Singer-songwriter Perry Miller – born in Queens, New York on November 22, 1941 – is better known as Jesse Colin Young. He first came to prominence as a member of 1960s pop / rock group the Youngbloods, who scored a hit with “Get Together” in 1967. His musical career began as a folk singer in 1964 with the release of his debut solo album, The Soul of a City Boy. After the release of his second solo album, Young Blood (1965), he formed the Youngbloods with guitarist Jerry Corbitt plus drummer Joe Bauer and multi-instrumentalist Lowell ‘Banana’ Levinger. Initially the house band for Café Au Go Go in Greenwich Village, the band signed to RCA Records and released their self-titled debut album in 1967. Featuring the hit single “Get Together” – which reached number 5 when it was re-released in 1969 – the album was followed by Earth Music (1967), Elephant Mountain (1969), Good and Dusty (1971) and High on a Ridge Top (1972). The Youngbloods dissolved in 1972, and Jesse Colin Young returned to his solo career. He released acclaimed albums such as Together (1972), Song for Juli (1973), Light Shine (1974), Songbird (1975), and Love on the Wing (1977) on Warner Bros. Records. Switching to Elektra Records, he issued American Dreams (1978) and The Perfect Stranger (1982) before signing with the Cypress label for 1987’s The Highway Is for Heroes. He later launched music under his label, Ridgetop Music, post-1993. Jesse Colin Young's journey took a significant turn following the 1995 Mount Vision Fire, leading him to relocate to a coffee plantation in Hawaii. Despite facing health challenges, including chronic Lyme disease which led him to retire in 2012, he made a comeback in 2016, recording new music with his son Tristan and releasing the album Dreamers in 2019. Jesse Colin Young's influence extends beyond his music; his song "Darkness, Darkness" (1969) was notably covered by Robert Plant in 2002, earning a Grammy nomination. Jesse Colin Young died at the age of 83 on March 16, 2025.
