Neil Young And Rick James Were In The Mynah Birds And Signed To Motown
It’s a fact that Neil Young and Rick James were in a band called The Mynah Birds, and it’s also a fact that they were signed to Motown Records. Rick James was born and raised in Buffalo, NY, and joined the U.S. Navy to avoid being drafted into the Army. This plan ran aground when James missed his reserve sessions aboard the USS Enterprise, and was ordered to go to Vietnam. James fled for Toronto. James befriended local Toronto musicians, including Levon Helm (of The Hawks) and Neil Young. James formed The Mynah Birds, who played a mixture of soul, rock, and folk music, and they even released a single on Columbia records.