Early Life

Jesse Colin Young was born in Queens, New York City on November 12, 1941. His mother was a violinist and singer. His father was a Harvard-educated accountant. Jesse Colin Young grew up in a very musical household and he was exposed to a wide variety of music. Young attended the High School of Music & Art in Manhattan. After graduation, he enrolled at Ohio State University on a music scholarship. He left school after a year to pursue a career in music. However, he later decided to leave college and become a full-time musician.

Career

In the 1960s, he formed the folk-rock band The Youngbloods with Jerry Corbitt and Lowell Levinger. The band’s self-titled debut album was released in 1967 and featured the hit single “Get Together”, which became an anthem for the hippie movement. The band released several more albums over the next few years before disbanding in 1972.

In 1972, Young embarked on a solo career with the release of his album Together.  The album featured the hit song “Get Together”, which peaked at number five on the Billboard Hot 100 chart. Young’s follow-up album, Song for Juli, was released in 1973 and spawned the hit single “Mornin’ Sun”. The album reached number one on the Billboard 200 chart. Young’s next album, Light Shine, was released in 1974. Young’s next album, Songbird, was released in 1975. Despite being a more subdued album than its predecessor, Songbird was well-received by critics and fans alike. It would go on to become one of Young’s most successful albums. In 1977, Young released his fourth album, Love on the Wing. These three albums charted on the Billboard Top 200. In 1978 Young changed his label to Elektra Records and released his next album, American Dreams. The album was a return to Young’s folk roots and was warmly received by critics. However, it failed to sell as well as his previous albums.

In 1980 Young released his sixth album, Light Shine. The album was another folk album, but with a more upbeat sound than American Dreams. It was moderately successful but failed to match the success of Songbird. In 1982 Young released his seventh and final album for Elektra Records, The Perfect Stranger. In 1984 Young left Elektra Records and signed with Cypress Records. His first album for Cypress Records was released in 1987. The album, entitled I’ve Lived These Years, was a return to Young’s folk roots. The album was warmly received by critics but failed to sell well.In 1988 Young released an album on his own label, Ridgetop Music, entitled Makin’ It Real, Swept Away (1994) and the compilation Crazy Boy (1995) is also notable. It featured his unique blend of bluegrass, folk, and country music. The album was recorded at their home in Inverness.

In 2001, Jack Young released the Walk the Talk album on his own, with assistance from Cheyenne Young, Ethan Turner, and former Youngbloods member Lowell “Banana” Levinger. Songs for Christmas in 2002, an album of traditional holiday tunes. Young quit performing music in 2012 to focus on his health but made a comeback in 2016. In 2019, he released his first album, Dreamers, in more than 15 years. He currently resides in Hawaii with his wife and two children.

Discography