4 Famous Collaborators Who Made It to Neil Young’s Albums

This country rock icon is known for his collaborations with Crazy Horse. However, Neil Young has also worked with quite a few other collaborators. And some of those special guests are pretty big names in the country and rock music worlds. Let’s look at just a few times Young invited some serious talent to work with him!

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Emmylou Harris

The incomparable country crooner Emmylou Harris appears on the 1977 album American Stars ‘N Bars, a collaborative effort between Young, Crazy Horse, and a whole host of guest musicians. Harris appears on “Star Of Bethlehem”, where she contributes her vocals. The two would also perform live together on numerous occasions through the years.

Robbie Robertson

Not all of Neil Young’s collaborators have been firm country musicians. Robbie Robertson, the guitarist and songwriter behind The Band, once appeared on Neil Young’s Homegrown in 2020, specifically with his guitar stylings. However, it’s worth noting that the album itself was recorded between 1974 and 1975. It was a long time in the making, and a lot of fans didn’t believe that Young would actually release it. Considering the trauma of the pandemic, Young had a change of heart and decided to share Homegrown with the world.

Waylon Jennings

Neil Young and Waylon Jennings aren’t totally dissimilar musicians. It’s not really shocking that the two stars once collaborated on a lovely duet. That duet was “Bound For Glory”, a standout track from the 1985 album Old Ways. Jennings provides a vocal and guitar track to the tune, and it’s quite a lovely little deep cut. The pair also performed the song “Are You Ready For The Country” together on television in Nashville.

Linda Ronstadt

This standout entry on our list of Neil Young collaborators is more complicated than a simple one-off song. Linda Ronstadt and Neil Young’s careers converged for a period of time between the 1970s and late 1980s. Ronstadt sang backup on Neil Young’s “Heart Of Gold”. She would later open for Young’s 1973 tour, and would also cover Young’s song “Birds”. There are quite a few other instances of these two working together, mainly with Ronstadt singing backup on a few of Young’s songs.

Photo by John Shearer/WireImage

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