Same Name Fame

Neil Young has been nominated for a 2012 Grammy Award. No surprise there, only this Neil Young isn’t the rock superstar and guitar hero, but Neil Young the music tutor from Colne.
Colne’s Neil Young is a jazz guitarist who performs and records with his brother, Richard and friend, Allen Whitham as the Neil C Young Trio. Neil was amazed to hear that his record company had put his name forward for a Grammy in the ‘Improvised Jazz Solo’ category.
Now he’s waiting to hear if he gets through the judges’ selection process for the shortlist for the big Grammy ceremony in February in Los Angeles, where Lady Ga Ga will be the headline act.
“I didn’t know a thing about being nominated until I got a letter from my recording company, Canadian-American Records,” said Neil, 37. “I had to put the letter down, pick it up and read it again.”
Having the same name as the ex-member of the 1960s and 70s supergroup Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young has caused some confusion over Neil, who comes from a musical family.
“For a while I used to perform as Charlie Young because my middle name is Charles, but it just didn’t seem right,” Neil says. “Now I just stick to Neil C Young and hope people don’t turn up at our gigs expecting the famous Neil Young. Our music styles are totally different, although I’ve sometimes included his song ‘Rockin In The Free World’ as an instrumental in our set, to see if anyone got the connection.”
Neil attended Primet High School and Nelson and Colne College before going on to study at the top music university Birmingham Conservatoire. He went there to study violin and viola but swapped to guitar part-way through after deciding jazz was his forte.
Neil plays with younger brother Richard, who now lives in Manchester, on drums and Alan Whitham, from Colne, on bass. The trio have recorded three EPs then an album last year entitled ‘Where’s Yours?’
A track called ‘Driving To Montenegro’, inspired by a remark from Alan about his holidays, highlighted Neil’s improvised solo that impressed his record company enough to nominate him for the jazz solo award. The trio are just completing a new album ‘El Camino’ – Spanish for ‘the way’ and also a model of Chevrolet – due for release in the New Year.

To hear the Neil C Young Trio and find out more about their recordings and gigs, visit www.neilcyoungtrio.co.uk

To buy Neil C Young Trio CDs click here.

Article from Northern Life issue 41 December/January 2012.
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