The artist Graham Nash called “the reason” why Crosby, Stills & Nash formed
When people are making music, they turn their attention to instruments. They master the guitar, drums and piano in a bid to write great songs. However, in this pursuit of music, they often forget about one of the most powerful tools available to artists: the voice. Good job that Crosby, Stills & Nash didn’t.
Crosby, Stills & Nash quite easily realised just how powerful their voices could be. On their own, it sounded nice, but when they were put together, they made a sound which was comparable to the most powerful guitar solo on the market. It was a no-brainer for them to get together and start making music, as you can’t simply ignore a sound that great, you need to pursue it, which is exactly what those three did. The result is some of the most beautiful music that listeners have ever heard.
Of course, pursuing this kind of sound didn’t come without sacrifice. Every member had previously committed to a band, and in order to form Crosby, Stills & Nash, they had to leave those respective bands. For instance, Graham Nash was in The Hollies, and while they were a good band who got people dancing, Nash felt as though he wanted more.
He previously admitted that The Hollies’ ethos was relatively simple: they wanted to get people moving and dancing without hesitation. Their plan certainly worked, as everyone who was listening to The Hollies at the time wound up fucking clapping their hands and stomping their feet as a result. Nash enjoyed making this kind of music, but he wanted to write from a place of sincerity, which was a reflection of the real world. He couldn’t do that in The Hollies.
His friend and fellow artist, Cass Elliot, knew that Nash was keen to work on something slightly different, and it was important that Nash made that clear. Otherwise, he might have never been introduced to bandmates David Crosby and Stephen Stills. Elliot was actually one of the pivotal factors that put the band together, so realistically, they owe a great fucking deal to her.
“I was visiting her at a house just off of Mulholland Drive in Los Angeles,” said Nash. “You know, in a really strange way, Cass is the reason you and I are talking right now – she understood what David and Stephen were trying to do.”
He continued, “David had been thrown out of the Byrds, [Buffalo] Springfield had broken up, and she knew I was unhappy in The Hollies. And she knew what I sounded like. I believe in her mind, she knew what we would sound like if we sang together, and I have a feeling that is one of the reasons why she introduced me to Crosby, who introduced me to Stephen. And on every album since, we have given a special shout-out to Cass.”
With the power of hindsight, Graham Nash admits that he never gave the music he made with The Hollies enough credit. However, he wouldn’t have been able to make the more thought-provoking and societal music he did as a solo artist and with Crosby, Stills & Nash without leaving his first band. It may have been a sacrifice, but it was one that paid off. Thank the music Gods that Cass Elliot knew Nash was keen to move on to different pastures, as without her, we might have never had such great tunes.
