The Mynah Birds · Neil Young and Rick James
Neil Young and Rick James were in the same band
Before either was famous, Neil Young and Rick James played in the same Toronto band. Then a hearse got involved.
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Transcript
What do Neil Young and Rick James have in common? They were in the same band, before either was famous.
I'm the Archivist. I collect the stories behind songs.
The Mynah Birds were a Toronto band, signed to Motown in 1966.
Then their manager reportedly told Motown that the singer, Rick James, was AWOL from the US Navy. He was arrested, and the album was scrapped.
So Neil Young and the bassist bought a hearse, drove to Los Angeles, and helped form Buffalo Springfield.
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More on the story
The singer, then going by Ricky Matthews, had gone to Canada in 1964 after being called up from the US Naval Reserve. Neil Young joined the Mynah Birds in January 1966, replacing guitarist Tom Morgan. Early in 1966 the band signed to Motown.
According to Wikipedia's account, the band's manager apparently misappropriated their advance money and was fired. In return, the manager told Motown that the band's singer was AWOL from the Navy. Rick James was taken into custody, and the single "It's My Time" stayed unreleased. Motown dropped plans for an album.
Neil Young and bassist Bruce Palmer bought a hearse, drove to Los Angeles and helped form Buffalo Springfield. "It's My Time" first appeared officially in a Motown box set released in 2006.
