A singer, tunesmith, and purveyor of what he dubbed "Southern music" -- a brew of country, folk, rock, blues, gospel, and Celtic styles -- Steve Young was an acclaimed writer and performer whose work found its greatest commercial success in the hands of other artists, including Waylon Jennings, Townes Van Zandt, and Lucinda Williams. Rock Salt & Nails, his 1969 debut album, hosted the immortal "Seven Bridges Road," that's been recorded by everyone from Dolly Parton to the Eagles. His second album, Seven Bridges Road, included that song and the classic "Montgomery in the Rain" and "Lonesome Orn'ry & Mean." 1975's Honky Tonk Man included the outlaw anthem "White Trash Song." Young released two successful albums for RCA in Renegade Picker (1976) and No Place to Fall (1978). He recorded exclusively on independents for the remainder of his life. To Satisfy You appeared in 1981 and was followed by Look Homeward Angel in 1986. The '90s saw two of his finest albums in Long Time Rider (his rarest and sparsest, it ranks among his best) and Switchblades of Love. 2000's Primal Young wove together rockabilly, honky tonk, and Celtic folk songs. In 2005, England's Ace label released Seven Bridges Road: The Complete Recordings. Omnivore released the definitive box set Stars in the Southern Sky in August 2024.
Young was born to itinerant sharecroppers in Newnan, Georgia, but raised in Alabama and Texas. By the time he was in his teens, Young, deeply influenced by roots blues, country, and folk, was already playing guitar and writing his own songs. In the early '60s, he moved to New York City and became affiliated with the burgeoning Greenwich Village folk music scene. After a brief return to Alabama, he settled in California in 1964.
On the West Coast, Young found work as a postal carrier while striking up friendships with the likes of Stephen Stills and Van Dyke Parks. A tenure with the psychedelic folk unit Stone Country yielded an eponymous 1968 LP, and a year later Young issued his solo debut, Rock Salt & Nails, a country-rock excursion featuring cameos by Gram Parsons, Chris Hillman, and Gene Clark. He moved to Reprise in 1971, and, with the title track of that year's Seven Bridges Road, he offered perhaps his best-known composition, popularized through a series of covers by artists like the Eagles, Joan Baez, Rita Coolidge, and Ian Matthews. He had another tremendous success when Waylon Jennings covered "Lonesome, On'ry and Mean" in 1973, turning it into a signature anthem of the outlaw country movement; later on, Hank Williams, Jr. notched a hit with "Montgomery in the Rain," Willie Nelson also had a hit with Young's "It’s Not Supposed to Be That Way" in 1977.
Young released solid albums throughout the '70s. Honky Tonk Man appeared from the tiny Mountain Railroad label in 1975 before his songwriting success earned him a deal with RCA. The result arrived with two excellent albums, 1976's Renegade Picker and 1978's No Place to Fall.
Despite his success as a songwriter, Young flirted with the charts but never rose beyond a devoted cult following. He spent the majority of the 1980s touring the world, garnering a reputation as a standout live performer, and released occasional records like 1982's To Satisfy You, 1987's Look Homeward Angel, and 1990's Long Time Rider, the latter two were recorded in the Netherlands. The trend continued into the next decade, and in 1991 he issued his first concert recording, Solo/Live, an acoustic collection summarizing his career to date along with pop and soul covers like "You Don't Miss Your Water" and "Drift Away." A second LP on Watermelon, the globally acclaimed Switchblades of Love, followed in 1993, and continued his creative renaissance, offering some of his most poignant late songs. It was co-produced by J. Steven Soles and Bob Neuwirth. In 1996 he released Primal Young for folk label Appleseed, offering country and Celtic folk covers.
Following self-conceived touring and writing regimen -- famously, Young followed his own muse no matter the industry pitfalls. In 2005, Great Britain's premier reissue label Ace released Seven Bridges Road: The Complete Recordings. Songlines Revisited, Vol. 1 appeared in 2006. It was his final studio album. Live recordings, including Stories Round the Horseshoe Bend appeared during the final years of his career. He made occasional live performances and spent his spare time in his home recording studio.
Young died in Nashville on March 17, 2016. His son Jubal Lee, a singer and songwriter in his own right, posted a eulogy online. "While it is a sad occasion, he was also the last person who could be content to be trapped in a broken mind and body," Jubal wrote of his father. "He was far too independent and adventurous. I celebrate his freedom, as well, and I am grateful for the time we had. A true original." In 2024, California's Omnivore Records released Stars in the Southern Sky. It included a remastered version of the 1975 release Honky Tonk Man and 34 previously unissued live performances in a three-disc set. ~ Jason Ankeny & Steve Huey
