Kerwin Dean Abramovitch is an audio archivist and recording engineer. He first saw Neil Young in concert in 1982 at the Universal Amphitheatre in Southern California.
Scott Atkin is a dedicated and longstanding Neil Young fan who has gone so far as to give a rating to each album and all of his nearly 500 songs.
Randy Bachman cofounded iconic bands the Guess Who and Bachman-Turner Overdrive. Widely regarded as the “architect of Canadian rock ’n’ roll,” his most recent album is Heavy Blues (2015).
Bryan Bell is a multi-instrumentalist, technician, and sound innovation pioneer and programmer. He worked closely with Neil Young in the mid-1980s and is on the Board of Directors of the Bridge School.
Tosh Berman is a writer, poet, and publisher/editor for TamTam Books. Among his most recent publications are Sparks-Tastic (Rare Bird, 2013) and The Plum in Mr. Blum’s Pudding (Penny Ante, 2014).
Rodney Bingenheimer is a radio DJ who has presented his world-famous weekly show, Rodney on the ROQ, on KROQ-FM (106.7) since 1976.
Niko Bolas is a record producer and engineer. As well as working with artists such as Herbie Hancock, Keith Richards, Melissa Etheridge, and KISS, he has produced numerous Neil Young albums, from This Note’s for You (1988) to Storytone (2014).
Richard Bosworth is a record producer, mixer, and recording engineer. He worked as an engineer on Neil Young’s 1986 album Landing on Water, and has also collaborated with Don Henley, Roy Orbison, Santana, Dolly Parton, and Warren Zevon.
Bruce Botnick is a sound engineer and record producer. He worked extensively with the Doors and Love, as well as engineering tracks on the second Buffalo Springfield album, Buffalo Springfield Again (1967).
Glen Boyd is the author of Neil Young FAQ (Backbeat Books, 2012). You can also check out his work at his website (www.therockologist.com).
David Briggs (1944–1995) was a record producer best known for his work with Neil Young. He produced Neil’s debut album in 1968 and the pair continued to work closely together until his death in 1995. He also produced albums for Alice Cooper, Spirit, and Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds.
Denny Bruce played drums with the pre–Freak Out Frank Zappa’s Mothers of Invention before moving on to personal management and producing. His clients have included Leo Kottke, the Fabulous Thunderbirds, T-Bone Burnett, and John Hiatt. He became the owner of Takoma Records and presently owns Benchmark Recordings.
Clem Burke is best known as the drummer for Blondie, but has also played with a number of other artists and bands, including Pete Townshend, Iggy Pop, the Ramones, Nancy Sinatra, and Bob Dylan.
Johnny Cash (1932–2003) was a giant of twentieth-century popular music. He was inducted into both the Country Music Hall of Fame and the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, and received a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award and a Kennedy Center Honor.
Kevin Chong is the author of five books, including the fan memoir Neil Young Nation (Greystone, 2005).
Merry Clayton is a renowned support singer, who featured in the Oscarwinning documentary 20 Feet From Stardom (2013). As well as singing on Neil Young’s debut solo album, she has contributed to recordings by artists such as Ray Charles, Bobby Womack, Carole King, the Rolling Stones, and Elvis Presley.
David Crosby found fame as a member of the Byrds before cofounding Crosby, Stills & Nash.
Iris Cushing is the author of Wyoming (Furniture Press Books, 2014). Her poems and criticism have appeared in the Boston Review and numerous other publications.
James Cushing is a poet and has taught literature and creative writing at Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo, since 1989. He also hosts a weekly jazz and rock program on the college’s radio station, KCPR-FM. He was Poet Laureate of San Luis Obispo from 2008 to 2010.
Chris Darrow is a multi-instrumentalist and veteran recording artist and producer/music publisher. As a member of Kaleidoscope, he played on the debut Leonard Cohen album. He was also a member of the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band. His 1972 solo album Artist Proof was recently rereleased, and in 2013 he brought out Island Girl in collaboration with his former Kaleidoscope band mate Max Buda.
Richard “Dickie” Davis cofounded the Monday Night Hoots at the Troubadour. He became a managing partner of Buffalo Springfield in 1966. Following the breakup of the group, he went on to manage Poco. He currently works in the film industry in Los Angeles.
Jonathan Demme is an Academy Award–winning filmmaker. His films include The Silence of the Lambs (1991), Philadelphia (1993), and the Talking Heads concert film Stop Making Sense (1984). A longtime fan of Neil Young, he has made a trilogy of documentaries about the musician: Neil Young: Heart of Gold (2006), Neil Young Trunk Show (2009), and Neil Young Journeys (2011).
Henry Diltz cofounded the folk group the MFQ before taking up photography during a 1965 tour. He has taken cover shots for Rolling Stone, LIFE, and MOJO, as well as publishing a number of books including California Dreaming (Genesis, 2007) and Unpainted Faces (Morrison Hotel, 2011). He is also a partner in the Morrison Hotel Gallery (www.morrisonhotelgallery.com).
Stanley Dorfman is a British film director and producer. He was the original co-producer/director of the long-running BBC music show Top of the Pops and later directed the In Concert series. His long-form shows on Neil Young, Laura Nyro, and Cat Stevens, among others, helped to introduce their music to British and European viewers.
John Einarson is a Canadian music history writer with more than a dozen critically acclaimed biographies to his credit including works on Buffalo Springfield, Randy Bachman, Ian & Sylvia, Gene Clark, Arthur Lee, and the Flying Burrito Brothers. His 1992 book Don’t Be Denied: The Canadian Years was the first to chronicle in detail Neil Young’s early music years in Canada with Neil’s cooperation.
Flea (born Michael Peter Balzary) is a founding member of the Red Hot Chili Peppers. His funk-influenced bass playing is a crucial element of the band’s sound.
Ben Folds formed the alt-rock band Ben Folds Five in the mid-1990s. Though best known for his piano playing, he is also a singer, guitarist, composer, bassist, and drummer. In 2013, he became a founding member of the Independent Music Awards’ judging panel.
Kim Fowley (1939–2015) was an influential force in rock ’n’ roll music for more than half a century, garnering well over a hundred gold and platinum records for his songwriting, music publishing, and record production skills. This decade he was heard as a DJ on Little Steven’s Underground Garage via the SiriusXM satellite radio network.
Tom Freston cofounded MTV in 1981. In 1987, he became the President and CEO of MTV Networks, where he remained for almost twenty years. He is now a board member of the ONE Campaign, the advocacy organization for extreme poverty issues founded by U2 lead singer, Bono.
Richie Furay is best known for forming the bands Buffalo Springfield with Stephen Stills, Neil Young, Bruce Palmer, and Dewey Martin, and Poco with Jim Messina, Rusty Young, George Grantham, and Randy Meisner.
David Geffen is an entertainment industry magnate. Having managed Crosby, Stills & Nash in the late 1960s, he founded Asylum Records in 1970. He then created Geffen Records in 1980 and sold it to MCA in 1990. He also cofounded the DreamWorks film studio in 1994 along with Jeffrey Katzenberg and Steven Spielberg.
Peter Goddard is an award-winning journalist and a bestselling Canadian publisher, musician and writer/producer for radio and television. He has written books on a variety of recording artists including Frank Sinatra, David Bowie, the Who, Bruce Springsteen, Cyndi Lauper, Michael Jackson, and the Police.
Gary Pig Gold, like Neil Young himself, fell under the spell of the almighty 1050 CHUM-AM Toronto at a most impressionable age, and has spent the half century since playing and writing about music wherever and whenever possible. (www.garypiggold.com)
Bill Graham (1931–1991) was a rock impresario and game-changing concert promoter who launched the careers of countless rock ’n’ roll legends in the 1960s and early 1970s at his famed Fillmore venues in New York and San Francisco. He worked with or managed the Grateful Dead, Jefferson Airplane, Santana, Jimi Hendrix, Led Zeppelin, CSNY, and the Rolling Stones.
Mike Grant is the host of The California Music Show heard weekly on BigglesFM (www.bigglesfm.com) in the UK. He is the former editor of the Beach Boys Stomp magazine.
Mark Guerrero is a singer-songwriter whose songs have been recorded by Herb Alpert, Trini Lopez, Chan Romero, and his late father, Lalo Guerrero. Mark’s website (www.markguerrero.com) is a leading source of information on Chicano and East Los Angeles music.
Bill Halverson started his music career in jazz big bands as a trombone player with Allyn Ferguson and Tex Beneke. In 1965 he began working with studio owner Wally Heider as an engineer on remote live recordings. He engineered the debut Crosby, Stills & Nash album (1969) and also worked on CSNY’s first album, Déjà Vu (1970).
Kirk Hammett has been lead guitarist in Metallica since 1983. He is credited with the riff on the band’s biggest hit, “Enter Sandman.” He is also the creator of Kirk Hammett’s Fear FestEvil, an annual horror convention.
Stuart Henderson is a culture critic and historian. He is the author of Making the Scene: Yorkville and Hip Toronto in the 1960s (University of Toronto Press, 2011).
Rob Hill is a magazine journalist and editor who has worked for Ray Gun, Bikini, FHM, Giant, Hollywood Life, THC Expose, and Treats!, as well as contributing to Playboy, Uncut, LA Weekly, Black Book, and Rolling Stone.
Ian Hunter was the vocalist, songwriter, and bandleader of 1970s British rock legends Mott the Hoople. He has gone on to forge a highly regarded solo career.
Al Jardine is a founding member of the Beach Boys. In 2010, he released his long-awaited debut solo album, A Postcard From California.
Jim Jarmusch has been a filmmaker since 1980. His acclaimed feature films include Mystery Train (1989), Night on Earth (1991), Dead Man (1995), and Only Lovers Left Alive (2013), and he also directed Year of the Horse (1997), a documentary on Neil Young and Crazy Horse.
Howard Kaylan founded the Turtles and Flo & Eddie, both with his longtime partner Mark Volman. He has written an autobiography called Shell Shocked: My Life with the Turtles, Flo & Eddie, and Frank Zappa, etc. (Backbeat Books, 2013).
Jim Keltner is a drummer best known for his session work with John Lennon, George Harrison, and Ringo Starr. He has recorded and toured with Bob Dylan and Neil Young, and was the drummer for the Traveling Wilburys. His studio credits also include Leon Russell, Leonard Cohen, Joni Mitchell, Laura Marling, Elvis Costello, and the Rolling Stones.
Dan Kessel has charted globally as a producer, recording artist, songwriter, and publisher. A latter-day member of the Wrecking Crew, he performed on guitar, bass, keyboards, and backing vocals with John Lennon, Cher, Dion DiMucci, Darlene Love, Leonard Cohen, the Ramones, and Celine Dion, and was production coordinator for Phil Spector.
Kenneth Kubernik is the co-author of Big Shots: The Photography of Guy Webster (Insight Editions, 2014) and A Perfect Haze: The Illustrated History of the Monterey International Pop Festival (Santa Monica Press, 2011). He is currently writing a history of the iconic jazz group Weather Report.
Larry LeBlanc is a Canadian music journalist, broadcaster, and archivist, described by BBC Radio 2 DJ Bob Harris as “the glue that holds the Canadian music industry together.” He was the recipient of the 2013 Walt Grealis Special Achievement Award, recognizing individuals who have made an outstanding contribution to the Canadian music industry.
Peter Lewis is perhaps best known as one of the founders of the influential band Moby Grape. The singer-songwriter and guitarist is the youngest of two sons by award-winning actress Loretta Young and producer Thomas Lewis. He has released three solo albums on the Taxim label and is still an active performer and recording artist.
Nils Lofgren formed his first band, Grin, in 1968, and then contributed to Neil Young’s landmark albums After the Gold Rush (1970) and Tonight’s the Night (1975). In 1984, he joined Bruce Springsteen’s E Street Band. He has also performed with Ringo Starr’s All-Starr Band and released a number of well-received solo albums.
Dewey Martin (1940–2009) played drums for Buffalo Springfield. He held the rhythm together while that formidable frontline reinvented the wheel.
Elliot Mazer is best known for his engineering, mixing, and record productions with Neil Young, Bob Dylan, the Band, and Linda Ronstadt. He also designed the world’s first alldigital recording studio.
Jim Messina was a second engineer at Sunset Sound where he worked behind the console for the Doors, Lee Michaels and Buffalo Springfield, a band he joined as bassist. He went on to cofound the pioneering country rock outfit Poco and later teamed with Kenny Loggins as the duo Loggins and Messina. Messina has continued to release solo albums.
Ralph Molina is best known as the drummer for Crazy Horse. In his 2012 memoir Waging Heavy Peace: A Hippie Dream, Neil Young praised Molina’s “sympathy to improvisation,” which, along with Billy Talbot’s “simplicity, soul, and aggression,” gives Crazy Horse a rock-solid rhythm section.
Bill Mumy is an actor/songwriter/writer/producer/musician who has been making music for even longer than Neil Young. His latest album is Ten Days (2015), and he is currently completing a group project with Vicki Peterson and John Cowsill, which also features the late Rick Rosas on bass.
Bill Munson, a researcher of and authority on Canadian popular music and culture, served as an advisor on the acclaimed Yonge Street: Toronto Rock & Roll Stories documentary.
Graham Nash is a two-time Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductee—with Crosby, Stills & Nash and with the Hollies. He was also inducted into the Songwriter’s Hall of Fame twice, as a solo artist and with CSN. In 2013, he published his autobiography Wild Tales: A Rock & Roll Life (Crown/Archetype).
Jack Nitzsche (1937–2000) was a multi-instrumentalist, arranger, songwriter, producer, and movie composer. He became known as Phil Spector’s arranger and conductor and also contributed to recordings by artists such as the Rolling Stones, the Monkees, Ricky Nelson, Marianne Faithfull, Barbra Streisand, Sonny & Cher, the Neville Brothers, Captain Beefheart, and, of course, Neil Young.
Andrew Loog Oldham is a record producer, music manager, and author. In 1963 he discovered the Rolling Stones, whom he managed and produced from 1963 to 1967. He is the author of several acclaimed memoirs and in 2014 he was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in the nonperformer category.
Bruce Palmer (1946–2004) was the bassist in Buffalo Springfield. His playing was, according to Neil Young, the signature voice in the band. Like a Duck Dunn or Jim Fielder, he provided the ballast that kept the band in focus.
Don Randi is a keyboardist/arranger and longtime member of the famed Wrecking Crew studio musicians, known particularly for working with producer Phil Spector. He recorded with Buffalo Springfield and on Neil Young’s debut solo album.
Robbie Robertson was the lead guitarist and main songwriter for the Band. He has gone on to a successful career as a solo artist, actor, and composer of film music, including for Martin Scorsese’s Raging Bull (1980).
Johnny Rogan has written more than twenty books including biographies of Neil Young, the Byrds, CSNY, the Smiths, Van Morrison, and Ray Davies. He is currently completing the second volume of his Byrds biography, Requiem for the Timeless.
Linda Ronstadt began her singing career in the mid-1960s with the folkrock group the Stone Poneys. Over the last five decades she has sold millions of albums, toured the world, and appeared on stage and screen. She has sung on several Neil Young albums, including Harvest (1972) and Harvest Moon (1992).
Rick Rosas (1949–2014) worked extensively with Neil Young, Johnny Rivers, CSNY, the reformed Buffalo Springfield, and Pegi Young. He was the owner of Smartso Digital Studio.
Stan Ross (1928–2011) was the cofounder, with David S. Gold, of the legendary Gold Star Studios in Los Angeles.
Lorne Saifer is a Canadian music manager and label executive. Having managed Neil Young’s early band the Squires, he went on to hold positions at Portrait and Alfa Records, as well as managing the solo career of Guess Who lead singer, Burton Cummings.
Frank Sampedro has been a member of Crazy Horse since 1975. Known for his thick-stringed Gibson Les Paul, he has been seen as a catalyst in Crazy Horse’s transition from a jam band into a more heavy-rocking unit. He also worked for many years on the Tonight Show with Jay Leno under bandleader Kevin Ubanks, running the ensemble MIDI board.
Kirk Silsbee writes about jazz and culture from Southern California. Some of his music writing is archived on the Rock’s Back Pages website, and he can be read in Downbeat, the Glendale News-Press, Jewish Journal, Los Angeles Downtown News, Treats! and the Artsmeme website.
Gary Stewart is a former senior Vice President of Rhino Records. Later he worked in catalogue and repertoire development at iTunes from 2004 to 2007. He subsequently cofounded the Trunkworthy website—shining a much-deserved spotlight on relevant popular culture.
Stephen Stills is a true “Southern Man,” born in the Lone Star state. This gifted guitarist, singer, and songwriter was a driving force behind Buffalo Springfield and Crosby, Stills & Nash (and occasionally Young).
Brian Stone, with former partner, Charlie Greene, has been a publicist, talent scout, music publisher, artist manager, and occasional record producer. The pair’s discoveries and stable of recording artists include Sonny & Cher, Buffalo Springfield, Dr. John, and Iron Butterfly.
Billy Talbot has been Crazy Horse’s bassist since the band was founded in the late 1960s. In 2004, he formed the Billy Talbot Band before joining forces with Ralph Molina, George Whitsell, and Ryan Holzer to form the band Wolves.
Roy Trakin is a pop culture critic, pop and rock music aficionado, published author (having written biographies of Tom Hanks, Jim Carrey, and Sting), and former online talk-show host. He writes for Grammy.com, Addicted to Noise, and his own weekly Trakin Care of Business blog.
Jeff Tweedy is an American songwriter, singer and producer, who has fronted various alt country bands including Uncle Tupelo, Loose Fur, Golden Smog, Tweedy, and, most notably, Wilco.
Ian Tyson is a Canadian singer-songwriter whose “Four Strong Winds” has reached anthem status in that country. He was inducted into the Canadian Country Music Hall of Fame in 1989. In 2015, he released the album Carnero Vaquero.
Eddie Vedder is the front man of Pearl Jam. The band’s debut album, Ten (1991), helped to trigger Seattle’s grunge movement and Pearl Jam are still touring and recording today.
Daniel Weizmann is a writer whose work has appeared in the Jewish Journal, Guardian, Glendale News-Press, and several books including Drinking with Bukowski (2000), Israel Short Stories (2011), and Harvey Kubernik’s Turn Up the Radio! (2014).
Jerry Wexler (1917–2008) was an inspirational record producer, A&R genius, and co-head of Atlantic Records. A former reporter for Billboard, he invented the term “rhythm and blues” during his stint at the trade magazine.
Nurit Wilde is a Los Angeles–based photographer whose music photography has been featured in many books and magazines.
Jonathan Wilson is a producer and singer-songwriter. As well as producing Father John Misty, Conor Oberst, and Dawes, he has also released two critically acclaimed records of his own, Gentle Spirit (2011) and Fanfare (2013). He owns and operates Fivestar Studios in Los Angeles.
Sharry Wilson is a lifelong Neil Young fan who has contributed numerous articles to Broken Arrow, the quarterly magazine of the Neil Young Appreciation Society. Published in 2014, Young Neil: The Sugar Mountain Years (www.youngneil.com) is her first book.
Steve Wynn began his recording career in 1982 as a founding member of the Dream Syndicate. He has since released more than twenty-five records and played more than 3,000 shows. (www.stevewynn.net)
Ritchie Yorke has been a widely syndicated rock music commentator and broadcaster for more than fifty years. He has written books on Led Zeppelin, Van Morrison, John Lennon, the history of rock ’n’ roll, and the Canadian rock music scene. (www.ritchieyorke.com)