Elliot Roberts: Music manager who shepherded Neil Young and Joni Mitchell to fame

For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Roberts, who has died aged 76, is best known as Neil Young’s manager for the past 51 years, but he also shepherded Joni Mitchell, Crosby, Stills and Nash, and many others to superstardom. Roberts with Neil Young and film director Jonathan Demme Mitchell then introduced Roberts to two more musicians whom he would take on as clients: her lover David Crosby, recently fired from The Byrds; and, in 1968, a young Canadian called Neil Young. Things got off to a rocky start when Young fired Roberts after he went to the golf course before a concert, but the two men would soon forge an extremely profitable working relationship. Roberts would later note: “Joni taught me everything – not Neil.” He would also fall out with his old friend David Geffen in 1983 when Geffen sued Young over the artist’s delivery of “uncommercial” albums to Geffen’s record label.