Crosby Stills and Nash

Crosby, Stills & Nash (CSN) was a folk rock supergroup made up of American singer-songwriters David Crosby, Stephen Stills, and English singer-songwriter Graham Nash. When joined by Canadian singer-songwriter Neil Young as a fourth member, they were called Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young (CSNY). They are noted for their intricate vocal harmonies and lasting influence on American music and culture, as well as their political activism and often tumultuous interpersonal relationships.

CSN formed in 1968 shortly after Crosby, Stills and Nash performed together informally in July of that year, discovering they harmonized well. Crosby had been asked to leave the Byrds in late 1967, Stills’ band Buffalo Springfield had broken up in early 1968, and Nash left his band the Hollies in December. The trio signed a recording contract with Atlantic Records in early 1969. Their first album, Crosby, Stills & Nash (1969) produced two Top 40 hits, “Suite: Judy Blue Eyes” (No. 21) and “Marrakesh Express” (No. 28). In preparation for touring, the trio added Stills’ former Buffalo Springfield bandmate Neil Young as a full member, along with touring members Dallas Taylor (drums) and Greg Reeves (bass). The band, performing as Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young, played the Woodstock festival that August.

The band’s first album with Young, Déjà Vu, reached number one on several international charts in 1970, and remains their best-selling album, going on to sell over eight million copies with three hit singles: “Woodstock“, “Teach Your Children“, and “Our House“. The group’s second tour, which produced the live double album 4 Way Street (1971), was fraught with arguments between Young and Taylor, which resulted in Taylor being replaced by John Barbata, and tensions with Stills, which resulted in his being temporarily dismissed from the band. At the end of the tour they disbanded. The group later reunited several times, sometimes with Young, and released eight studio and four live albums.