"Canada's cross between Johnny Cash and Willie Nelson"
Glen Striemer, President, Music Canada
Neil w Young and Paula Tessaro - "You Just Turned My Life Around" - LIVE at DiMaggio's - Hamilton Ontario Canada
(Click "PAUSE" on music player - upper right before playing video)
2008 HAMILTON MUSIC AWARDS NOMINEE
NEIL w YOUNG & THE LEGENDARY BEAR CREEK BAND
NEW COUNTRY RECORDING of the YEAR
"NO LOOKING BACK"
"THE COWBOY SONG" voted the Best Country Song - 2007 at the IAIA (International Academy of Independent Artists) Golden Kayak Awards
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"Man this is great listening .. Country Music where it should be, right at square one. Somehow Country Music lost its way, but with an artist like Neil, we can bring it back. “I Got My Ragtop Down” … I listen to this one and I'm a young man again, Rockabilly all the way. I'm not a polished critic, but I know a good song when I hear it, and I heard eleven of them on this CD. Thank you Neil for the great songs."
Bobby Lawson Member: Rockabilly Hall Of Fame
http://www.rockabillyhall.com/BobbyLawson.html
My debut CD, "NO LOOKING BACK" is available from the following online retailers:
SONGS IN PLAYER
1. Got Nothin' To Lose
2. There's Just The One And Only You
3. I Got My Ragtop Down
4. Hello, I'm Johnny Cash
5. Ride
6. No Looking Back
7. You Just Turned My Life Around
8. All Through The Night
9. The Restless Wind
10. The Cowboy Song
Cumulative MySpace and IAC Music song plays - 471,352 - tabulated monthly by IACMusic.com data base
The dream is not the destination, it is the journey ...
"Do not go where the path may lead; go instead where there is no path and leave a trail."
Ralph Waldo Emerson
Well, I really don't have a "Bio" ... it is more like a "History" ... with my feet planted firmly in the "Present" and my sights set on the "Future" ... no less, no more. Read on. Neil
"One morning a couple of summers ago," Neil says reflectively, "I found myself at that place characterized by the great New York Yankees catcher, Yogi Berra: 'If you come to a fork in the road, take it.'
"I did ... and I took it," he says, matter-of-factly.
“It was obviously my lucky day,” he adds. “In a round-about way it led me back to my country roots, back to the sweet memories of my teen years, and thankfully, back to my music that I had left behind years earlier.
“In the early 1960’s,” Neil continues, with thoughts of what might have been, “I ‘temporarily’ put on hold an opportunity to seriously pursue a music career. At the time, I was studying under the mentorship of Gerry Risser at his Counterpoint School of Music and Recording Studio. Gerry was a product of the birth of rock ’n roll in the 1950’s getting his start playing guitar in 'The Mel-O-Denes', a rock band in his hometown of London Ontario. From that start, Gerry performed with The Capers - a London group that included drummer Garth Hudson (later with The Band). The Capers had their own TV show on CFPL Channel 10 London. Gerry landed a recording contract in Detroit and had personal appearances with such artists as The Everly Brothers, Paul Anka, Jimmy Rogers, Bill Haley & The Comets, Johnny Cash and others. Gerry was a good friend of Chet Atkins and traveled often to Nashville to further hone his craft under the watchful eye and tutorship of the master himself, "Mister Guitar".
Gerry Risser - second from left with guitar; Garth Hudson - drummer (later with The Band)
"In addition to studying classical guitar with Julian Bream at the Bream Masters Class, Gerry was also a good friend of Chet Atkins and often traveled to Nashville to further hone his craft under the watchful eye and tutorship of the master himself, 'Mister Guitar'.
“It truly was a privilege to have had that early training with Gerry and to have been so close to being in the company of legends at the time.
“Other pressing priorities and realities in my life though,” Neil adds pensively, “kept the stars out of my eyes and my feet on the ground. Continuing to pursue a future in music during those formidable early years was just not a viable option. As it turned out, much water passed under the bridge so to speak before I was able to return and devote serious time to my love for music. That’s how life goes and we do what we have to do.
“Through those years though, all of those early influences and inspirations kept my passion for music and my life-long dream burning inside of me. It really was only a matter of time before that fork in the road appeared in my life.”
He is now following his heart and living his life-long dream with the release in August of 2007 of his debut CD album, "No Looking Back", as well as performing in local venues in Southern Ontario.
He attributes this life-changing event to being in the right place at the right time that led to the propitious opportunity in the summer of 2005 to meet Ray Lyell, an accomplished musician, recording artist and vocal instructor in Hamilton Ontario.
"Ray played a major role in making my life-long dream come true," Neil says.
Neil's roots are deep country, proudly reflecting his early years growing up on the family farm in part of the now slowly disappearing tobacco heartland of southwestern Ontario, Canada. Strengthening his country roots was time spent during his pre and early teen years working after school and on weekends and during summer months on the family owned general and tobacco farm near the village of Burford, Ontario, and in the John Deere Farm Equipment Dealership, Neil Young & Sons, near the town of Simcoe. Years later he operated and managed the business with his father.
"Farming and John Deere's," he says pensively. "You don’t get much more country than that."
Upon graduating from university and prior to joining his father in the farm equipment dealership business, Neil spent several years as Property Accountant at the manufacturing operations of Massey-Ferguson’s North American Combine Plant.
After the implement business was sold, Neil continued farming for several more years in addition to serving in various management positions with the Ponderosa Steak House Chain of Restaurants including breaking opening store sales records as manager of the new Ponderosa Steak House in Sault Ste. Marie in Northern Ontario.
During this period he continued to lay the groundwork for the beginning of his entrepreneurial career in real estate development with projects in Ontario and Las Vegas Nevada. Locally, Neil developed the Royal Highland Estates subdivision just a few miles south of where he now lives in Paris, Ontario.
Sojourns in his life during these years led to wanderings and ponderings around San Bernardino, Palm Springs and Palm Desert in California, and as far up the Golden State as Mendocino, as well as through the mountains in Colorado and into the desert in Arizona - all part of what he fondly remembers calling 'Paradise Country'.
He reminisces often of the spell, mystery and solitude of his times in the Arizona desert. "It is an inspirational place," he muses fondly. "I know that in a way it silently spurred my return to songwriting after a prolonged absence.
"There is just something about the desert," Neil says wistfully, "that inspires the mind. It has a magical, mystical ambience - a way of reaching into the heart and touching the soul that results in feelings and emotions that become words that become lyrics that become a melody and then a song."
Never one to let the grass grow under his feet, in 1985 Neil founded “Rhapsody On Ice”, an International Ice Skating Show comprised of Ontario based figure skating stars and world professional championship skaters.
One of the first major events that Neil organized with “Rhapsody On Ice” was "Skate For Life" on May 26, 1986 in Edmonton Alberta Canada, an official event for Bob Geldof's worldwide Sport Aid event held on the same day in support of famine relief in Africa. Neil received corporate sponsorship from Air Canada for "Skate For Life". The airline sponsored the round trip flight of Neil's thirty-member contingent from Toronto to Edmonton in western Canada where Neil had arranged with the owners of the huge West Edmonton Mall to host the event on the skating rink inside the mall. The event had the blessing of Otto Jelinek, Canada's Minister of State for Fitness and Amateur Sport. A former figure skater himself having achieved prominence in 1962 when he and his sister Maria won the gold medal at the World Figure Skating Championships, Otto donned a pair of skates and opened the event in Edmonton. Neil also arranged for several members of the NHL's Edmonton Oilers hockey team to participate in the event
Following the success of "Skate For Life", Neil took Rhapsody On Ice around the world for seven years under the banner of the motto that he trademarked for the troupe: '… hold on tight to your dream ...'
The troupe performed in places such as Australia, New Zealand, Hong Kong, England, Spain and Denmark, and in Florida, Arizona, California and Hawaii in the U.S., as well as at shows in Ontario and Alberta Canada – with stops along the way in South Korea, China, Macau, France and the Fiji Islands.
Neil produced and directed "Stairway To The Stars", Rhapsody's spectacular ice extravaganza, a show that featured at times such special guests as World & U.S. Professional Pair Champions Anita Hartshorn and Frank Sweiding and French Champion & World Silver Medalist Fernand Fedronic. His plans to take the show on tour to both Yugoslavia and to Dubai in the U.A.E. (United Arab Emirates) were scuttled when the Foreign Affairs Department of the Canadian government reined in travel plans to Yugoslavia during the Bosnian War and to the Middle East at the outbreak of the Gulf War.
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Following Rhapsody's performance in Aalborg Denmark in 1992 as special guests at that city's second 650 years anniversary celebrations, and always reaching for the stars, Neil began making plans to produce and direct "Cotton Club Express", Rhapsody's follow-up show to "Stairway To The Stars". Unfortunately, as a result of his efforts to begin the world tour of "Cotton Club Express" in New Zealand not materializing as intended, coupled with new demands on his time and resources, Neil reluctantly put his plans for the new show figuratively 'on ice' as his focus was shifted away from the world arena stage.
The crowning moment though for Rhapsody On Ice for Neil came when the troupe received a standing ovation from the audience after a performance at “Skate Asia” held in the Hong Kong Coliseum in 1989. “Rhapsody On Ice” was featured at in the show along with Ice Follies stars Richard Dwyer - "Mr. Debonair", and Gertie Desjardines.
“There is no way to describe the feeling and exhilaration of that one complete and so very special moment,” Neil remarked. "It has a very special place in my box of treasured memories."
While managing and directing “Rhapsody On Ice”, Neil had the opportunity to promote several "Oldies" concerts in Ontario featuring 1950’s and 1960’s recording stars Jan and Dean and Bobby Vinton.
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In addition to his long-standing interest in music and song writing, it was not uncommon for Neil to be balancing several of his various entrepreneurial projects at the same time, such as an art print and poster publishing company, Southwind Editions - The Fine Art Of Living, that he formed and managed during the 1990's.
24 x 36 Poster - American Classic
Following the sale of his real estate interests, Neil considers it another stroke of good luck that he was asked to become involved in an administrative capacity in the production of the documentary film, "Piaf … Her Story, Her Songs", about the life of the fabled wartime French songstress, Edith Piaf.
That involvement took him to Lucas Film Studio located at George Lucas’ Skywalker Ranch in California. Neil was given a credit in the film as Special Consultant. The film is available on DVD at Amazon.com.
Neil considers himself to be one of the 'lucky ones', having lived and loved his teen years through the legendary 1950's Country Rockabilly era and the dawning of Rock 'n Roll when Elvis took the stage and the world by storm with his hit record "Heartbreak Hotel".
It should come as no great surprise then that Neil's music and lyrics are coloured and shaped by those wonderfully free and inspiring times and experiences.
"Perhaps in a way through my music," he reflects longingly, "I’m going back to the Fifties. Then again, maybe I never really left.
"Yes," he reminisces nostalgically after a brief silence. "Those really were the days."
"It was absolutely wonderful to be a part of that time and those days," Neil adds. It is hard not to notice the warm glow of nostalgia in his eyes.
That combination of early rock, gospel, blues and country rockabilly mystique was driven to simmering levels during sultry summer evenings on lake-blown breezes in places like the fondly remembered Summer Garden dance pavilion in Port Dover on the northern shore of Lake Erie.
The Arkansas rockabilly sounds of the then newly relocated Ronnie Hawkins, richly flavored and seasoned almost overnight by the unique musical style and sound brought to his band by new members from the nearby area in and around the tobacco fields of southern Ontario, still echo fondly in the memories of many who recall those electric charged performances by Hawkins - appropriately tagged "Mr. Dynamo", and his band The Hawks at the now long gone Summer Garden.
The fusion of those unique musical sounds greatly influenced Neil's own musical tastes and appetite.
They were shaped even further by his years working in sun-baked tobacco fields mingling with the traditions of Dixie and sounds of the deep South that were brought into his life by fellow workers from the Carolina's and Georgia.
The confluence of those early experiences eventually gave life to Neil's own hybrid sound and musical genre described by his many fans as Country Rockabilly with the 'Country' the way Country music should be - pure and honest and from the heart.
From tumbleweeds drifting along old Route 66 and flashy 1950's convertibles, to rusted out flatbed trucks and walking down railroad tracks, it is hard not to picture Johnny Cash here. Even more so with Neil's self-effacing western lilt and a soft southern drawl influenced in part during his teens while toiling in summer sun-baked Southern Ontario tobacco fields alongside his co-workers from the Carolina’s and Georgia.
How, or why, he kept it all buried and tucked away neatly in the background of his life for so long remains a mystery, even to him, although it may be partly symptomatic of his somewhat private and complex nature and character.
Ask him now where the words and feelings for his music comes from and Neil will tell you quite philosophically:
"Many of the words and feelings for the lyrics that I wrote in my late teens and early twenties came from a combination of the music I was listening to at that time and from some of my own experiences during those impressionable years.
"In later years and now, they come mostly from what I call my well of life - my inner self - from memories of those young emotions of romance, love, hopes and dreams, and from other times and roads that I have traveled along the way.
"Those memories and roads weave an endless tapestry of images and melody of sounds through the quiet, deep corners of my mind. I've had lots of time to reminisce over the depth and contents of that well, and have drawn words and feelings from it for my debut album"
One of Neil's most treasured memorabilia items is the hand written letter that he received in 1986 from Harriet Nelson, Rick Nelson's mother and one of the stars of their long-running television series in the 1950's, "The Adventures of Ozzie & Harriet", thanking him for the lyrics to the song that he had written in tribute and memory of Rick on the New Year's Eve that Rick was killed in the plane crash in Texas. The letter is framed and hanging in a place of honor in Neil's music room.
In addition to writing the lyrics and music for the songs on his debut CD album, Neil is currently writing the songs for his next album as well as trying to complete his long delayed novel. A friend had planted the seed for the novel in Neil's mind during his graduation year at university. It sat waiting patiently on one of the many shelves in his mind for the right time to arrive to begin to put its words to paper.
Neil attributes the trigger that resulted in him finally putting pen to paper so to speak, to the special friendship that he developed with Rosie Hamlin of Rosie And The Originals. Rosie and her group topped the charts in 1961 with the hit single, "Angel Baby".
"Rosie's encouragement and confidence that I had a book in me just waiting to be written was the spark that finally set the novel in motion," Neil says appreciatively.
"I think that now, perhaps in a way, my music has allowed me to become the true messenger of my spirit and my soul in much the same way, so to speak, as "There's Just The One And Only You", after having its beginning as a song in one of my high school notebooks those many years ago, was destined not only to be one of the songs on my debut album decades later, but also to become the love theme woven through the pages of my novel."
One can tell from the sound of fulfillment in Neil's voice as he speaks about the enjoyment that flows from the creative process of both writing the novel and songwriting that he loves what he is doing now.
"Having the opportunity to perform my music and songs on stage and to have so many people enjoy my songs and music is truly the icing on the cake for me," Neil says with an obvious glow of satisfaction and appreciation for the many fans that have discovered him and his music over the past year.
"I was most fortunate and honoured to have a multi-talented line-up of musicians, fondly dubbed The Legendary Bear Creek Band working with me during the recording of my debut album," Neil says. The Band includes his mentor, Juno nominee and international recording artist Ray Lyell on acoustic and bass guitar, keyboard, harmonica and backing vocals, ex Helix member Gary Borden on lead guitar, Ken Baird on piano and Steve Petrie on pedal steel guitar and fiddle. Steve performed for a number of years with legendary Canadian Country Recording Stars, Stompin’ Tom Conners and Tommy Hunter.
"These guys are some of the finest musicians in Canada," Neil says proudly. "I am so very lucky to have had them working with me on the album."
Sharing vocals with Neil on one of the tracks on his debut album is Paula Tessaro.
"Paula brings that special touch and charm that I was hoping for right from the very first session in the recording studio," Neil adds. "I am fortunate to have Paula's talent and professional experience grace my album with her beautiful voice."
Also known as "Skip" to his family and close friends, Neil is a Western Ontario Secondary School Honour Athlete and graduate of Burford District High School, Burford Ontario, and of Waterloo Lutheran University - now known as Wilfred Laurier University in Waterloo Ontario.
Hard knocks and lessons spanning several decades of entrepreneurial pursuits and business activities have also provided Neil with a hard earned and much coveted PhD and Masters Degree from the ‘University of Life’.
During the years between when he began singing as a young boy in the choir in the small rural church that he attended with his family and the years following his graduation from university, married and with a family on the way, to the point where that fork in the road provided him with the opportunity to embark on his life-long dream, he was kept more than busy providing for his family as well as developing, managing and operating various business ventures and operations, and of course through it all, quietly continuing one of his passions - songwriting.
He feels privileged and blessed that the time and season in his life to return to his country roots and to his music came, either by fate or destiny, at that unexpected fork in the road, proving once again that all things happen for a reason, and, better late than never!
"My greatest reward," Neil adds now, "comes from knowing that others receive enjoyment from my songs and music while my dream and journey continues to unfold day-by-day taking me wherever it may.
"What more could I ask or hope for," he reflects wistfully, "music is for the soul … my wish is that mine touches others."
Hi Neil, I hope that you have a wonderful weekend..I will use this one to rest up from our Thanksgiving dinner..I am still stuffed today..Take care and get some relaxation this weekend..Hugs,Della
Happy Thanksgiving Neil, Your what this day is all about and I appreciate you as a Friend, and a Fellow Musician/songwriter. Have a Great Day! sincerely; roymuniz
hi neil thanks for the comment.. tom has had more eye surgrey so i have been taking care of him while he is down and cant see very well. we are hoping he will get his site back soon!! hope u have a good thanksgiving also.. love ya kim
Neil, Greetings buddy! Hope you are doing well and survived the weekend. A little birdie told me you are back in the studio working on your next CD? I am happy to hear of that!! Buddy, if it's anything like your debut CD, we are all in for a good time!!
I survived my trip to Japan last week. Man..that is one long flight. Well, I'll catch up with you more soon. Wanted to say hello and show you lots of respect! All the best Neil, Les
Hi Neil, Thinking about you and wanted to take a few minutes to wish you a Happy Thanksgiving! I hope you you will have a little time just for relaxing and time with family and friends.I hope that your weather is warmer than mine now..We may get snow for Thanksgiving! I will have my grandson home from college and my daughter will be coming in..She may be in Iraq next Thanksgiving so she insists on coming anyway... it will be a 24 hour trip for her as she has to work Wednesday and Friday. Have a great week also.I am very thankful for your sweet friendship..Hugs,Della
Hi Mr.Neil Think of you alot........How can I ever forget you???my grandma plays your music day and night..we like to listen to you sing.I am sorry for not writing much I have been busy helping grandma alot with Nicky and Mom is doing better too.I never know what I would do with out grandma or my mom.Our computer isn't doing good we had someone look at it and it still is messed up alittle and grandma said she is going to take it to the shop when she has time cause she is alawys doing things for us and don't have the time for herself any more.It runs solw and sometimes it don't send messages out on my space.Guess I did something to it but grandma will never say this to me cause that's how she is.She is a quite person and don't like fussing so she keeps things in alot she likes happy things and she thinks postive all the time. I want to wish you a happy thanksgiving too. Take care Mr. Neil. You #1 Fan Ashley
Neil, Thinking of you and wishing you a wonderful weekend.I will try to gwet back on once more this weekend ..I am going to be very busy for the next week..My grandson will be home from college for Thanksgiving and my Daughter will be here from Indiana..It will be a hard trip for her 7-8 hour trip one way and she will come after gets off work on Wednesday and will have to be back in time to sleep some before going to work Friday morning..Along trip for a very short period, but she has her orders for deployment..and wants as much time as possible with her mom and her kids..(they all live here) Our holidays have always been spent together..I am so thankful for the closeness that our family shares.God has blessed me so much.It looks like I wrote a chapter for a novel! Take care Neil..Hugs,Della
NEIL, STOPPING BY TO SPEND TIME ON YOUR PAGE. WISHING YOU A BEAUTIFUL AND PRODUCTIVE WEEK-END. ALL MY LOVE TO YOU. YOUR VALUED FRIENDSHIP CONTINUES TO BE APPRECIATED. HUGS ALWAYS!
"THE COWBOY SONG" Number 1 on the CASHBOX and IAC MUSIC COUNTRY CHARTS and Number 11 on the IAC MUSIC All GENRES Chart out of over 22,000 songs
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