NEIL YOUNG

Neil Young, the ever-restless Canadian troubadour, has spent six decades proving that folk, rock, and even grunge can all wear flannel. Bursting onto the scene with Buffalo Springfield in the ’60s, he soon struck solo gold with After the Gold Rush and Harvest, albums that made sensitive guys with guitars cool long before avocado toast.

Never one to sit still—or tune his guitars predictably—Young veered from acoustic ballads like “Heart of Gold” to electric epics like “Cortez the Killer” and the distortion-drenched Rust Never Sleeps. He jammed with Crazy Horse, feuded with record labels, and wrote protest songs faster than most people change strings. Neil’s cracked voice and stubborn authenticity make him rock’s most endearing Canadian contrarian. As long as there’s feedback and feeling, Neil Young will keep on rockin’ in the free world.

See also Crosby, Stills Nash & Young