" after the death of friends of Danny Whitten and Bruce Berrett, although he has said that "On The Beach" has a positive message.
- His favorite albums of his own are Trans, Everybody's Rockin' and Tonight's The Night, in that order.
Reviews
External Links
- Official Website of Neil Young
- Lyrics, Guitar Tabs, Tour Updates, and More
- Neil Young's Official MySpace page
