Fred Neil Essentials

Though he spent most of his career outside the limelight, Fred Neil became a cult figure of legendary status. Working out of NYC's Brill Building, he penned tunes for Buddy Holly and Roy Orbison and was a pioneer of the burgeoning West Village folk scene in the '50s and '60s, where he helped David Crosby and a young Bob Dylan get established. Neil also inspired folk greats like Tim Buckley, but his greatest success came when Harry Nilsson covered his theme song for Midnight Cowboy. He died in '01, after devoting the last years of his life to dolphin preservation in his beloved Florida.