A songwriter since 1959 when in high school, Neil has been a member of various garage bands through the 1960s, 1970s and 1980s as well as a member of 'Downtown Jam'. He has 5 albums and 10 singles released - all available on this web site and worldwide at Spotify, Apple Music, Google Play, Deezer and other digital streaming sites.
Neil was honoured to be named on the front cover of the July 2007 CASHBOX Magazine as “one of the awesome indies gracing our Independent Charts every week”.
Twice nominated for a Hamilton Music Award and five-time winner of the IAIA (International Academy of Independent Artists) Golden Kayak Award for Best Country Song - "The Cowboy Song", and "There Won't Be Any Arizona", Best Classic & Progressive Rock Song - "Fire In The Water", Best Miscellaneous Song (a licenced cover song)- "Hey Boba Lou" and Best World Song - "What In The World Is The World Coming To", Neil has had numerous singles from each of his five albums reach No. 1 on Indie Music charts, as well as two songs reaching # 1 on the CASHBOX Magazine Country chart - "The Cowboy Song" and "The Restless Wind".
Following a successful 35-year entrepreneurial career in real estate development, investment and management, including having founded and served as Executive Director, general manager and tour manager of Rhapsody On Ice - an international touring troupe of precision / synchro ice dancers that he took around the world for seven years, in addition to receiving a credit as Special Consultant in the film 'Piaf … Her Story … Her Songs' - a documentary of the French chanteuse Edith Piaf, Neil came to a fork in the road that led to him becoming a professional singer-songwriter-recording artist, fulfilling a life-long dream from his high school days as a budding songwriter in the 1950s.
He spells his name 'Neil w Young' purposely using his middle initial "w" in the lower case with no period. A Western Ontario Secondary School Honor Athlete and graduate (1964) of Waterloo Lutheran University / Waterloo University College Faculty of Arts - now known as Wilfred Laurier University, Neil is also a published author as N. W. Young.