"One morning a few summers ago ... well, actually several summers ago now," Neil begins modestly, "I found myself at that place characterized by the great New York Yankees catcher, Yogi Berra: 'When you come to the fork in the road, take it.'
I did and I took it.
In a roundabout way it led me back to my country roots and to my music that I had left behind many years before, paving the way for me to have the opportunity to pursue this life-long dream."
Born in Brantford, Ontario, Canada, Neil's country music roots were nurtured growing up on the family farm near Burford Ontario. Neil began singing as a young boy in the choir in the small rural church in Mount Vernon Ontario that he attended with his family. He began writing songs and playing guitar as a teenager going to Burford District High School during the legendary 1950’s Country Rockabilly era and the dawning of Rock ’n Roll when Elvis took the world stage by storm with his hit, “Heartbreak Hotel”.
Living now in Paris, known as the prettiest little town in Ontario only a few short miles from where he was born and grew up, Neil found it the perfect place to embark on his life-long dream to record an album of his original material and to begin writing his long-postponed novel.
Neil’s debut album “No Looking Back” released in August 2007 resulted in eight (8) of the songs on the album reaching #1 on various IACMusic.com charts:
“The Cowboy Song" and "The Restless Wind" reached #1 on the IAC Country chart; “All Through The Night” and “There’s Just The One And Only You” reached #1 on the IAC Easy Listening/Soft Rock chart; "Hello, I'm Johnny Cash" reached #1 on the IAC Country - Americana Chart; "Got Nothin' To Lose" reached #1 on the IAC Country - Alternative Country Rock Chart; "No Looking Back" reached #1 on the IAC Country - Alternative Country Chart; "Ride" reached #1 on the IAC Easy Listening/Soft Rock - Adult Contemporary Chart.
“The Cowboy Song” and “The Restless Wind” also reached # 1 on the CASHBOX Magazine Country Chart.
Also on the album is a song that Neil wrote for the album, "Hello, I'm Johnny Cash" - a tribute to the legendary ‘Man in Black'. Neil received an Honor Award in Lyric Writing for the song from The Great American Song Contest in Portland Oregon. The lyrics also reached the Finalist category in the American Songwriter Magazine Lyric Contest in Nashville Tennessee.
"Hello, I'm Johnny Cash" reached # 2 on both the IAC Music and CASHBOX Country Charts.
Neil also received an Honour Award in Lyric Writing from The Great American Song Contest for his song "I Got My Ragtop Down" which is also on his debut album.
Glen Streimer, Power 93.9 FM, Brantford Canada calls Neil “Canada’s cross between Johnny Cash and Willie Nelson”.
From tumbleweeds drifting along old Route 66 and flashy 1950’s convertibles, to rusted-out flatbed trucks and walking down train tracks, it is hard not to picture Johnny Cash here. Even more so with Neil's self-effacing western lilt and a soft southern drawl influenced in part during his teens while toiling in summer sun-baked Southern Ontario tobacco fields alongside his co-workers from the Carolina’s and Georgia.
Neil was honored to be named as one of the “awesome Indies” artists on the front cover of the July 1, 2007 Cashbox Magazine.
At the 2008 IAIA (International Academy of Independent Artists) Neil received the Golden Kayak Award for Best Country Song 2007 – “The Cowboy Song”.
Neil was a nominee at the 2008 Hamilton Music Awards for New Country Recording of the Year for his debut album “No Looking Back”.
The multi-talented line-up of studio musicians - fondly named by Neil as “The Legendary Bear Creek Band” - on the album include international recording artist Ray Lyell on acoustic and bass guitar, keyboard, harmonica and backing vocals, Gary Borden on lead guitar, Steve Petrie on pedal steel guitar and fiddle, Ken Baird on piano and Paula Tessaro sharing lead vocals with Neil on “You Just Turned My Life Around”.
The album was produced, arranged, engineered and mixed by Ray Lyell. It was recorded at Rayne Records in Hamilton Ontario and mastered at Grant Avenue Studio also in Hamilton.
Joining “The Legendary Bear Creek Band” in the studio at Rayne Records on Neil’s soon to be released second album "What Difference Will It Make" are Roger Banks on drums and Mike DeBenedictis on bass guitar.
Also appearing on Neil's soon to be released second album are special guest artists/musicians Anne Lindsay - fiddle on "The Eyes Tell You Everything" and "For Old Times' Sake", Randal Hill - banjo and mandolin on "For Old Times' Sake", Gary Ashthorpe - piano on "Rock and Roll Will Never Die", Glenn Higgins - Tenor sax on "The Tunnel of Love and Bumper Cars" and David Rodenburg - Tenor sax on "Is There No One".
A Western Ontario Secondary School Honour Athlete and graduate of Burford District High School and of Waterloo Lutheran University (now known as Wilfred Laurier University), Neil also claims to hold a hard earned PhD and Masters Degree from the University of Life.
He purposely spells his name, Neil w Young, with his middle initial “w” always appearing in the lower case with no period following it.
Neil maintains an active internet presence on various web sites including:
www.neilwyoung.com
www.myspace.com/neilwyoung
www.iacmusic.com/neilwyoung
www.reverbnation.com/neilwyoung
www.broadjam.com/neilwyoung
www.facebook.com/neilwyoung
www.radiosubmit.com/rs/NeilwYoung
and here at CBC Radio 3 on another page: www.radio3.cbc.ca/bands/neil-w-young-the-legendary-bear-creek-band.
Neil's debut CD album “No Looking Back” is currently available at CDBaby.com, Amazon.com and at Green Heron Books in Paris Ontario as well as available for mp3 digital download at iTunes, Amazon, Deezer and other online retailers. His single "That's What Christmas Means To Me" is also available for mp3 digital download at CDBaby.com, iTunes, Amazon, Deezer as well as at other online retailers. Neil’s forthcoming sophomore CD album "What Difference Will It Make" will be available in June 2012. spring, 2012.
April 2012