Neil Young

Neil Percival Young (born November 12, 1945, Toronto, Ontario) is a Canadian singer-songwriter, guitarist, and film director.

His work is characterized by deeply personal lyrics, distinc

Neil Percival Young (born November 12, 1945, Toronto, Ontario) is a Canadian singer-songwriter, guitarist, and film director.

His work is characterized by deeply personal lyrics, distinctive guitar work, and an instantly recognizable nasal tenor (and frequently alto) singing voice. Although he accompanies himself on several different instruments—including piano and harmonica—his style of hammer-on acoustic guitar and often idiosyncratic soloing on electric guitar are the lynchpins of a sometimes ragged, sometimes polished, yet consistently evocative sound. Although Young has experimented widely with differing music styles, including swing, jazz, rockabilly, blues, and electronica throughout a varied career, his best known work usually falls into either of two distinct styles: folk-esque acoustic rock (as heard in songs such as "Heart of Gold", "Harvest Moon" and "Old Man") and hard rock, in songs like "Cinnamon Girl", "Rockin' in the Free World" and "Hey Hey, My My (Into the Black)". In more recent years, Young has started to adopt elements from newer styles of music, such as industrial and grunge, the latter of which was profoundly influenced and created due to his own style of playing.