Music Legend Jesse Colin Young Dies at 83 in South Carolina

AIKEN, S.C. — Jesse Colin Young, the revered singer-songwriter and founding member of the iconic 1960s musical group the Youngbloods, passed away at the age of 83. He died on Sunday afternoon at his home, according to an announcement from his wife and manager, Connie Young.

Young was best recognized as the frontman of the Youngbloods, whose rendition of Chet Powers’ timeless anthem “Get Together” resonated with the ideals of the Woodstock generation. The song, which promotes harmony and unity, was released in 1967 and achieved a peak position of No. 5 on the Billboard Hot 100.

After the Youngbloods disbanded in 1972, Young pursued a successful solo career. He released numerous albums that combined poignant social messages with his exceptional guitar skills and warming tenor vocals. Among his notable works are “Four in the Morning,” “Sunlight,” “Darkness, Darkness,” “Quicksand,” and “Peace Song.”

Born Perry Miller on November 22, 1941, in Queens, New York, Young grew up on Long Island. He briefly attended Phillips Academy in Andover, Massachusetts, followed by Ohio State University and New York University before ultimately leaving academia to focus on his music career in the early 1960s. His first two albums, The Soul of a City Boy (1964) and Young Blood (1965), marked the beginning of his musical journey.

In 1965, Young partnered with folk singer-guitarist Jerry Corbitt to form the Youngbloods alongside guitarist-pianist Lowell “Banana” Levinger and drummer Joe Bauer. They quickly rose to prominence as the house band at Café Au Go Go in Greenwich Village.

Their cover of “Get Together” became an international sensation after appearing in a public service commercial for the National Council of Christians and Jews in 1969, later being reissued by RCA Records.

During his tenure at Warner Bros. Records, Young released a string of successful albums, including Together (1972), Song for Juli (1973), Light Shine (1974), Songbird (1975), the live album On the Road (1976), and Love on the Wing (1977). Each album highlighted his commitment to social activism and environmental causes, as exemplified by his participation in the No Nukes concert at Madison Square Garden in 1979, alongside music legends like Crosby, Stills & Nash and Jackson Browne.

He continued to produce impactful music through the 1980s and into the 1990s, with albums such as The Perfect Stranger (1982), The Highway Is for Heroes (1987), Makin' It Real (1993), and Swept Away (1994). Young faced a personal tragedy in 1995, when the Mount Vision wildfire in Northern California destroyed his home.

In recent years, Young’s musical endeavors included the albums Walk the Talk (2003), Living in Paradise (2004), and Dreamers (2019), which featured collaborations with his son, bassist Tristan Young.

The music community mourns the loss of Jesse Colin Young, a prolific artist who left a lasting impact on the music industry and remained a steadfast advocate for environmental and social justice throughout his life.