Music
Neil Young
born 1945 · singer, songwriter, guitarist, filmmaker
Canadian rock icon whose first record deal was with Motown: in 1966 he recorded at Hitsville U.S.A. in Detroit as a member of Rick James's band, the Mynah Birds.
- Born
Toronto, Ontario, Canada
age 80- Birth name
- Neil Percival Young
- Also known as
- Shakey · Bernard Shakey
- Detroit years
- 1966
- Field
- Music
01 / The Detroit story
The Detroit story
In early 1966 the Toronto band the Mynah Birds, fronted by a young Rick James, signed with Motown, and Neil Young joined them on guitar. The group recorded in Detroit at Hitsville U.S.A., the label's studio on West Grand Boulevard, with producers including William "Mickey" Stevenson and R. Dean Taylor. The sessions ended abruptly when James was arrested for being absent without leave from the US Navy Reserve, and Motown shelved the planned single. Young and bassist Bruce Palmer then drove to Los Angeles in a hearse and formed Buffalo Springfield. Two Mynah Birds sides finally came out in 2006 in Motown's Complete Motown Singles series. The Detroit episode lasted only weeks, but it ties one of rock's most enduring songwriters to the Motown studio.
Highlights
- Recorded at Hitsville U.S.A. with the Mynah Birds in 1966
- Bandmate Rick James later became a Motown funk star
- Inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame twice (1995, 1997)
- Classic albums include Harvest (1972) and Rust Never Sleeps (1979)
02 / Their Detroit places
Their Detroit places 1
Where they lived, worked, performed and liked to hang out. Closed and demolished places stay here too, because they are part of the city's history.
Recorded here · 1966
Motown Museum
Where the Mynah Birds cut their unreleased Motown sessions in 1966. Motown's first headquarters and Studio A on West Grand Boulevard; since 1985 the Motown Museum.