At age 83, a legendary singer and songwriter from the 1960s passed away

The legendary guitarist and frontman of the iconic rock group The Youngbloods, Jesse Colin Young, died at the age of 83. On Sunday, March 16, a spokesman confirmed his passing.

The statement said, “We regret to inform you that music legend Jesse Colin Young passed away yesterday afternoon at his home in Aiken, South Carolina. He made a significant contribution to the overlapping genres of folk, blues, jazz, country, and rock & roll.”

“He immortalized the ideals of the Woodstock generation as the frontman of The Youngbloods with ‘Get Together,’ an international hit that called for peace and brotherhood during the turbulent 1960s.”

Born Perry Miller in Queens, New York, on November 22, 1941, Jesse Colin Young was a guitarist and singer-songwriter who gained notoriety as the lead singer of the folk-rock group The Youngbloods. Over the course of his more than 60-year career, he emerged as a key figure in the counterculture movement of the 1960s.

Young, who was born and raised in Pennsylvania, went to Phillips Academy in Massachusetts before attending Ohio State University. But he left school to seek a career as a folk musician because he loved music.

He recorded two solo albums in the early 1960s, Young Blood (1965) and The Soul of a City Boy (1964), before joining guitarist Jerry Corbitt, drummer Joe Bauer, and bassist Lowell Levinger to form The Youngbloods.

The group became well-known because to their 1967 hit song “Get Together,” which became an anthem of the day and called for harmony and peace. The song’s re-release in 1969 catapulted it to mainstream prominence, despite its initial modest success. Elephant Mountain (1969) was one of the albums the Youngbloods recorded before Young started a solo career in 1972.

Young combined folk, rock, jazz, and blues elements in his solo work, putting out albums like On the Road (1976), Light Shine (1974), and Song for Juli (1973). His love of environmental causes and social justice was frequently reflected in his songs.

Young persisted in performing and releasing songs in spite of obstacles in her personal and professional life, such as being diagnosed with Lyme illness in the 1980s. His persistent talent and message of unity were demonstrated in his subsequent albums, such as Dreamers (2019).