Neil Young Biography Quotes 43 Report mistakes

Early Life and Family
Neil Percival Young was born on November 12, 1945, in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. His father, Scott Young, was a well-known sportswriter and author, and his mother, Edna Rassy Young, nurtured his early interests. After time in the small town of Omemee, the family moved between Ontario and Manitoba; following his parents separation, Young lived primarily with his mother in Winnipeg. As a child he survived polio during a 1951 outbreak in Ontario, an experience that left lasting physical effects but did not deter his love for music. In Winnipeg he began playing ukulele and guitar, absorbing country, rock and folk influences that would blend uniquely in his later work.

Beginnings in Music
By his teens, Young was performing in local bands, most notably the Squires, and writing original songs. Winnipeg clubs and coffeehouses gave him a stage to refine his songwriting voice and fingerpicked guitar style. A formative early composition, Sugar Mountain, emerged from this period and hinted at his ability to turn nostalgia and unease into melody. He gravitated to the burgeoning folk scene and eventually to Yorkville in Toronto, where he crossed paths with other young musicians, including Stephen Stills. Determined to push further, he headed to Los Angeles in the mid-1960s, traveling with bassist Bruce Palmer in a hearse, a practical and characteristic choice that became part of his legend.

Buffalo Springfield
In Los Angeles, Young reconnected with Stephen Stills and joined forces with Richie Furay, Bruce Palmer, and Dewey Martin to form Buffalo Springfield in 1966. The band quickly became a cornerstone of the Laurel Canyon-era sound, blending folk harmonies with assertive electric guitars. Although Stephen Stills penned the breakout hit For What It is Worth, Young established his own voice with songs like Mr. Soul, Expecting to Fly, and Broken Arrow, bringing orchestral touches and introspective lyrics to the group. Tensions and changing lineups led to the band dissolving in 1968, but its brief life left an enduring mark on West Coast rock.

Solo Debut and Crazy Horse
After Buffalo Springfield, Young signed with Reprise and released his self-titled solo debut in 1968, then deepened his approach on Everybody Knows This Is Nowhere (1969). That second album introduced Crazy Horse, anchored by Danny Whitten, Billy Talbot, and Ralph Molina, whose loose, swinging groove became the perfect foil for Youngs alternating electric ferocity and quiet balladry. Cinnamon Girl, Down by the River, and Cowgirl in the Sand arrived as long-form electric statements and aching meditations, defining the guitar interplay and improvisational edge that would characterize his live shows for decades.

Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young
Youngs chemistry with Stephen Stills led to his joining David Crosby, Graham Nash, and Stills for Deja Vu (1970), amplifying the harmonies and expanding the groups dynamic range. Young contributed Helpless and participated in the recording and release of Ohio, written in response to the Kent State shootings, a stark example of his readiness to confront social and political events in song. CSNYs onstage power and offstage volatility became legendary, with tours that were both triumphs and trials, and friendships that ebbed and flowed over time.

After the Gold Rush and Harvest
Youngs early 1970s run yielded a remarkable sequence. After the Gold Rush (1970) balanced piano-led laments with taut electric passages, further establishing him as a songwriter able to find intimacy within grand themes. Harvest (1972), recorded largely in Nashville with the Stray Gators, brought him mainstream success. Heart of Gold reached the top of the charts, and Old Man and The Needle and the Damage Done revealed a writer attuned equally to fragile beauty and stark warning. Collaborators on Harvest included pedal steel great Ben Keith, session hands like Kenny Buttrey and Tim Drummond, and guest vocals from James Taylor and Linda Ronstadt.

The Ditch Trilogy
Uncomfortable with fame, and shaken by loss, Young turned sharply away from the soft glow of Harvest. Time Fades Away (1973), a raw live album, captured the strain of relentless touring. He then recorded Tonight's the Night, largely in 1973 and released in 1975, a grief-stricken wake for guitarist Danny Whitten and roadie Bruce Berry. On the Beach (1974) completed what fans later called the Ditch Trilogy, three works that embraced imperfection and emotional candor over commercial polish. These albums, once polarizing, came to be seen as essential statements of artistic independence.

Late 1970s: Renewal and Rust
Reuniting with Crazy Horse, Young released Zuma (1975), featuring Cortez the Killer, and worked intermittently with Stephen Stills in the Stills-Young Band on Long May You Run (1976). Comes a Time (1978) returned to acoustic textures and close harmonies. With Rust Never Sleeps (1979) and its companion live set Live Rust, Young delivered a career-summarizing statement: one acoustic set, one electric barrage, and a motto of restless evolution. The song Hey Hey, My My cautioned against creative stagnation and embodied an ethos that would inspire later generations.

1980s Experiments and Industry Battles
The 1980s found Young continually defying expectations. Trans (1982) reached for vocoders and synth textures; Everybody's Rockin' (1983), credited to a throwback combo dubbed the Shocking Pinks, toyed with rockabilly; Old Ways (1985) leaned into country. His gestures confounded his new label, Geffen Records, resulting in a lawsuit over commercial direction that was eventually settled. Returning to Reprise, he scored a late-decade resurgence: This Note's for You (1988), recorded with a horn-driven band, criticized corporate sponsorship in rock, and its initially banned video won a major MTV award after public debate. Freedom (1989), with Rockin in the Free World as a centerpiece, reasserted his power as a socially engaged rocker.

1990s Renaissance and Collaborations
The 1990s delivered both volume and variety. Ragged Glory (1990) with Crazy Horse was a loud, joyous blast, followed by the incendiary live set Weld and the experimental feedback collage Arc (1991). Harvest Moon (1992) reunited him with Ben Keith and other longtime collaborators for a gentler acoustic cycle that echoed, without repeating, his early 1970s mood. Sleeps with Angels (1994) captured a haunted, atmospheric tone during a period when Youngs lines were often quoted by younger artists; Kurt Cobain famously cited him shortly before his death. Young recorded Mirror Ball (1995) with Pearl Jam, embracing a generational handoff in real time, and composed the stark, improvised score for Jim Jarmuschs film Dead Man (1996). He continued to work with Crosby, Stills and Nash on Looking Forward (1999) and subsequent tours, even as the foursomes internal dynamics remained fraught.

Family, Philanthropy, and Personal Projects
Youngs personal life intertwined with his art and activism. With actress Carrie Snodgress, he had a son, Zeke. He later married Pegi Young and had two children, including Ben; together, Neil and Pegi founded the Bridge School in 1986 to support children with severe speech and physical impairments. Their annual Bridge School Benefit concerts drew artists such as Bruce Springsteen, Tom Petty, Eddie Vedder, and Metallica for acoustic performances that became storied gatherings. A model train enthusiast, Young became involved with the Lionel brand and pushed for better sound technology in the hobby. He also pursued renewable energy projects, most notably the LincVolt initiative to transform a classic car into a low-emissions vehicle.

2000s: Health Scare and Creative Flow
In 2005, Young suffered a brain aneurysm and recovered to make Prairie Wind, a reflective album that looked back while celebrating endurance. Filmmaker Jonathan Demme captured this moment in the concert film Heart of Gold, and later chronicled additional tours in Trunk Show and Journeys. Youngs political edge sharpened on Living with War (2006), which featured a vocal chorus and direct commentary on U.S. policy. Always prolific, he continued with Chrome Dreams II (2007) and Fork in the Road (2009), the latter inspired by his automotive experiments.

2010s: New Sounds, Old Friends, and Environmental Advocacy
Le Noise (2010), produced by Daniel Lanois, placed Youngs voice and guitar in an atmospheric, echo-laden setting that felt both intimate and vast. Returning to Crazy Horse, he released Americana (2012) and the expansive Psychedelic Pill (2012). He published a memoir, launched the Pono high-resolution audio initiative, and explored vintage recording techniques on A Letter Home (2014), partly recorded in Jack Whites restored Voice-O-Graph booth. With Promise of the Real, a band featuring Lukas and Micah Nelson, he released The Monsanto Years (2015), aligning with his longstanding environmental concerns. Young remained a visible supporter of Farm Aid, the organization he co-founded in 1985 with Willie Nelson and John Mellencamp to aid family farmers.

Archives and Later Years
Young devoted significant energy to curating the Neil Young Archives, an ambitious, evolving platform for unreleased recordings, films, and live performances. Archival gems like Homegrown (recorded in the 1970s and released in 2020) broadened the public picture of his peak years. New studio work continued: Colorado (2019) reunited him with Crazy Horse; Barn (2021) and World Record (2022), the latter produced with Rick Rubin, extended that partnership. He also issued live and archival releases at a steady pace, deepening his catalog. In 2022, Young requested the removal of his music from Spotify, citing concerns about misinformation; Joni Mitchell and others took similar stands, underscoring the interconnected bonds of artists from his generation. He later released Before and After (2023), a continuous solo medley revisiting songs across decades.

Awards and Recognition
A towering figure in rock history, Young is a two-time inductee into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, honored as a solo artist and as a member of Buffalo Springfield. His career has garnered Grammys and numerous accolades, yet he has consistently privileged authenticity over trophies. Colleagues and collaborators such as Ben Keith, Niko Bolas, Jack Nitzsche, and Elliot Roberts (his longtime manager) helped shape the sound and arc of his work, while peers like David Crosby, Graham Nash, and Stephen Stills formed both creative alliances and personal crucibles that tested and strengthened his resolve.

Style, Influence, and Legacy
Youngs artistic identity is defined by dualities: the whisper and the roar, the fragile acoustic confession and the wall of electric feedback. His songwriting welds plainspoken language to stark imagery, allowing songs like After the Gold Rush, Powderfinger, and Like a Hurricane to feel both grounded and mythic. With Crazy Horse he created a template for ragged, extended guitar interplay that became foundational for alternative and indie rock bands. His willingness to veer from country to hard rock to electronic experiment, even at the cost of sales, set a standard for creative freedom. The line it is better to burn out than to fade away became emblematic of his refusal to settle.

Throughout decades of change, Young has guarded an independent path: calling out injustice in Ohio and Rockin in the Free World; mourning friends in Tonight's the Night and Sleeps with Angels; celebrating endurance in Harvest Moon; and keeping faith with the electricity of a band in full flight. Surrounded by collaborators, friends, and foils from Stephen Stills to Pearl Jam, from Pegi Young to Daryl Hannah, he has remained singular. A Canadian by birth who made California a creative home, he continues to write, record, and perform with undimmed curiosity. His legacy is not just a catalog of songs, but a living example of how to keep moving forward without losing sight of the core that makes the music matter.

Our collection contains 43 quotes who is written by Neil, under the main topics: Witty One-Liners - Justice - Music - Leadership - Live in the Moment.

Other people realated to Neil: Warren Zevon (Musician), Dana Carvey (Comedian), Bill Graham (Politician), Jim Jarmusch (Director), David Geffen (Businessman), Rick Danko (Musician), Dean Stockwell (Actor), Mark Mothersbaugh (Musician), Jim Messina (Musician), Richard Manuel (Musician)