Crosby, Stills & Nash

Crosby, Stills & Nash Artistfacts

  • 1968-2015
    David CrosbyVocals, guitar
    Stephen StillsVocals, guitar, keyboards, bass
    Graham NashVocals, guitar, keyboards
  • All three members had made a mark in other groups when they came together to form Crosby, Stills & Nash. David Crosby had been in The Byrds; Stephen Stills in Buffalo Springfield; and Graham Nash, the only British member, in The Hollies. Much of their first album was comprised of songs they wrote individually and brought to the band, including "Suite: Judy Blue Eyes" (Stills), "Marrakesh Express" (Nash), and "Long Time Gone" (Crosby).
  • Their superpower was their harmony vocals, which they realized the first time they sang together. Stills remembers it taking place at Mama Cass Elliot's dining room; Nash recalls the location as Joni Mitchell's living room.
  • They're often thought of as quartet with Neil Young, but most of their output was without him; Young was with them for just three of their eight studio albums:

    Déjà Vu (1970)
    American Dream (1988)
    Looking Forward (1999)

    Young was also responsible for their 1970 single "Ohio," which was not included on a studio album.
  • They performed at both the original and the second Woodstock. Their performance at the original Woodstock was only their third show together. They had a few more under their belts the second time around.
  • Crosby's addictions started overwhelming him in the late '70s. He was arrested a few times and served two prison terms, first from March 7 to May 1, 1985 (he got out in time to play Live Aid with the band) at Dallas County Jail, and again from March 6 to August 8, 1986 at the Texas Department of Correction in Huntsville. The jail sentences doubled as rehab for Crosby - he had no choice but to quit cold turkey. After his second stint, he stayed sober; Crosby says going to jail saved his life.
  • Crosby, Stills & Nash's final performance was at a White House Christmas tree lighting ceremony broadcast live on television on December 3, 2015. They performed Silent Night and sounded woefully out of tune.

    "This was very sad," Nash recalled to Rolling Stone. "Stephen and David ended up fighting after it and I think even Obama had heard something was going on. Basically, it was a national park thing and David was supposed to talk about his favorite park and then I was going to talk about living in Hawaii and my favorite and so on. But David read everyone's lines. Stephen then threw a pick at David. It was over from that moment."

Comments

Be the first to comment...

Editor's Picks

Timothy B. Schmit of the Eagles

Timothy B. Schmit of the EaglesSongwriter Interviews

Did this Eagle come up with the term "Parrothead"? And what is it like playing "Hotel California" for the gazillionth time?

Facebook, Bromance and Email - The First Songs To Use New Words

Facebook, Bromance and Email - The First Songs To Use New WordsSong Writing

Where words like "email," "thirsty," "Twitter" and "gangsta" first showed up in songs, and which songs popularized them.

Frankie Valli

Frankie ValliSong Writing

An interview with Frankie Valli, who talks about why his songs - both solo and with The Four Seasons - have endured, and reflects on his time as Rusty Millio on The Sopranos.

Jim McCarty of The Yardbirds

Jim McCarty of The YardbirdsSongwriter Interviews

The Yardbirds drummer explains how they created their sound and talks about working with their famous guitarists.

Angelo Moore of Fishbone

Angelo Moore of FishboneSongwriter Interviews

Fishbone has always enjoyed much more acclaim than popularity - Angelo might know why.

Robert DeLeo of Stone Temple Pilots

Robert DeLeo of Stone Temple PilotsSongwriter Interviews

Stone Temple Pilots bass player Robert DeLeo names the songs that have most connected with fans and tells the stories behind tracks from their Tiny Music album.