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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 12:53, Jun 18, 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 18 Jun 2013].
"Neil Young." 2013. The Biography Channel website. Jun 18 2013, 12:53 http://www.biography.com/people/neil-young-9539612.
"Neil Young," The Biography Channel website, 2013, http://www.biography.com/people/neil-young-9539612 [accessed Jun 18, 2013].
"Neil Young," The Biography Channel website, http://www.biography.com/people/neil-young-9539612 (accessed Jun 18, 2013).
Neil Young [Internet]. The Biography Channel website; 2013 [cited 2013 Jun 18] Available from: http://www.biography.com/people/neil-young-9539612.
Neil Young, http://www.biography.com/people/neil-young-9539612 (last visited Jun 18, 2013).
Neil Young. The Biography Channel website. 2013. Available at: http://www.biography.com/people/neil-young-9539612. Accessed Jun 18, 2013.
Young developed special controllers for the train set, allowing his son to control switching and power using a paddle system. The controls later formed the basis for a company called Liontech. In 1995, when the Lionel company was facing bankruptcy, Young put together an investment group to purchase the train company so that he might continue his research and development.
Young's experience with cerebal palsy—as well as the epilepsy of his daughter, Amber Jean,
which Neil also struggled with—resulted in Neil and his then-wife, Pegi, founding the Bridge School in San Francisco, a center for children with communication disabilities in the 1980s. The yearly concert benefit for the Bridge School, started in 1986, has attracted thousands of concertgoers and featured many major artists, including Eddie Vedder, Beck, Dave Matthews and Carlos Santana. Young also became heavily involved in advocating for environmental issues by participaing in the organization of yearly concerts for Farm Aid.
Recent Years
In June 2012, following a nine-year break from album-creation, Young released Americana—a collaboration with his longtime back-up band, Crazy Horse, and the 34th studio album of Young's career. Young's prior solo album with Crazy Horse was 2003's Greendale. Americana focuses on electric guitar riffs and features many standard and patriotic folk songs, including "Oh, Susanna," "Clementine" and "She'll Be Coming 'Round the Mountain."
Young seems to have always challenged himself musically, and challenged his audience emotionally, by experimenting with musical styles and genres. His musical versatility, as well as his refusal to stay in one place, or with one band, have bolstered his endurance in a culture that is often influenced by the newest fad. Young once said about his growth as a musician, "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."
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