Steve Young (July 12, 1942 – March 17, 2016) was an American country music singer, songwriter and guitarist, known for his song "Seven Bridges Road" (on Rock Salt & Nails & Seven Bridges Road). He was a pioneer of the country rock, Americana, and alternative country sounds, and he was also a vital force behind the outlaw movement.
Biography Born in Newnan, Georgia, United States, he grew up in Texas and Gadsden, Alabama, moving from place to place as his family looked for work. By the time he graduated from high school, he was writing and playing songs that incorporated folk, blues, country, and gospel influences he absorbed while travelling throughout the South. In the late 1960s, he worked with Van Dyke Parks and was member of the psychedelic country band Stone Country.
Young wrote many songs, including "Lonesome, On'ry and Mean" (covered by Waylon Jennings) and "Montgomery In the Rain" (covered by Hank Williams, Jr.).
During the late 1970s, Young became a Buddhist and a vegetarian.
His best-known composition is "Seven Bridges Road", which became a hit for Eagles after including a cover of it on their 1980 live album. Earlier covers of the song were done by Joan Baez, Tracy Nelson & Mother Earth, Iain Matthews, Dolly Parton, and Rita Coolidge.
In 1984, Young charted the single "It's Not Supposed to Be That Way" on RCA Records. It peaked at No. 84 on Hot Country Songs. In 1989, Young did a mini-tour in the Northwest with singer-songwriter Tim Otto, performing in Portland and Seattle. In 1991, Otto took the cover shot for Steve Young's Solo/Live CD on Watermelon Records. Townes Van Zandt wrote the liner notes. The 1996 concert recording by Van Dyke Parks entitled Moonlighting: Live at the Ash Grove (released in 1998) was headlined by Young, although he did not appear on the recordings.
In 1993, Young played a show in Lichtenvoorde, The Netherlands, with David Olney. This show then was recorded by SCR Productions. Olney's track were released on his Live in Holland album in 1994. In 2019, an album of Young's tracks was released, also titled Live in Holland. David Olney took care of the liner notes, and performed on a few tracks on harmonica.
Young suffered a head injury in an October 2015 fall and his health began to deteriorate. He died after a brief stay in a Nashville, Tennessee hospice, on March 17, 2016. He was 73.
Discography Year Album Label US Country 1968 Stone Country (with Stone Country) RCA Victor 1969 Rock Salt & Nails A&M 1972 Seven Bridges Road Reprise 1975 Honky Tonk Man Mountain Railroad 1976 Renegade Picker RCA Victor 48 1978 No Place to Fall RCA 1981 To Satisfy You Mill 1981 Seven Bridges Road Rounder 1981 Old Memories Country Roads 1986 Look Homeward Angel Mill 1990 Long Time Rider VooDoo 1991 Solo/Live Watermelon 1993 Switchblades of Love Watermelon 1994 Lonesome, On'ry & Mean 1968-1978 Raven 1999 Primal Young Appleseed 2005 Songlines Revisited - Volume One Starry Pyramid 2007 Stories Round the Horseshoe Bend Starry Pyramid 2007 Australian Tour EP 2007 Death Valley Records 2017 Live at The Studio Kafe, Santa Rosa, CA, July 10, 1990 Kafe 2019 Live in Holland 1993 Strictly Country Records
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