Neil Young, born in Toronto in 1945, is a Canadian-American singer-songwriter and one of rock's most important figures — Buffalo Springfield, CSNY, and a solo run like nobody else's. Harvest (1972) and After the Gold Rush (1970) are the classic starting points; the Crazy Horse records like Rust Never Sleeps hit harder. Explore Neil Young vinyl, CDs, and reissues at Wax Trax Records.
Neil Percival Young was born in Toronto, Ontario on November 12, 1945. He moved to Los Angeles in 1966 and co-founded Buffalo Springfield with Stephen Stills, Richie Furay, Bruce Palmer, and Dewey Martin. After Buffalo Springfield dissolved in 1968, he launched his solo career with the 1968 self-titled Neil Young, with the 1969 follow-up Everybody Knows This Is Nowhere (his first collaboration with Crazy Horse). His solo career has spanned multiple decades and stylistic exploration - folk rock and country rock (After the Gold Rush, 1970; Harvest, 1972), Ditch Trilogy material addressing depression and addiction (Time Fades Away, 1973; On the Beach, 1974; Tonight's the Night, 1975), Crazy Horse hard rock (Zuma, 1975; Rust Never Sleeps, 1979; Ragged Glory, 1990), experimental electronic material (Trans, 1982 - the subject of David Geffen's lawsuit alleging unrepresentative work), and late-career returns to multiple modes. His parallel work as a member of Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young (1969-present, intermittent) has produced landmark albums Déjà Vu (1970), Looking Forward (1999), and others. He has been involved in social justice causes - particularly environmental advocacy, Farm Aid co-founding (1985 with Willie Nelson and John Mellencamp), and the Bridge School (with his then-wife Pegi Young, for children with disabilities). He was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame twice (1995 solo and 1997 Buffalo Springfield). His foundational influence on folk rock, country rock, grunge, and broader rock music history is widely cited.
Neil Young's sound combines folk rock, country rock, rock, hard rock, alternative rock, grunge (direct influence on Pearl Jam, Nirvana, and broader 1990s alternative rock), Americana, and singer-songwriter with his distinctive high tenor vocal delivery, expressive lead guitar work (particularly with Crazy Horse), and varied compositional approaches across his multi-decade career. His foundational influence on multiple rock genres is widely documented.
Original Reprise Records pressings of the Neil Young catalog are foundational items in rock collecting.
Listeners new to Neil Young typically start with Harvest (1972) or After the Gold Rush (1970).
