Neil Young's Real Name: Neil Percival Young

Quick answer: Neil Young's real name is Neil Percival Young. He was born on November 12, 1945, in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, and is a Rock and Roll Hall of Fame singer-songwriter.

Birth name and Canadian roots

Neil Percival Young was born in Toronto and raised partly in Winnipeg after his parents' divorce. Britannica and Canada's Walk of Fame list Neil Percival Young and the 1945 birth date (Britannica; Canada's Walk of Fame). He performs as Neil Young; Percival is his middle name.

Early bands in Canada preceded his move to California, where he joined Buffalo Springfield with Stephen Stills and others, then built a vast solo catalog while intermittently joining Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young.

Solo landmarks and styles

Young's solo peaks include After the Gold Rush (1970) and Harvest (1972), home to the No. 1 hit "Heart of Gold." He is equally known for hard-rocking Crazy Horse albums, experimental electronic detours, and political songs. Nicknamed "the Godfather of Grunge" by later generations for his distorted guitar tone, he has also been a prominent advocate for artists' rights and environmental causes (Britannica; Walk of Fame).

Inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as a solo artist and with Buffalo Springfield, he continues to tour and release archival and new music into the 2020s.

Neil Young Harvest CD/vinyl After the Gold Rush CD/vinyl Neil Young autobiography Waging Heavy Peace