Neil Young

For the album, see Neil Young (album). For other people named Neil Young, see Neil Young (disambiguation).

Neil Young
OC OM
Young smiling joyously on stage, holding a guitar in each hand
Young in 2016
Born
Neil Percival Young

(1945-11-12) November 12, 1945 (age 79)
Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Other namesBernard Shakey
Citizenship
  • Canada
  • United States (from 2020)
Occupations
  • Singer-songwriter
  • musician
  • film director
  • screenwriter
Years active1963–present
WorksFull list
Spouses
Susan Acevedo
​
​
(m. 1968; div. 1970)​
​
​
(m. 1978; div. 2014)​
​
(m. 2018)​
PartnerCarrie Snodgress (1970–1975)
Children3
FatherScott Young
RelativesAstrid Young (sister)
Musical career
OriginWinnipeg, Manitoba, Canada
Genres
Instruments
  • Vocals
  • guitar
  • harmonica
  • keyboards
Labels
Member ofCrazy Horse
Formerly of
Websiteneilyoungarchives.com

Neil Percival Young OC OM[1][2] (born November 12, 1945) is a Canadian and American[3] singer-songwriter. After embarking on a music career in Winnipeg in the 1960s, Young moved to Los Angeles, joining the folk-rock group Buffalo Springfield. Since the beginning of his solo career, often backed by the band Crazy Horse, he released critically acclaimed albums such as Everybody Knows This Is Nowhere (1969), After the Gold Rush (1970), Harvest (1972), On the Beach (1974), and Rust Never Sleeps (1979). He was also a part-time member of Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young, with whom he recorded the chart-topping 1970 album Déjà Vu.

Young's guitar work, deeply personal lyrics[4][5][6] and signature high tenor singing voice[7][8] define his long career. He also plays piano and harmonica on many albums, which frequently combine folk, rock, country and other musical genres. His often distorted electric guitar playing, especially with Crazy Horse, earned him the nickname "Godfather of Grunge"[9] and led to his 1995 album Mirror Ball with Pearl Jam. More recently he has been backed by Promise of the Real.[10]

Young directed (or co-directed) films using the pseudonym "Bernard Shakey", including Journey Through the Past (1973), Rust Never Sleeps (1979), Human Highway (1982), Greendale (2003), CSNY/Déjà Vu (2008), and Harvest Time (2022). He also contributed to the soundtracks of the films Philadelphia (1993) and Dead Man (1995).

Young has received multiple Grammy and Juno Awards. The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame has inducted him twice: in 1995 as a solo artist and in 1997 as a member of Buffalo Springfield.[11] In 2023, Rolling Stone named Young No. 30 on their list of 250 greatest guitarists of all time.[12] Young is also on Rolling Stone's list of the 100 greatest musical artists, and 21 of his albums and singles have been certified gold or platinum in the U.S.[13] Young was awarded the Order of Manitoba in 2006[2] and was made an Officer of the Order of Canada in 2009.[1]

  1. ^ a b "Governor General Announces 57 New Appointments to the Order of Canada". Office of the Secretary to the Governor General. December 30, 2009. Retrieved December 30, 2009.
  2. ^ a b "Lieutenant Governor's Awards". Lieutenant Governors Office of Manitoba. 2009. Archived from the original on May 8, 2006. Retrieved January 26, 2010.
  3. ^ Henderson, Cydney. "Canadian Rocker Neil Young Is Officially a U.S. Citizen: 'I'm Proud to Be a Canarican'". USA TODAY. Retrieved March 10, 2023.
  4. ^ "Neil Young's Passionate Guitar Playing Sparks Rock Arena". Los Angeles Daily News. September 14, 1993.
  5. ^ Brinn, David (May 30, 2006). "Disc Reviews". The Jerusalem Post. Retrieved July 28, 2009.
  6. ^ Surkamp, David (September 15, 1992). "Internal Fire from Neil Young Lights the Stage". St. Louis Post-Dispatch. p. 4D.
  7. ^ Miller, Edward (2003). "The Nonsensical Truth of the Falsetto Voice: Listening to Sigur Rós". Popular Musicology Online. ISSN 1357-0951. Archived from the original on July 16, 2012. Retrieved May 26, 2010.
  8. ^ Sinclair, Scott (April 4, 2009). "Neil Young – Fork in the Road". Popular Musicology Online. Archived from the original on April 5, 2009. Retrieved May 26, 2010.
  9. ^ Echard 2005, p. 43.
  10. ^ "Young and the Restless: Neil Young on Promise of the Real, Paul McCartney and Telling an Earth Story". Relix Media. January 24, 2017.
  11. ^ "Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Inductee-List". The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum. 2009. Archived from the original on January 17, 2010. Retrieved January 26, 2010.
  12. ^ "The 250 Greatest Guitarists of All Time". Rolling Stone. October 13, 2023. Retrieved October 14, 2023.
  13. ^ "Neil Young". RIAA.