Neil Young Appears On 78-Year-Old Brother Bob's Debut Single

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Neil Young Appears On 78-Year-Old Brother Bob's Debut Single

One perk of having a rock star for a brother is that when you decide to release your debut single at age 78, people pay attention. Such is the case with Neil Young’s brother Bob — author of the 1971 Maclean’s article “My Brother The Folk Singer” — who has just released a protest single called “Hey America” under the band name Young Bob & The Peterboroughs. Presumably the moniker is a reference to Peterborough, Ontario, north of the family’s Toronto hometown. Bob’s little brother Neil plays harmonica on the track; other players include Mike Belitsky, the Sadies’ Travis Good, the Weber Brothers’ Ryan Weber, and Melissa Payne.

“I didn’t set out to become a songwriter and singer at 78 years of age,” Bob says in a press release. “It was and is an organic event. I was watching Donald Trump on TV a couple years ago and wrote down a few lines. When I got home, I found I could play those lines on guitar. Gradually, it became what it is now. It took a while to be able to play and sing the song from start to finish. When I could finally accomplish that, it was a victory.”

“Hey America, give love a chance,” Bob begins, before embarking on a monotone but good-natured exhortation to vote Trump out of office. In terms of quality, let’s just say it really increases my appreciation for Neil Young’s latter-day recordings. It arrives today with a video — directed by CK Vollick with Neil Young and his wife/Fireside Sessions videographer Daryl Hannah under their Bernard Shakey and dhlovelife aliases — which you can watch below.

“Hey America” is out now via Shakey Pictures Records.

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