Jesse Colin Young, whose vocals as frontman of folk rock band the Youngbloods gave voice to the 1960s’ counterculture, died on Sunday at his home in Aiken, S.C.
Young’s publicist, Michael Jensen, confirmed to The Times on Monday that the 83-year-old musician died of a heart attack.
Young had just penned his autobiography, was in the process of writing a children’s book and had finished working on a song for Future Youth Records, Jensen said.
“He was an incredibly active guy,” Jensen said. “He was a client for many, many years, but more importantly, he was one of the nicest people on the entire planet. He was a great human being, and I’m heartbroken.”
Young got his start in the New England music scene in the ’60s, putting out his first solo record, “The Soul of a City Boy.” He started playing gigs at Club 47, which at the time was known as the center of the folk music revival, a career breakthrough he attributed to a DJ playing his song “Four in the Morning” and getting him some attention.
While playing the Boston club scene, he met guitarist Jerry Corbitt and the two decided to start a band, the Youngbloods.
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In 1967, the Youngbloods released their self-titled album, which peaked at No. 131 on the Billboard 200. Two years later, the single “Get Together” reached No. 5 after it was featured in a public service announcement by the National Conference of Christians and Jews.
Young told the Arts Fuse in an interview in 2018 that he knew he had to record “Get Together” after he heard performer and songwriter Buzzy Linhart sing it during an open mic at Café Au Go Go in Greenwich Village.
“Get Together” called for peace and unity with the chorus, “Come on, people now / Smile on your brother / Everybody get together / Try to love one another right now,” which became a popular refrain during the turbulent era.
“I rushed backstage and said, ‘Oh man, I need the lyrics. I love that song. I want to take it into rehearsal with the Youngbloods.’ And the rest is history,” Young told the outlet.
The song’s hopeful message has endured through the decades. It was featured in the movie “Forrest Gump,” on the television show “The Simpsons” and even in a Walmart commercial.
While Young didn’t write “Get Together,” he played a part in writing many of the Youngbloods’ other songs, including “Sugar Babe,” “Quicksand” and “Darkness Darkness,” which was later covered by Led Zeppelin lead singer Robert Plant.
The Youngbloods moved from New York to Northern California in 1967 and Young eventually settled in Marin County, where he lived until 1995, when his home in Point Reyes burned in a fire that tore through the region. Young penned the popular song “Ridgetop” about his beloved home.
In 2023, the Young documentary “High on a Ridgetop,” which was filmed in the early 1970s in the Bay Area, was screened at the Grammy Museum.
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When the Youngbloods broke up in 1972, Young launched a solo career and went on to record more than 15 albums. He stopped performing in 2012 while battling Lyme disease but eventually returned to the stage. His last album, “Dreamers,” was released in 2019.
He told the Peninsula Daily News in an interview in 2018 that his desire to perform was reignited when he traveled to Boston to see his son Tristan’s senior recital at the Berklee College of Music.
“It just blew me away,” he told the newspaper. “Whatever light that went off in my heart came back on. I thought, ‘Before I leave the planet, I’ve got to play with some of these young people.'”
Young is survived by his wife and manager, Connie Darden-Young, and children Tristan Young, Jazzie Young, Juli Young and Cheyenne Young.
This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
