AIKEN, South Carolina (CelebrityAccess) — Jesse Colin Young, the singer, songwriter, musician, and vocalist best known as a co-founder of the rock band The Youngbloods, died at his home in Aiken, South Carolina, on Sunday.
His death was announced by his wife and manager, Connie Young. The cause of death was not disclosed, but Young was 83 at the time of his passing.
Born Perry Miller in Queens, New York, Young studied classical guitar at Phillips Academy in Andover, Massachusetts, but was ultimately expelled from the institution.
He later attended Ohio State University and New York University before leaving school to pursue a career as a professional musician.
Adopting the stage name Jesse Colin Young, he released his debut album, The Soul of a City Boy, in 1964 on Capitol Records.
A year later, he teamed up with folk artist Jerry Corbitt to form The Youngbloods, initially performing as a duo before adding Lowell “Banana” Levinger on lead guitar and Joe Bauer on drums.
The group quickly gained a reputation for their live shows and released several successful albums, including their self-titled debut album, which featured their seminal hit “Let’s Get Together,” one of the rock hallmarks of the era.
After multiple lineup changes, The Youngbloods parted ways in 1972 following the departure of Jerry Corbitt. However, they briefly reunited for a club tour in 1984.
Following the dissolution of The Youngbloods, Young launched a solo career, releasing a string of moderately successful albums, including Song for Juli (1974) and Songbird (1975), which peaked at #26 on the Billboard 200.
Young retired from performing in 2012 after being diagnosed with chronic Lyme disease but returned to the stage at SXSW in 2016 with a group of musicians drawn from his son’s class at the Berklee College of Music. This collaboration led to Young’s final album, Dreamers (2019).
Young was married twice—first to Suzi Young in the 1960s, with whom he had two children, and then to Connie Darden, with whom he also had two children.
Details of a memorial service have not been announced.
