Day 119 - Jesse Colin Young

A pioneer of American roots music for more than half a century, Jesse Colin Young has left a unique mark on the intersecting worlds of folk, blues, jazz, country, and rock & roll.

As the frontman of the Youngbloods, he immortalized the ideals of the Woodstock generation with "Get Together," an international hit that called for peace and brotherhood during the turbulent 1960s. During the decades that followed, Young expanded both his audience and his artistic range, releasing a string of solo albums that mixed socially-conscious lyrics with top-tier guitar skills and gorgeous vocals. An acclaimed songwriter, singer, instrumentalist, producer, label owner, podcast host, and longtime social/environmental activist, he has established a permanent place in America's musical landscape, while continuing to make modern music that's every bit as vital as his work during the countercultural era.

Everything began in Queens, New York. Born in 1941, Jesse was raised by his mother (a violinist who sang with perfect pitch) and father (a Harvard-educated accountant with a passion for classical music). It was a creative family, and Jesse quickly grew into a talented multi-instrumentalist, playing piano one minute and studying the guitar riffs of blues icons like T-Bone Walker the next. By the 1960s, he was putting those lessons into practice with regular gigs in the nearby Greenwich Village, a national hub of America's folk revival. Two solo albums, The Soul of a City Boy and Young Blood, followed, but it wasn't until Jesse formed t… Read More