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Quick Facts
- NAME: Neil Young
- OCCUPATION: Environmental Activist, Engineer, Songwriter, Guitarist, Singer, Philanthropist
- BIRTH DATE: November 12, 1945 (Age: 67)
- EDUCATION: Earl Grey Junior High School, Kelvin High School
- PLACE OF BIRTH: Toronto, Ontario, Canada
- Nickname: Bernard Shakey
- Nickname: Joe Canuck
- Full Name: Neil Percival Young
- AKA: Neil Young
- ZODIAC SIGN: Scorpio
Best Known For
Neil Young is one of the most influential songwriters and guitarists of his generation, known for writing and recording such time-transcending songs as "Old Man," "Harvest Moon" and "Heart of Gold."
Videos see all videos
Neil Young - The Talented Teen
Neil Young moved to Winnipeg and played small clubs with Randy Bachman, founder of The Guess Who.
Neil Young - Godfather of Grunge
Neil Young is often cited as "The Godfather of Grunge" due to the impact his music had on the early 90's grunge music scene.
Neil Young - The 60's Meets the 90's
In the 1990's, Neil Young joined the grunge band Pearl Jam. Young was also a prime mover in Farm Aid and participated in the 9-11 fundraiser in New York.
Neil Young - CSNY Plays Again
Neil Young, was asked to join Crosby, Stills and Nash at the suggestion of Ahmet Ertegun from Atlantic Records.
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Play NowNeil Young. (2013). The Biography Channel website. Retrieved 09:28, May 19, 2013, from http://www.biography.com/people/neil-young-9539612.
Neil Young. [Internet]. 2013. The Biography Channel website. Available from: http://www.biography.com/people/neil-young-9539612 [Accessed 19 May 2013].
"Neil Young." 2013. The Biography Channel website. May 19 2013, 09:28 http://www.biography.com/people/neil-young-9539612.
"Neil Young," The Biography Channel website, 2013, http://www.biography.com/people/neil-young-9539612 [accessed May 19, 2013].
"Neil Young," The Biography Channel website, http://www.biography.com/people/neil-young-9539612 (accessed May 19, 2013).
Neil Young [Internet]. The Biography Channel website; 2013 [cited 2013 May 19] Available from: http://www.biography.com/people/neil-young-9539612.
Neil Young, http://www.biography.com/people/neil-young-9539612 (last visited May 19, 2013).
Neil Young. The Biography Channel website. 2013. Available at: http://www.biography.com/people/neil-young-9539612. Accessed May 19, 2013.
Synopsis
Canadian singer-songwriter Neil Young arrived in the United States in the mid-1960s and co-founded the band Buffalo Springfield, jump-starting a musical career that has spanned more than 45 years. Young has been inducted twice into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, and is known for writing and recording such time-transcending songs as "Old Man," "Harvest Moon," "Hey Hey, My My (Into the Black)," "The Needle and the Damage Done,
Quotes
"As I get older, I get smaller. I see other parts of the world I didn't see before. Other points of view. I see outside myself more."
"Hey hey, my my, rock 'n' roll will never die."
" "Rockin' in the Free World" and "Heart of Gold"—a No. 1 hit. Outside of music, Young is a strong advocate for environmental and disability issues, demonstrated in his co-founding of the Benefit for Farm Aid and Bridge School Benefit Concerts.
Early Life
Neil Young was born on November 12, 1945 in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, to Rassy and Scott Young. Young grew up in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada. Before becoming one of the best-known musicans of his generation, he formed his first band, the Jades, while in junior high school. During that time, he also developed his characteristic melodic guitar style and use of the "whammy bar," creating a vibrato effect to accompany his unique and mournful, untrained, yet singular voice.
A few years later, in 1963, Young formed an instrumental and folk-rock band called the Squires. Never one for rigidity, he dropped out of high school and began performing in Fort William, and soon began recording demos with his four bandmates. It was during this time that Young first met Stephen Stills, who was touring with his band, the Company.
Musical Career
By the mid-1960s, Young decided to leave the Squires and begin touring the folk clubs in Winnipeg. While making his cafe rounds, he met fellow folk musician Joni Mitchell—who would later write the song "The Circle Game" in response to the Young's song, "Sugar Mountain." Also during this time, the rock band The Guess Who recorded one of Young's songs, "Flying on the Ground Is Wrong," which would become a Top 40 Canadian hit.
In 1966, Young moved to the United States with friend and bass player Bruce Palmer; the two packed their possesions into Young's black hearse and drove the long road to Los Angeles, California. There, Young and Palmer co-founded the band Buffalo Springfield, which also included Stephen Stills, Richie Furay and Dewey Martin. Their first album, Buffalo Springfield, which included the Stills-authored hit song "For What It's Worth," was a best-seller and introduced both the band and Young to America. The band grew to attract a large following, and was acclaimed for its experimental and skilled instrumental pieces, inventive songwriting, and harmony-focuses vocal composition.
Although Buffalo Springfield fell apart after only a couple of years, the group managed to release two more albums, Buffalo Springfield Again and Last Time Around, in 1967 and 1968, respectively. Despite its short life, Buffalo Springfield was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1997. It was the first time that Young was enshrined—he was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame again in 1995, for his solo work.
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