| Born: Genre: Style: |
1969 – Los Angeles, California, USA Rock Folk Rock, Country Rock |
| Year | Album Title | Label | In House |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1970 | Deja Vu | Atlantic | On Website |
| 1971 | 4 Way Street (live) | Atlantic | No |
| 1988 | American Dream | Atlantic | No |
| 1999 | Looking Forward | Reprise Records | No |
| 2008 | Déjà Vu Live (live) | Reprise Records | No |
| 2008 | CSNY 1974 (Boxset 6 x LP) | Rhino Records | No |
Rarely has hippiedom been so aptly embodied as by Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young, one of the first supergroups in pop history. In their music and appearance, as well as their lifestyle and political convictions, the foursome represented a generation of progressive young people who wanted to achieve social renewal and a life of freedom. Their song "Teach Your Children" became the defining theme for young contemporaries who all pursued the same ideals.
When pop music truly blossomed in the late 1960s, famous musicians from various pop groups were eager to collaborate. This led to the emergence of the first so-called "supergroups," where musicians played together on a loose, regular basis. One of these first supergroups was the quartet Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young.
The group formed by chance during a party Cass Elliot of The Mamas & The Papas threw at her Los Angeles home in the summer of 1968. There, British singer Graham Nash was introduced to Americans David Crosby and Stephen Stills. Graham Nash had just left The Hollies; David Crosby had just left The Byrds, and Stephen Stills, after his group Buffalo Springfield had disbanded, was seeking new musical adventures. That same evening, Crosby, Stills, and Nash sang their first song together. They immediately realized their voices were a perfect match. "It turned out to be musical magic," says Graham Nash.
Shortly after, the trio signed a recording contract with Atlantic Records. A studio was rented, and within a few weeks, they recorded their first album. This album was released in May 1969, titled "Crosby, Stills & Nash." The album caused a stir with its three-part acoustic folk-pop, which seemed at odds with the then-extremely popular guitar rock of Jimi Hendrix, Eric Clapton, The Who, and Led Zeppelin. When the song "Marrakesh Express" became a hit, the trio went on tour.
Looking for backup, Canadian guitarist Neil Young, with whom Stephen Stills had played in Buffalo Springfield, was asked to tour with them. Neil Young agreed, and the quartet played its first show on August 17, 1969, in Chicago. During that first concert, Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young announced they had to perform the next day at a festival in a small town they didn't know where.
The small, unknown town in question turns out to be Woodstock, where Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young become part of a legendary festival. "This is only the second time we've performed in front of people. We're scared shitless," Stephen Stills tells the half-million Woodstock visitors.
Front Cover
A few weeks after Woodstock, the quartet began recording a second album. Everything was done according to democratic principles, with everyone having equal say over the songs to be recorded. This resulted in the recordings taking forever, much to the chagrin of some. "Rather than murder someone, I would simply wait for them to go home so I could work," said Stephen Stills. Nevertheless, Déjà Vu, released in March 1970, was loudly acclaimed by both critics and the public. Thanks to beautiful songs like "Carry On," "Teach Your Children," "Almost Cut My Hair," "Our House," and the Joni Mitchell-borrowed "Woodstock," Déjà Vu would become one of the greatest album classics in pop history over the years.
Meanwhile, the four group members also released solo albums, all of which were equally successful. This caused the group activities of Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young to slow down. After the single "Ohio," a political statement against the National Guard's shooting of four students during demonstrations at Kent State University, and the live double album "4 Way Street" (1971), the group more or less disbanded. It wasn't until 1974 that Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young reunited for a stadium tour. A new album, however, was never announced. The four group members did release many solo albums in the 1970s. They also collaborated, although not all four of them simultaneously. For example, David Crosby & Graham Nash formed a successful duo, and Stephen Stills and Neil Young delivered an excellent album in 1976 with their The Stills-Young Band.
In 1977, Crosby, Stills & Nash released a new album, titled CSN, followed five years later by the album Daylight Again. Neil Young, who was pursuing a highly successful solo career, was conspicuously absent. However, he was present when Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young reunited in 1988 for a new album, American Dream. The reunion was conceived to help David Crosby, who had spent time in prison for serious drug use, get back on track. It succeeded, and Crosby, Stills & Nash released two more albums without Neil Young: Live It Up (1990) and After the Storm (1994).
A meeting between Stephen Stills and Neil Young in 1999 resulted in a brand new album by the foursome, titled "Looking Forward." Shortly afterward, Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young went on tour again, albeit only in America. In 2006, more than 35 years after the release of the legendary album Déjà Vu, the quartet toured Canada and America again with the Freedom of Speech Tour.
These are the last concerts for Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young for a while. The young hippies of yesteryear are now well into their seventies, and despite their wealth, they still stand for the ideals of the past that they cherish to this day. "We often did things that musicians weren't supposed to do. I think we were willing to put our musical lives and our physical lives on the line for things we felt very strongly about. Maybe we may have moved the world a millimeter or two," says Graham Nash.
