Born 81 Years Ago Today In Canada, He Became The Godfather Of Grunge

Neil Young, born November 12, 1945, in Toronto, Canada, a true musical searcher, has cycled through myriad styles from folk to punk-influenced garage rock to rockabilly to synth-pop and proto-grunge over a more than 60-year career. It was 1990's "Ragged Glory" with his longtime backing band Crazy Horse that helped earn him the nickname the "Godfather of Grunge" and propelled his career into the next century. Yet it all started in Canada in the '60s, with a band called the Mynah Birds that included the soon-to-be funk legend Rick James.

By 1966, Young had moved to Los Angeles, where he formed the pioneering folk-rock band Buffalo Springfield before going solo and then hooking up with folk-rock supergroup Crosby, Stills & Nash, before again jumping ship in what had become Young's routine. His solo work ranged from 1969's "Everybody Knows This Is Nowhere," his first album with Crazy Horse, which embraced a raw garage-rock sound in direct contrast to his earlier work. Young would return to a quieter sound with 1972's hit album "Harvest." But ever the contrarian, Young's next set of records, dubbed the Ditch Trilogy ("Time Fades Away," "On the Beach," "Tonight's the Night"), embraced dark themes and a raw sound. Young would continue to explore these two sides of his sound for years.

Although Neil Young's musical journey has included forays into proto-techno with 1981's "Trans" and rockabilly with "Everybody's Rockin'" a year later, it was Young's more raucous musical forays with Crazy Horse that inspired younger rock artists. Their 1975 album "Zuma," and especially the song "Cortez the Killer," with its guitar solo that goes on ad infinitum, became a touchstone. Likewise, 1979's "Rust Never Sleeps," in which Young explored his own take on punk, to the above-mentioned "Ragged Glory" and later albums "Weld" and "Arc" from 1991, were all vitally influential to younger rock artists.

Pearl Jam was heavily influenced by Young and they sealed the deal by working together on Young's album "Glitter Ball." Kurt Cobain, Noel Gallagher of Oasis, Trey Anastasio of Phish, and Jonny Greenwood of Radiohead have all cited Young as important to their own work, and you can hear his influences in bands like Mudhoney, Dinosaur Jr. Soundgarden and Sonic Youth, who both toured with Young, were also influenced by the older musician. 

With a massive catalogue filled with classic fan-favorites it can sometimes be easy to forget that at 81, Young is still recording and touring. His latest album, "Second Song," his 50th studio album, came out in September 2026 to positive reviews. To quote Young's own lyrics, "long may you run," Mr. Young.