Neil Young

Neil Young was married three times. He married Susan Acevedo in December 1968, and they divorced in 1970. He married Pegi Morton in 1978, and they had two children, Ben and Amber, before divorcing in 2014. Young married actress Daryl Hannah in August 2018.

Young also had a relationship with actress Carrie Snodgress from 1970 to 1975. They had a son, Zeke, in 1972. Zeke and Ben were diagnosed with cerebral palsy, while Amber was diagnosed with epilepsy. Young and Pegi helped found the Bridge School in 1986 to support children with severe verbal and physical disabilities.

Young began performing in Winnipeg folk clubs and played in groups including the Squires before moving to Los Angeles in 1966. There, he joined Stephen Stills, Richie Furay, Dewey Martin, and Bruce Palmer to form Buffalo Springfield. The group recorded three albums, and Young contributed songs including “Mr. Soul,” “Broken Arrow,” “I Am a Child,” and “On the Way Home.”

Young joined Crosby, Stills and Nash in 1969, insisting on full membership rather than a sideman role. The quartet became Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young and released Déjà Vu in 1970. Young wrote “Ohio” soon after the Kent State shootings, and the song became an important antiwar anthem. The group reunited several times, including for the 1988 album American Dream, the 1999 album Looking Forward, and a 2006 tour centered on Young’s album Living with War.

Young’s early solo work established the shifting musical style that defined his career. His 1969 album Everybody Knows This Is Nowhere, recorded with Crazy Horse, included “Cinnamon Girl,” “Down by the River,” and “Cowgirl in the Sand.” After the Gold Rush followed in 1970, while Harvest became his best-selling album of 1972 and produced “Heart of Gold,” his only solo No. 1 hit.

Young responded to the success of Harvest with darker and more experimental records, including Time Fades Away, On the Beach, and Tonight’s the Night. He reunited with Crazy Horse for Zuma in 1975, which featured “Cortez the Killer.” The 1979 album Rust Never Sleeps combined acoustic songs with abrasive electric rock influenced by the punk era, and its live companion, Live Rust, captured the same contrast in concert.

Young’s changing approach continued through the 1980s with albums such as Trans, Everybody’s Rockin’, and This Note’s for You. He returned to prominence with Freedom in 1989 and Ragged Glory with Crazy Horse in 1990. Harvest Moon, released in 1992, returned to the acoustic and country-folk sound of Harvest.

Young collaborated with Pearl Jam on the 1995 album Mirror Ball, after Pearl Jam members had cited his music as an influence. He also worked with filmmaker Jim Jarmusch, providing the guitar score for Dead Man and appearing in the documentary Year of the Horse, which chronicled Crazy Horse’s 1996 tour. Young directed or co-directed films under the pseudonym Bernard Shakey, including Journey Through the Past, Rust Never Sleeps, Human Highway, Greendale, and CSNY/Déjà Vu.

Young co-founded Farm Aid with Willie Nelson and John Mellencamp in 1985 and has remained involved with the organization. His environmental concerns shaped albums such as Greendale, Living with War, The Monsanto Years, and Fork in the Road, the latter connected to his LincVolt hybrid automobile project. He also opposed oil pipelines and fossil fuel use and supported Indigenous rights and environmental campaigns.

In 2005, Young was diagnosed with a brain aneurysm and underwent treatment. He returned to performing later that year, and the experience influenced the reflective themes of Prairie Wind. His honors include two inductions into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, the Order of Manitoba, appointment as an Officer of the Order of Canada, multiple Grammy Awards, and multiple Juno Awards.