Neil Young – Musician – Part One

Neil Young is now 65 years old and still recording music, campaigning for various environmental causes and pushing the boundaries of his art as he embraces new sounds and technology with an ease that makes others envious.

In an astonishing career he has recorded 33 solo albums, 8 live albums and numerous singles and this doesn’t include the collaborations with the various bands he has toured and recorded with in the past 43 years. He has also recorded 4 film soundtracks and been involved with another 22 films in various roles, including some as director.  This is a talented chap so where did it all begin?

Neil Percival Young was born on November 12th, 1945 in Toronto, Ontario in Canada.  He was diagnosed with diabetes as a child and also suffered a brief bout of polio.  His family moved around this region of Canada, living in various places, and also spent a short time in Florida.  In his early teens Young began to take an interest in music begin played on the radio.

By the time he went to Junior High School his parents had divorced and he was living with his mother in Winnepeg.  He taught himself to play a variety of Ukeleles and not long after he formed his first band, The Jades.  He moved on to his next band, The Squires, shortly afterwards and became somewhat popular locally.  After dropping out of High School he spent some time playing at local folk clubs and it was here he encountered Joni Mitchell. During this phase he also began to write songs we are still familiar with now – Sugar Mountain being the most notable.

By 1965 he has become a reasonably successful songwriter as well as a performer and in the

Early picture of Stephen Stills (left) and Neil Young

same year he embarked on his first solo tour. After a brief stint with the Mynah Birds, Young headed to Los Angeles to further his career and it was here he re-encountered Stephen Stills and with several others they formed Buffalo Springfield.  The band existed for only two years but the combined talents they represented were critically well received and Buffalo Springfield is often cited by American bands of a certain genre as a defining influence.

Part Two follows …….