American folk-rock icon Jesse Colin Young at the Chocolate Church Nov. 10

Tue, 10/30/2018 - 2:00pm

Music icon Jesse Colin Young will perform at the Chocolate Church Arts Center, located at 804 Washington Street in Bath on Saturday, Nov. 10, at 7:30 p.m. As a founding member of the Youngbloods, Young has helped shape and influence American pop music for 50 years.

During the 1960s, the Youngbloods debuted the song “Get Together” as a beacon in the dark fog of war and riots that gripped America; a plea for understanding, brotherhood and peace. The song was ubiquitous, and still appears in films, television shows (from South Park to the Simpsons) and commercials. This song appeared on the first Youngbloods album in 1967, amid raucous, lust-driven blues-rock numbers, psychedelic-tinged aural visions, and gentle, folk-inflected songs of love.

Other Youngbloods songs to be remembered from later releases are the haunting “Darkness, Darkness,” and the heartbreakingly sweet “Sunlight.” Young’s work reflected so much of the emotional landscape of the 1960s and ’70s, that even today, his voice evokes very strong memories of those turbulent times for many people. 

Since 1972, Young has released 17 albums among them a few quiet masterpieces (such as 1972’s Song for Julie, and 1994’s emotional Swept Away). Jesse has always responded to the world around him with a clear voice and focus that touches on our humanity. His style is now considered Americana, but in fact it's his unique fusion of folk, rock, jazz and blues with an emphasis on his extraordinary voice that makes his signature sound.

Young is a treasure. And he still sings with a clear-eyed intent, infusing his songs with the pop, folk, blues and jazz flavors that have been a part of his playbook all these years. Tickets are $30, $35, $40 advance, $42 at the door. Tickets are available by calling the Chocolate Church box office 27-442-8455 or available for purchase online www.chocolatechurcharts.org