Happy birthday to Neil Young (1945–), born in Winnipeg, Canada. He started making music at 13 on a family ukulele, a small instrument that opened a lifelong road of sound and feeling.

“I’m open all the time,” he said. “There’s never a shortage of things to write about, if you pay attention.” Across decades and countless albums, Young kept faith with integrity and vision, letting the song lead—soft as a whisper, loud as a storm.

In 1970 he wrote Ohio after the Kent State tragedy—music answering history. From solo turns and Crazy Horse to kinship with CSN and live sparks with Pearl Jam, Young kept moving, wary of mystique and sure of the work.

Beyond the stage, he has given steady heart to work that helps others—decades with Farm Aid to support family farmers, and the Bridge School concerts uplifting students with communication challenges. Always: do the next right thing, from the heart.

“I feel real good about the music I’m playing now,” he said. “It’s real; it’s what’s really happening to me now in my life.” The rest is courage—plug in, tell the truth, and let the guitar sing.