Björklund got his first guitar from his beloved Grandma Helen when he graduated from high school in Portland, Oregon. The mists of time veil the picture for a few years, until 1978, when we find him singing in a short-lived garage cover band in Portland, then blam! he's gone to the Midwest. That's where he got hooked on traditional Irish music, inspired by Sligo fiddler Kevin Burke, who, meanwhile, had moved to Björklund's hometown. So Björklund took up the fiddle, penny whistle, accordion and mandolin and waded into the Celtic music scene in St. Paul, MN.

A couple of years later, suddenly noticing his Swedish heritage, he left the Celtic world and turned back to some of the music he grew up on: the Limelighters, The Brothers Four, The Weavers, and the classic American folk music they made popular. He played coffeehouses, festivals and parties in Minnesota and Wisconsin for another year or so, until the green, green mountains of Oregon called him back home. Back again on his home soil, he began to write the first of his own songs. During those years, Björklund was the host of the weekly folk music radio show, Friends and Neighbors, broadcast every Monday night from KLCC 89.7 FM.

In 1989, Neil attempted to leave music behind for a career in counseling. For seven years he tried and couldn't do it. Finally he had to say it out loud "My name is Neil, and I'm a musician." So, he started writing again, playing again, and in March of 1995, joined Eugene's Laura Kemp for a show, singing the first of the songs that would later become the album "Flying Canoe". Neil would later tour with Laura and share the stage at numerous shows in Oregon, Washington and California.

When friend Bruce Newhouse introduced Neil to multi-talented music and dance whiz Allison Rickenbaugh (now Alli Bach), little did he know they would soon form Flying Canoe, which later grew to a five piece band. Flying Canoe won legions of fans with high energy performances at venues and festivals throughout Oregon and opened for many national touring acts. The final splash of Flying Canoe was the headline show at the New Year's Eve First Night Festival in Eugene, with live TV coverage and a throbbing mass of several hundred revellers ringing in the new year.

Neil's next band project came after a year of solo touring and performing, when he met drummer Carrie Jahde and her bassist partner Mike Schaller. Together with vocalist Christa Flores, they formed the Wild Elfin Band and put on some fine shows until Carrie was called away to Boston with a scholarship at the Berklee School of Music (Mike, being a bright young man, followed her).

Last we checked, Neil was scouting out members for a new performing/recording ensemble of some kind, polishing up some new songs, and working on 2-5-1 chord progressions.

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