Young Honoured In LA
PLUS he picks up his first ever Grammy
The Red Hot Chili Peppers and Crosby, Stills & Nash were amongst the stars that paid tribute to Neil Young at the 2010 Musicares Person Of The Year awards on Friday.
The MusiCares Person Of The Year Award recognises stars that have not just had amazing careers in the music industry but have also contributed significantly to charitable causes.
Neil Young was presented with the award after more than 40 years in the music industry and after organising the Farm Aid charity concerts for more than 25 years.
A range of performers turned up to pay tribute, including the new line-up of the Red Hot Chili Peppers, Elton John, John Mellencamp, Jackson Browne and Young’s sometime bandmates David Crosby, Stephen Stills and Graham Nash.
David Crosby said: "Too much of the music business these days is about surface rather than substance. Neil is substance. He's the real thing. He really writes real songs that can really move your heart. And I like that. I want to see that honoured. And, also, I love the guy. He's my friend."
MusiCares was established in 1989 by the Recording Academy to raise money for financial and medical assistance for musicians in need.
Young said "Well, it's a great cause and the money that we make here tonight goes to a really good place. It goes to helping musicians that are less fortunate and that have come upon hard times and don't have health care and, are living in the real world."
Meanwhile, Neil Young won his first EVER Grammy Award last night.
The singer-songwriter was awarded the snappily titled Best Art Direction On A Boxed Or Special Limited Edition Package for his Archive Vol.1.
He’d been nominated a couple of times before, although he didn’t receive his first nomination until 1989.
He was nominated for two awards last night, but lost out in the Best Solo Rock Vocal category to Bruce Springsteen.
On collecting his first ever award at the ceremony Young was his typically effervescent self, saying "Thanks a lot, everybody.”
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