Neil Young is one of the most respected and prolific rock/folk guitarists of the late 20th century. Raised in Canada, he first became well-known as a guitarist and occasional vocalist for the band Buffalo Springfield. After the band's breakup, Young became a solo performer. However, he also has spent more than 30 years performing with the supergroup Crosby Stills Nash & Young, as well as with the band Crazy Horse. He also recorded an album with the grunge band Pearl Jam in 1995. Besides his work as a musician, he has also been active in film. Young has produced and/or performed in such concert films as Rust Never Sleeps, Year of the Horse and many more. He has also been involved with non-musical films, including Neil Young: Human Highway and Made in Heaven.
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 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 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. 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.