The ASCAP Founders Award
Neil Young



Songwriter…
Trailblazer…
Guiding Spirit…
Heart of Gold…

ASCAP honors Neil Young, whose musical legacy
will continue to rock the free world and enrich generations to come.

Music visionary Neil Young is like one of the “Four Strong Winds” in fellow Canadian Ian Tyson’s classic song, so memorably covered by Neil in 1978 – one of “those things that don’t change, come what may.” While Young’s music changes and evolves constantly, his impact as a songwriter, performer, guitarist and recording artist remains as forceful as ever, even as his career approaches the 40-year mark. Prolific, unpredictable, idiosyncratic, uncompromising, provocative, vital and timeless are all terms that apply to Young’s incredible artistic output.

Neil Young’s arrival on the red hot Los Angeles music scene in the mid-1960’s is legendary. He drove into town in a used hearse, was spotted at the wheel by an acquaintance named Stephen Stills, and was shortly enlisted in Buffalo Springfield, one of the finest bands of its era. Along with Stills and Young, the group boasted the talents of Richie Furay, Jim Messina, Dewey Martin and Bruce Palmer. Although the group managed only one Top Ten hit (Stills’ “For What It’s Worth”), Young’s songwriting efforts for the band were notable: “Expecting to Fly,” “Mr. Soul,” “On the Way Home,” and “I Am a Child,” among others. The group ceased to exist by 1968, and Young took off to make musical history on his own and in various band lineups.

Each Neil Young solo album and group project – and there have been many – is like an era unto itself, each one stamping the times. Defying easy classification, Young’s rich late 1960’s/70’s catalog runs the gamut from searing hard rock (Everybody Knows This Is Nowhere) to genre-defining definitive singer-songwriter pop (After the Gold Rush, Harvest) to angst-ridden personal explorations (On the Beach, Tonight’s the Night); crafted arena rock (Zuma, American Stars ‘n’ Bars); engagement with punk (Rust Never Sleeps) and folk/country (Comes a Time). Major songs from this period (“Sugar Mountain,” “Cinnamon Girl,” “Down By the River,” “Heart of Gold” (a #1 pop single), “Hurricane,” and “Comes a Time”) tended to be inward looking, although topical issues including race, the environment and drugs were addressed in songs like “Southern Man,” “After the Gold Rush” and “The Needle and the Damage Done.” Harvest (1972) was Young’s largest selling album, spawning two hit singles, the aforementioned “Heart of Gold” and “Old Man”, both of them rock radio staples. And, of course, there were the supergroup collaborations as part of Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young (“Helpless,” “Ohio”), with Neil’s individualistic and rough-edged songs standing out among the smooth and generally sunny tunes of CSN. Radio was filled with cover versions of Neil Young-written songs in the 70’s, with Linda Ronstadt’s “Love Is a Rose” and Nicolette Larson’s “(It’s Gonna Take A) Lotta Love” riding high on the charts.

For Young, the 1980’s were a time of heavy genre experimentation, with forays into country, rockabilly, synthesizer pop and horn-dominated R&B. Young followed his restless muse where it took him. The “grunge” and alt. country explosions of the late 80’s and early 90’s owed much to Young’s influence. In turn, Young’s rock & roll side was revitalized with such albums as Freedom, Ragged Glory, Sleeps with Angels (all featuring his old cohorts, Crazy Horse) and Mirror Ball (where Young is backed by his musical descendants, Pearl Jam). The ever-active Young also returned to the singer-songwriter style that first made him a star with Silver & Gold and Harvest Moon, a 1992 release that was his biggest seller in years. His most recent new work, Greendale (2003) recorded with Crazy Horse, is a concept album detailing the life of a family in a small town, released with a film based on the album’s songs. As always, no one can predict where Neil Young’s wide-ranging musical interests may take him. Multitudes of fans who love his insightful and challenging music will follow.

By Jim Steinblatt