Rhino Factoids: Aretha Franklin Day in Detroit, 1968

54 years ago today, one of rock 'n' roll's great iconoclasts performed his first professional gig, and while it didn't necessarily set Winnipeg on fire, Neil Young would soon become one of the most respected musicians in the world…and, yes, that includes Canada, too.

Neil's father was a writer and his mother was a member of the Daughters of the American Revolution, so music wouldn't necessarily be the first career path you'd expect him to take, but during the mid-1950s, he started paying more attention to the radio, and once he discovered Elvis Presley, he also discovered his true calling. His first instrument of note was a plastic ukulele, and he kept upgrading his ukulele to get a better instrument, but as history reveals, he eventually switched over to guitar.

Although Neil got his start in a band called The Jades, it was ultimately more for fun than anything else…not that Neil didn't take it seriously, mind you…but it was a band called The Squires that provided him with the aforementioned first professional gig, playing at a country club in Winnipeg, Manitoba on February 1, 1963. Before the year was out, The Squires would release a single (“The Sultan” / “Aurora”), but only 300 copies were pressed, and if the Neil Young fansite TrashersWheat.org can be believed, only 10 or so copies still remain in existence. The band carried on for a little while longer, but they ultimately disbanded in 1965, and Neil started playing folk clubs as a solo act.

While The Squires didn't have a lengthy life span, they helped put Neil Young on the path that led him to success. That alone should be enough to ensure that they're never forgotten.