Album Notes

2008 HAMILTON MUSIC AWARDS NOMINEE

2008 IAIA (International Academy of Independent Artists) GOLDEN KAYAK AWARD FOR BEST COUNTRY SONG 2007 - "THE COWBOY SONG"

Neil's country music roots were nurtured growing up on the family farm near Burford Ontario Canada. He has been writing songs and playing guitar since he was a teenager going to high school during the legendary 1950's Country Rockabilly era and the dawning of Rock 'n Roll.

Living now in Paris, known as the prettiest little town in Ontario only a few short miles from where he grew up, Neil found it the perfect place to embark on his life-long dream to record an album of his original material and to begin writing his novel.

Nominated in the 2008 Hamilton Music Awards (Hamilton Ontario Canada) for the NEW COUNTRY RECORDING of the YEAR for his debut album "No Looking Back", Neil's album includes the Award Winning Song, "The Cowboy Song" - voted BEST COUNTRY SONG - 2007 at the IAIA (International Academy of Independent Artists) Golden Kayak Awards.

In addition to having two Number One Hits on the IAC Music Country Chart - "The Cowboy Song" and "The Restless Wind" as well as two Number One Hits on the IAC Music Easy Listening/Soft Rock Chart - "All Through The Night" and "There's Just The One And Only You", Neil had two Number One Hits on the Cashbox Country Chart with "The Cowboy Song" and "The Restless Wind".

He was honored to be named on the front cover of the July 1st CASHBOX Magazine under the headline: "These are a few of the awesome Indies gracing our Independent Charts every week".

"No Looking Back" was Number One for three consecutive weeks in the U.K. on the LoneBoy Store Album Chart in London England, and had a run of twenty-two weeks in the Top 10 on the LoneBoy Album Chart. Neil was also the Featured Artist at LoneBoy during the three week period when his album was Number One.

Neil received Honor Awards in Lyric Writing for two of the songs on the album from The Great American Song Contest in Portland Oregon: "I Got My Ragtop Down" and "Hello, I’m Johnny Cash" - a tribute to the legendary 'Man in Black'. Neil's lyrics to "Hello, I'm Johnny Cash" also reached the Finalist category in the American Songwriter Magazine Lyric Contest in Nashville Tennessee.

"Hello, I’m Johnny Cash" reached # 2 on both the IAC Music and Cashbox Country Charts.

Also on the album, "You Just Turned My Life Around" reached # 3 on the IAC Music and Cashbox Country Charts, and "There’s Just The One And Only You" that reached # 4 on the IAC Country Chart and # 6 on the Cashbox Country Chart.

All the songs on Neil's album were in the TOP 20 on the IAC Music Country Chart with six (6) being in the Top 10.

Neil had at least one song, and occasionally two, in the TOP 10 on both the IAC Music and Cashbox Country Charts consistently between March and September 2007 and again between December 2007 and April 2008.

Many of the songs on the album have been added to playlists on many independent internet radio stations. One such station, WROK on IACMusic.com, reviewed "Got Nothin' To Lose" as follows:

"This is a great tune and shows what music was about in the 50's. Great vocal track with dynamite back-ups. This should have a Sun Studio label."

In addition to reviews by purchasers of his CD album here at CD Baby, Neil's album was reviewed in Germany by Christian Lamitschka in the Country Home OnLine Magazine for Country Music. The review can be seen at: http://www.countryhome.de/recordnews/lamitschka/dezember2007/recordnews_dezember_2007.htm

From tumbleweeds drifting along old Route 66 and flashy 1950’s convertibles, to rusted out flatbed trucks and walking down train 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 tobacco fields alongside his co-workers from the Carolina’s and Georgia.

"Music the way Country music should be - pure and honest and from the heart" is how Neil's songs and music has often been described

When asked where the words and feelings for his music comes from Neil reflectively replies, "Many of 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 .. romance, love, hopes and dreams .. and from other times and roads that I have traveled along the way."

Neil is backed on his album by a multi-talented line-up of musicians, including 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.

Vocalist Paula Tessaro shares lead vocals with Neil on "You Just Turned My Life Around". The song has been featured on various internet radio stations and on a compilation CD featuring Canadian Indie artists. More about this compilation CD can be found at www.lawandordercd.com and at www.gsmusicmarketing.com

The album was produced, arranged, programmed, engineered and mixed by Ray Lyell, and recorded at Rayne Records in Hamilton Ontario, and mastered at Grant Avenue Studio in Hamilton.

Nicknamed "Skip" early in his life by his late father, Neil is a Western Ontario Secondary School Honour Athlete, a graduate of Burford District High School - Burford Ontario, and a graduate of Waterloo Lutheran University (now known as Wilfred Laurier University) in Waterloo Ontario. He also holds what he considers to be a hard earned and coveted Masters Degree from the University of Life!!!

He purposely spells his name, “Neil w Young”, with his middle initial “w” always appearing in the lower case with no period following it.

His affiliations include the Canadian Country Music Association, Nashville Songwriters Association International, the Canadian Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences, the Independent Artist Company - IAC Music, SOCAN and ASCAP.