Neil Young
Canada, 1966–now
Canadian singer and guitarist who alternates between loud, distorted work with Crazy Horse and acoustic records, across Harvest, Tonight's the Night and Rust Never Sleeps.
MusicRoots documents 2 artists who influenced Neil Young and 6 artists Neil Young influenced in turn. Every connection cites a published source.
Who influenced Neil Young?
- Bob Dylan — Young has called Dylan the master he measures songwriting against — 'the greatest writer of them all'.
- Roy Orbison — Young has repeatedly named Orbison a defining influence — 'Expecting to Fly' and his falsetto balladry chase Orbison's operatic melancholy.
Which artists did Neil Young influence?
- Nirvana — Cobain's note quoted Young's 'better to burn out than to fade away'; Young — 'the godfather of grunge' — answered with Sleeps with Angels. The influence was documented on both sides.
- Dinosaur Jr. — 'Ear-bleeding country' — Mascis's guitar voice is openly Neil Young's, amplified past pain; the comparison is his own badge.
- Pearl Jam — Neil Young — the 'Godfather of Grunge' — is Pearl Jam's most notable influence; they later toured and recorded with him.
- Yeah Yeah Yeahs — Karen O has named Neil Young as one of her two biggest early vocal influences, behind the Yeah Yeah Yeahs' raw, emotive delivery.
- Band of Horses — Ben Bridwell calls Neil Young an easy, huge influence — Young's ragged tenor and country-rock ache run right through Band of Horses.
- The War on Drugs — Crazy Horse specifically: the long, ragged, one-riff guitar workout that Granduciel builds his solos out of.