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.
Crosby, Stills & Nash were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and all three members were also inducted for their work in other groups: Crosby for the Byrds; Stills for Buffalo Springfield; and Nash for the Hollies. Neil Young has also been inducted as a solo artist and as a member of Buffalo Springfield but not as a member of CSN. Their final studio album was 1999's Looking Forward, and they remained a performing act until 2015. Crosby died in 2023, ruling out any further full reunions of either lineup.
