Fred Neil

Fred Neil (March 16, 1936 – July 7, 2001) was an important white blues and folk singer and songwriter in the 1960s and early 1970s.

Born in Cleveland, Ohio, United States, and raised in St. Petersburg, Florida, Neil

Fred Neil (March 16, 1936 – July 7, 2001) was an important white blues and folk singer and songwriter in the 1960s and early 1970s.

Born in Cleveland, Ohio, United States, and raised in St. Petersburg, Florida, Neil was one of the songwriters who for a time worked out of New York City's famous Brill Building. He has often been called a pioneer of the singer-songwriter musical genre; his most frequently cited disciples are Tim Buckley, Harry Nilsson, and the Jefferson Airplane, but his most prominent descendants have been James Taylor, Paul Simon and Joni Mitchell. His early compositions were recorded by the likes of Buddy Holly and Roy Orbison; he played as a session guitarist on hits by Bobby Darin and Paul Anka. In 1968, Nilsson recorded a cover version of Neil's song "Everybody's Talkin'," which became a huge hit a year later when it was featured in the film Midnight Cowboy.