Flatlander and the Rise and Fall of Mike and the Ravens

While the baby boomer generation gets a lot more press (not to mention prestige) these days, author Peter F. Young isn’t ready to let war babies–those born between 1938 and 1946—fade into the night without a turn in the spotlight.

Like others in his generation, Young came of age during the early years of rock ‘n’ roll—and promptly fell in love with the so-called “devil’s music.” Like scores of other kids in small towns across America, Young not only worshipped rock stars, he dreamed of becoming one himself. But, unlike most of those other kids, he almost made it.

In this charming, irreverent, and hilarious memoir, Young recalls his boyhood and teenage years in the small towns of rural Vermont and Northern New York State, home of the almost-famous Mike & the Ravens. Despite their shoddy equipment and decidedly un-rock ‘n’ roll upbringings, Young and his band mates managed to get signed by a record company, become regionally famous, pull a ton of stunts—including causing a rock album to be played over a church’s robust belfry speaker system at 2:00 a.m. and land in jail like real rock stars—and still grow up to become productive, contributing members of society.

Peter F. Young received his BA from the University of Vermont in 1966 and his JD from Union University, Albany Law School in 1969.

With a legal practice spanning four decades, Young has represented such notable clients as New England Culinary Institute and Northfield Savings Bank. He has also sat on many government and civic boards, including the Vermont Natural Resources Board.

He and his wife, the Honorable Susanne R. Young, deputy attorney general of Vermont, have three adult children.

After all these years, Young still calls Northfield, Vermont, home.