Post by The Watcher on May 20, 2005 1:16:17 GMT -5
consummate, innovative musicianship has established him as an eminent solo performer and as the cornerstone of the supergroup Crosby, Stills & Nash.
For four decades, Stephen Stills’ music has spanned generations and cultural borders, entertaining millions of listeners throughout the world. His unique guitar style and phrasing has garnered Stills a well deserved spot among the best players in the world.
Born in Dallas, Texas, Stills was reared in Illinois, Louisiana, Florida and Central America. Inspired by the first music heard in church, Stills began taking piano lessons as a youngster, later developing an interest in drums and guitar. High school was completed in the Republic of Panama and Costa Rica, where Stills’ musical roots were heavily influenced by Latin music.
After a short stint at the University of Florida, Stills decided a higher musical education was more in line with his interests, and began playing in a succession of bands throughout the state. One of the bands included The Continentals, featuring future Eagle Don Felder. Stills soon gravitated to New Orleans, playing the folk music circuit on Royal Street.
But it was in New York City where Stills began to define his musical style. A guitarist named Fred Neil became Stills’ musical mentor, introducing him to folk rock and to the versatility and full sound of the twelve string guitar.
In Greenwich Village, Stills sang with a nine member vocal group called the Au Go Go Singers, featuring Richie Furay.
While in Canada performing with an offshoot of the Au Go Go Singers called the Company, Stills shared the stage with Neil Young and the Squires. The two hit it off and agreed to work together, but by the time Stephen had everything set up, Neil Young couldn’t be found.
One day in 1966, Stills and Richie Furay were driving around Los Angeles when they spotted a hearse bearing Ontario plates. Behind the wheel was Neil Young, next to him bass player Bruce Palmer. With the addition of drummer Dewey Martin, Buffalo Springfield was born.
Stills and Young proved to be a fiery combination working with and off of each other’s distinct guitar styles.
Their self-titled album was released later that year with all tracks written by Stephen Stills or Neil Young. But it was Stills’ For What It’s Worth that captured the essence of a generation and became the anthem of the sixties.
Buffalo Springfield went on to record two more albums, Buffalo Springfield Again in 1967 and Buffalo Springfield: Last Time Around in 1968. The band’s music continues to find new audiences and a "best of" album, Retrospective, has sold over 1 million units. In 1973, the band released Buffalo Springfield, a 23-song compilation album.
As the sixties evolved, so did rock & roll. After Buffalo Springfield broke up, Stills began collaborating with David Crosby, who has recently been expelled from the Byrds. Graham Nash, disappointed with the creative direction his band, the Hollies, was eager to find a greater musical challenge.
The three first sang together on a summer day in Los Angeles in 1968. Nash joined in on two songs Crosby and Stills were working on, Helplessly Hoping and You Don’t Have To Cry. When Crosby heard Nash put on the third harmony, he said, "I thought I was gonna die. I thought my heart was gonna jump right through my mouth. It was about the rightist thing I ever heard."The music Crosby, Stills and Nash together was also ‘the rightist thing’ the public heard. Their first album, Crosby Stills and Nash, sold over 2 million copies the first year. The popularity of the classic Suite: Judy Blue Eyes, has helped the 1969 album sell over 4 million albums to date.
Whether working with or without David Crosby and Graham Nash, Stephen Stills continued to find musical success wherever he turned his attention. His 1969 collaboration with Michael Bloomfield and Al Kooper, Super Session, sold over 1 million units.
Later that same year Neil Young joined Crosby, Stills and Nash to perform their first live show. Not long after, in only their second live performance, CSN&Y appeared before 400,000 people at the Woodstock Music Festival in upstate New York.
In 1970, Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young released the Deja Vu LP. The recording was voted album of the year by Billboard Magazine. 4 Way Street, a live, double album capturing several 1970 concerts was released a year later.
Although CSN&Y drifted apart during the early seventies, the band continued to record in different combinations as well as individually. During his many sabbaticals away from CSN, Stephen Stills’ work as a guitarist and solo performer independently forged his place in rock and roll history as one of its most innovative and successful artists.
His first solo album Stephen Stills, featured such superstars as Eric Clapton, Jimi Hendrix and Ringo Starr. Love The One Your With sold millions of singles and the album itself went platinum.
Gathering momentum, Stills’ second solo effort was Stephen Stills 2. The 1971 release contained the classics Change Partners and Know You’ve Got To Run. His first national tour featuring the Memphis Horns was a critical and commercial success.
When Stills returned to the studio he was joined by Chris Hillman of the Flying Burrito Brothers and pedal steel guitarist, Al Perkins. The result of their collaboration, Manassas, is arguably some of Stills’ finest work away from CSN&Y. In March, 1972, the first performance of Manassas was televised inter-nationally from Amsterdam’s Concertgebouw. A tour of Europe, Australia and the U.S. followed, with the group returning to the studio in 1973 to record their last album together, Down the Road.
When Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young reunited in 1974 it became one of rock music’s most successful tours. Playing to SRO stadium audiences throughout the U.S. and Europe, the tour culminated in a sold-out performance at London’s Wembley Stadium.
During that time, So Far was released. The album featured a compilation of CSN&Y hits and immediately shot to #1 on the charts. As of 1995, So Far has sold over six million units. Stills returned to the studio again in 1976 to record his third solo release, Stills. The album launched the hit single, Turn Back the Pages, a major summer tour and a surprised reunion with Neil Young during a Stills’ performance at UCLA.
The two continued their reunion in the recording studio and the result was the Gold album, Long May You Run. Stills and Young followed the album’s release with a summer tour in 1976.
After completing concert dates with Young, Stills embarked upon a solo acoustic tour, the first of his career. His fourth solo album, Illegal Stills, was released toward the end of 1976.
In 1977, Stills rejoined David Crosby and Graham Nash in a Los Angeles studio, seven years after recording 4 Way Street. The result was well worth the wait. The album CSN went multi-platinum , yielding three hit singles: Just A Song Before I Go, Fair Game and Dark Star. The band toured intermittently throughout 1977 and 1978, with Stills finding time to return to the studio to record his fifth solo album, Thoroughfare Gap.
For four decades, Stephen Stills’ music has spanned generations and cultural borders, entertaining millions of listeners throughout the world. His unique guitar style and phrasing has garnered Stills a well deserved spot among the best players in the world.
Born in Dallas, Texas, Stills was reared in Illinois, Louisiana, Florida and Central America. Inspired by the first music heard in church, Stills began taking piano lessons as a youngster, later developing an interest in drums and guitar. High school was completed in the Republic of Panama and Costa Rica, where Stills’ musical roots were heavily influenced by Latin music.
After a short stint at the University of Florida, Stills decided a higher musical education was more in line with his interests, and began playing in a succession of bands throughout the state. One of the bands included The Continentals, featuring future Eagle Don Felder. Stills soon gravitated to New Orleans, playing the folk music circuit on Royal Street.
But it was in New York City where Stills began to define his musical style. A guitarist named Fred Neil became Stills’ musical mentor, introducing him to folk rock and to the versatility and full sound of the twelve string guitar.
In Greenwich Village, Stills sang with a nine member vocal group called the Au Go Go Singers, featuring Richie Furay.
While in Canada performing with an offshoot of the Au Go Go Singers called the Company, Stills shared the stage with Neil Young and the Squires. The two hit it off and agreed to work together, but by the time Stephen had everything set up, Neil Young couldn’t be found.
One day in 1966, Stills and Richie Furay were driving around Los Angeles when they spotted a hearse bearing Ontario plates. Behind the wheel was Neil Young, next to him bass player Bruce Palmer. With the addition of drummer Dewey Martin, Buffalo Springfield was born.
Stills and Young proved to be a fiery combination working with and off of each other’s distinct guitar styles.
Their self-titled album was released later that year with all tracks written by Stephen Stills or Neil Young. But it was Stills’ For What It’s Worth that captured the essence of a generation and became the anthem of the sixties.
Buffalo Springfield went on to record two more albums, Buffalo Springfield Again in 1967 and Buffalo Springfield: Last Time Around in 1968. The band’s music continues to find new audiences and a "best of" album, Retrospective, has sold over 1 million units. In 1973, the band released Buffalo Springfield, a 23-song compilation album.
As the sixties evolved, so did rock & roll. After Buffalo Springfield broke up, Stills began collaborating with David Crosby, who has recently been expelled from the Byrds. Graham Nash, disappointed with the creative direction his band, the Hollies, was eager to find a greater musical challenge.
The three first sang together on a summer day in Los Angeles in 1968. Nash joined in on two songs Crosby and Stills were working on, Helplessly Hoping and You Don’t Have To Cry. When Crosby heard Nash put on the third harmony, he said, "I thought I was gonna die. I thought my heart was gonna jump right through my mouth. It was about the rightist thing I ever heard."The music Crosby, Stills and Nash together was also ‘the rightist thing’ the public heard. Their first album, Crosby Stills and Nash, sold over 2 million copies the first year. The popularity of the classic Suite: Judy Blue Eyes, has helped the 1969 album sell over 4 million albums to date.
Whether working with or without David Crosby and Graham Nash, Stephen Stills continued to find musical success wherever he turned his attention. His 1969 collaboration with Michael Bloomfield and Al Kooper, Super Session, sold over 1 million units.
Later that same year Neil Young joined Crosby, Stills and Nash to perform their first live show. Not long after, in only their second live performance, CSN&Y appeared before 400,000 people at the Woodstock Music Festival in upstate New York.
In 1970, Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young released the Deja Vu LP. The recording was voted album of the year by Billboard Magazine. 4 Way Street, a live, double album capturing several 1970 concerts was released a year later.
Although CSN&Y drifted apart during the early seventies, the band continued to record in different combinations as well as individually. During his many sabbaticals away from CSN, Stephen Stills’ work as a guitarist and solo performer independently forged his place in rock and roll history as one of its most innovative and successful artists.
His first solo album Stephen Stills, featured such superstars as Eric Clapton, Jimi Hendrix and Ringo Starr. Love The One Your With sold millions of singles and the album itself went platinum.
Gathering momentum, Stills’ second solo effort was Stephen Stills 2. The 1971 release contained the classics Change Partners and Know You’ve Got To Run. His first national tour featuring the Memphis Horns was a critical and commercial success.
When Stills returned to the studio he was joined by Chris Hillman of the Flying Burrito Brothers and pedal steel guitarist, Al Perkins. The result of their collaboration, Manassas, is arguably some of Stills’ finest work away from CSN&Y. In March, 1972, the first performance of Manassas was televised inter-nationally from Amsterdam’s Concertgebouw. A tour of Europe, Australia and the U.S. followed, with the group returning to the studio in 1973 to record their last album together, Down the Road.
When Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young reunited in 1974 it became one of rock music’s most successful tours. Playing to SRO stadium audiences throughout the U.S. and Europe, the tour culminated in a sold-out performance at London’s Wembley Stadium.
During that time, So Far was released. The album featured a compilation of CSN&Y hits and immediately shot to #1 on the charts. As of 1995, So Far has sold over six million units. Stills returned to the studio again in 1976 to record his third solo release, Stills. The album launched the hit single, Turn Back the Pages, a major summer tour and a surprised reunion with Neil Young during a Stills’ performance at UCLA.
The two continued their reunion in the recording studio and the result was the Gold album, Long May You Run. Stills and Young followed the album’s release with a summer tour in 1976.
After completing concert dates with Young, Stills embarked upon a solo acoustic tour, the first of his career. His fourth solo album, Illegal Stills, was released toward the end of 1976.
In 1977, Stills rejoined David Crosby and Graham Nash in a Los Angeles studio, seven years after recording 4 Way Street. The result was well worth the wait. The album CSN went multi-platinum , yielding three hit singles: Just A Song Before I Go, Fair Game and Dark Star. The band toured intermittently throughout 1977 and 1978, with Stills finding time to return to the studio to record his fifth solo album, Thoroughfare Gap.
