Fred Neil

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Fred Neil (born March 16, 1936 in Cleveland , Ohio ; † July 7, 2001 on Summerland Key , Florida ) was an influential American folk and blues singer and songwriter of the 1960s and early 1970s.

life and work

Raised in Saint Petersburg , Florida , Neil was one of those songwriters who worked for a while in New York's famous Brill Building . He has often been referred to as a pioneer in songwriting; his most cited students were Tim Buckley , Harry Nilsson and Jefferson Airplane , the most prominent James Taylor , Paul Simon and Joni Mitchell . In the early 1960s he played regularly in Greenwich Village , among others with Bob Dylan and Karen Dalton .

Neil's early compositions were recorded by artists such as Buddy Holly and Roy Orbison ; he played as a studio guitarist on hits by Bobby Darin and Paul Anka . In 1968 Harry Nilsson recorded a cover version of Neil's song Everybody's Talkin ' , which became a global hit a year later when it was part of the score for the film Asphalt-Cowboy .

In the mid-1970s, Neil gave up his apartment in Woodstock , New York , and lived the rest of his life on the beaches of southern Florida . He made his last public appearance in 1986 in a coffee house in Coconut Grove .

Fred Neil died of cancer in 2001 in Summerland Key , Florida.

Songs by Fred Neil and recordings by other artists (selection)

Web links