Veteran singer/songwriter Jesse Colin Young, best known as frontman for the late-1960s/early-1970s folk-rock band The Youngbloods, died Sunday, March 16, at his home in Aiken, South Carolina. He was 83.
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With Young on lead vocals, The Youngbloods famously recorded the hit version of the enduring peace anthem “Get Together,” which peaked at No. 5 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart in 1969.
A statement was issued by Jesse’s widow and manager, Connie Young, announcing his passing.
The message reads, “It is with deep sadness that we announce [the death of] music legend Jesse Colin Young, who left a unique mark on the intersecting worlds of folk, blues, jazz, country, and rock & roll. As the frontman of The Youngbloods, he immortalized the ideals of the Woodstock generation with ‘Get Together,’ an international hit that called for peace and brotherhood during the turbulent 1960s.”
The statement continued, “During the decades that followed, Young expanded both his audience and his artistic range, releasing a string of solo albums that mixed socially conscious lyrics with top-tier guitar skills and gorgeous vocals.”
The tribute concluded, “An acclaimed songwriter, singer, instrumentalist, producer, label owner, podcast host, and longtime social/environmental activist, he has established a permanent place in America’s musical landscape—while continuing to make modern music that’s every bit as vital as his work during the counterculture era.”
More About Young’s Life and Music Career
Young released a pair of solo studio albums in 1964 and ’65, The Soul of a City Boy and Young Blood, before co-founding The Youngbloods in 1965. The band scored a minor hit in 1966 with “Grizzly Bear,” before releasing a cover of the Chester Powers-penned “Get Together” in 1967. “Get Together” didn’t become a major hit until it was rereleased in ’69, after it was used in a radio public service announcement promoting brotherhood by the National Conference of Christians and Jews.
Another popular song by The Youngbloods is the 1969 tune “Darkness, Darkness,” which was written by Young.
After The Youngbloods broke up in 1972, Young resumed his solo career.
Jesse released more than a dozen solo studio efforts over the years. Young’s highest-charting solo album was Songbird, which peaked at No. 26 on the Billboard 200 in 1975. His most recent, Dreamers, was released in 2019.
In 2020, Young released an updated version of “Get Together” featuring Steve Miller. The song was released as part of the WhyHunger charity’s SongAid campaign.
In 2021, Jesse released a cover of Cat Stevens’ “Trouble” that featured harmony vocals by his daughter, Jazzie Young.
In 2024, Young launched “The Perfect Stranger Songwriting Contest” with the not-for-profit Future Youth Records label, in partnership with Taylor Guitars and Sound & Vision magazine. The contest challenged young music artists to create a song that, similar to “Get Together,” “unites us and contributes to making the world a better place.”
Songwriters aged 18 through 24 are invited to participate in the contest. The winner, who was announced in October 2024, was a young singer/songwriter named Syante and her song “A Little Sunshine.”
The track was released on March 6.
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