Stephen Stills

Stills was born in Dallas, Texas, to Talitha Quintilla Collard (1919–1996) and William Arthur Stills (1915–1986). Stills moved frequently as a child and developed an interest in blues and folk music. He was also influenced by Latin music after spending his youth in Gainesville and Tampa, Florida, as well as Covington, Louisiana, Costa Rica, the Panama Canal Zone, and El Salvador. Stills attended H.B. Plant High School in Tampa, Florida, Admiral Farragut Academy in St. Petersburg, Florida and Saint Leo College Preparatory School in Saint Leo, Florida, before graduating from Lincoln High School in Costa Rica. He has two sisters, Talitha and Hannah. When he was nine years old, he was diagnosed with partial hearing loss in one ear. The hearing loss increased as he got older. Stills dropped out of Louisiana State University in the early 1960s. He played in a series of bands, including the Continentals, which then featured future Eagles guitarist Don Felder. Stills also sang as a solo artist at Gerde's Folk City, a well-known coffeehouse in Greenwich Village. Stills eventually ended up in a nine-member vocal harmony ensemble, the house act at the Cafe au Go Go in New York City, called the Au Go Go Singers, which included his future Buffalo Springfield bandmate Richie Furay. This ensemble did some touring in the Catskills and in the South, released one album in 1964, and then broke up in 1965. Stills later formed a folk-rock band called the Company with four other former members of the Au Go Go Singers. The Company embarked on a six-week tour of Canada, where Stills met guitarist Neil Young. On the VH1 CSNY Legends special, Stills said that Young was doing what he always wanted to do: "play folk music in a rock band". The Company broke up in New York within four months; Stills did session work and went to various auditions. In 1966 he convinced a reluctant Furay, then living in Massachusetts, to move with him to California. Stills nominally auditioned for the group that would become The Monkees; the producers of the show decided he was not photogenic enough for the part nor were they interested in his songwriting, but did accept Stills's recommendation for someone who looked vaguely like him but more attractive: Peter Tork. ==Life and career==

Buffalo Springfield and Super Session (1966–1968) Stills, Furay, and Young reunited in Los Angeles and formed the core of Buffalo Springfield. Legend has it that Stills and Furay recognized Young's converted hearse and flagged him down, a meeting described in a recent solo track "Round the Bend". Buffalo Springfield performed a mixture of folk, country, psychedelia, and rock. Its sound was lent a hard edge by the twin lead guitars of Stills and Young, and that combination helped make Buffalo Springfield a critical success. The band's first record Buffalo Springfield (1966) sold well after Stills's topical song "For What It's Worth" became a top ten hit, reaching No. 7 on the US charts. Distrust of their management along with the arrest and deportation of bassist Bruce Palmer worsened the already strained relations among the group members and led to Buffalo Springfield's demise. A second album, Buffalo Springfield Again, was released in late 1967 and featured Stills songs "Bluebird" and "Rock And Roll Woman". In May 1968, the band split up for good, but contractual obligations required the recording and release of a final studio album, Last Time Around. The album was primarily composed of tracks recorded earlier that year. A Stills song from their debut album, "Sit Down, I Think I Love You", was a minor hit for The Mojo Men in 1967. Joni Mitchell (1968–1972) As a session musician, Stills featured on various albums recorded by fellow artist Joni Mitchell. He was invited by David Crosby to play on Mitchell's 1968 debut album Song to a Seagull, on the track "Night in the City". Throughout the years from 1968 to 1972, Stills played on a variety of Mitchell's studio albums such as Song to a Seagull, Clouds, Ladies of the Canyon, Blue, and For the Roses. Mitchell used his bass playing for songs like "Carey". Stills was an influence on Mitchell's dulcimer sound, since she first discovered the instrument at Big Sur in 1969. Mitchell had observed Stills' aggressive, rhythmic style and transformed it into a unique rawness. She embraced her new sound, which can be heard on the 1970 album Blue. In 1972, Stills was credited as the rock 'n' roll band in "Blonde in the Bleachers". His multi-instrumentalist musicianship can be heard in these guest appearances on her albums. Stills' rendition with CS&N of Mitchell's "Woodstock" transformed her folk-based song into an electric rock 'n' roll showpiece. Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young (1969–1970) In late 1968, Stills joined forces with David Crosby (late of The Byrds) and Graham Nash (late of The Hollies) to form Crosby, Stills & Nash. Several of Stills's songs on the group's debut album, including "Suite: Judy Blue Eyes" and "You Don't Have to Cry", were inspired by his on-again off-again relationship with singer Judy Collins. The album reached No. 6 on the US charts and was certified quadruple platinum. Stills dominated the recording of the album. Crosby and Nash played guitar on their own songs respectively, while drummer Dallas Taylor played on four tracks and drummer Jim Gordon on a fifth. Stills played all the bass, organ, and lead guitar parts, as well as acoustic guitar on his own songs. At the band's request, their performance was not included in the subsequent film Gimme Shelter. Peak solo years (1970–71) In the wake of CSNY's success, all four members recorded high-profile solo albums. In 1970, Stills released his eponymous solo debut album featuring guests Eric Clapton, Jimi Hendrix, Cass Elliot, Booker T Jones and Ringo Starr (credited only as "Richie") as well as Crosby, Nash, Rita Coolidge and CSN&Y drummers Dallas Taylor and Johnny Barbata. It provided Stills with the US No. 14 hit single "Love the One You're With", and another US top 40 hit "Sit Yourself Down", peaking at No. 37. The album peaked at No. 3 on the US charts, a solo career peak. At the time of release, Stills's album was the highest selling solo album out of the four. It was recorded in the UK, where Stills bought a mansion in Surrey, England, previously owned by Starr. To promote the album, Stills appeared on the BBC television show Disco 2 in January 1971. The 1970 album cover was shot by photographer Henry Diltz in Colorado, in the early hours of the morning after the death of Jimi Hendrix. Hendrix's untimely death affected Stills immensely. Ever since being first introduced to Hendrix at the Monterey Pop Festival in 1967, Stills was inspired by the guitarist and had befriended him. In 1969, Stills was invited to temporarily join the Jimi Hendrix Experience on tour as their bass player, but was held up by previous commitments with CSN&Y. In early 1971, on the French music show Pop 2, Stills talked about the influence that Hendrix had on him as a person and a musician: Stills followed this first album with his second solo album, Stephen Stills 2, six months later. Recorded in Miami, the album included the singles "Change Partners" and "Marianne", which reached Nos. 43 and 42 in the US. The album itself reached No. 8 on the chart and was certified US Gold a month after release. Even though "Change Partners" was written before CSN formed, Nash saw it as a metaphor for the many relationships in CSN&Y. Stills initially recorded 23 songs and hoped to release them as a double album; this was ultimately rejected by Atlantic. Stills embarked on his first solo US tour with an eight-piece band including the Memphis Horns, in which he sold out Madison Square Garden, The Philadelphia Spectrum, LA Forum and the Boston Garden, arguably at his solo commercial peak. Stills's Madison Square Garden show was professionally recorded and remains unreleased, except for a clip of "Go Back Home" that was broadcast in early 1972 on The Old Grey Whistle Test. Two additional acoustic tracks were released on Stills's 2013 box set Carry On. In 1971, Billboard magazine ranked him at No. 34 top singles artist, No. 44 top album artist, No. 14 top singles male vocalist, No. 12 top new singles vocalist, No. 17 top album male vocalists, No. 14 top new album artist, number 73 top producers, and ranked his debut album number 70 in the year end album charts. Additionally, Cashbox ranked Stephen Stills 2 as the No. 51 album of 1971, and his debut as No. 52. Manassas (1971–1973) In late 1971, Stills teamed up with ex-Byrd Chris Hillman to form the band Manassas. Their self-titled double album was a mixture of rock, country, blues, bluegrass and Latin music divided into different sections and peaked at number 4 in the US. It was certified US Gold a month after release but did not yield any more top 40 hits, only "It Doesn't Matter" reached 61 on the US charts. Stills spent the majority of 1972 playing live with Manassas on a world tour, which included headlining festivals in Australia, playing more arenas in the US including the Nassau Coliseum, and the Boston Garden. His concert at The Rainbow Theatre in London was recorded for a BBC TV special titled Stephen Stills Manassas: In Concert. He moved to Boulder, Colorado after this world tour finished and in March 1973 married French singer-songwriter Véronique Sanson in London, after having met while at a Manassas gig in France, 1972. Cashbox magazine ranked Stills as the number 29 top male vocalist of 1975. In 1976 after the release of Illegal Stills, Stills attempted a reunion with Neil Young. At one point, Long May You Run was slated to be a CSNY record, but when Crosby and Nash left to fulfill recording and touring obligations, they returned to find the other pair had wiped their vocals from the recordings, as Stills and Young decided to go on without them as the Stills–Young Band. However, Young would leave midway through the resulting tour due to an apparent throat infection. however, it remains unreleased, as the record company did not feel it was commercial enough. The songs recorded for this album include "Spanish Suite" and "Cuba al Fin" and the 1982 CSN hit "Southern Cross". The album was produced by Barry Beckett and was slated for release in 1979 or 1980. CSN played only two dates in 1979, both at Madison Square Garden for Musicians United for Safe Energy. Their performance was released on The Muse Concerts for a Non-Nuclear Future. In 1979, Stills's wife filed for divorce, which was finalized on July 12, 1980. 1980s After playing some European dates in 1980, and with Graham Nash joining him for the German dates supporting Angelo Branduardi, Stills and Nash decided to record a duo album together. The record company refused to release this album without David Crosby, so they added him and CSN's Daylight Again was released in 1982, reaching number 8 in the US and was certified Platinum. The album featured the Stills-written top twenty hit "Southern Cross". In 1983, the CSN live album Allies, was released featuring Stills's number 45 hit song "War Games". CSN toured yearly from 1982 to 1989, except during 1986, due to David Crosby's prison sentence. In 1984, Stills released his first solo album in six years, Right by You on Atlantic Records. This would be the final Stills album to make the Billboard 200 album chart and featured Jimmy Page on guitar. It was his last solo release on a major label. In 1985, CSN and CSNY played Live Aid. In 1988, CSNY reunited for the album American Dream, which reached number 12 on the US charts and was certified platinum in the US. However no tour was taken in support of the album. 1990s In 1990, CSN released the album Live It Up, their first not to be certified in the US since their debut. Stills toured with CSN, in 1990, 1994, 1996, 1997 and 1999. Having spent most of 1990 playing acoustic with CSN and solo he released the solo album Stills Alone in 1991, with the aim of releasing a solo electric album in 1992. However this solo electric album was never released. In 1994, CSN released the album After the Storm. From 1993 to 1995, Stills part owned a restaurant in New Orleans, called Toucan Du. He married his third wife, Kristen Hathaway, on May 27, 1996. In 1997, Stills became the first person to be inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame twice on the same night for his work with CSN and Buffalo Springfield. Fender Guitars Custom Shop crafted a guitar and presented it to Stills to commemorate the occasion, a Telecaster 1953 reissue guitar serial R2674 bearing an inscription on the neck plate; "Stephen Stills R & R Hall of Fame May 6, 1997 " In 1999, CSNY reunited to release the album Looking Forward; it reached number 26 on the US charts. Stills co-wrote (with Joe Vitale) "Faith in Me," which was recorded in Ga Ga's Room in Los Angeles, and which he also sang. He also wrote and sang "Seen Enough," recorded at Conway Recording Studios in Hollywood, and "No Tears Left," which was recorded with many other album tracks at Neil Young's facility, Redwood Digital, in Woodside, California. Looking Forward was the eighth and final studio album by Crosby, Stills & Nash, and their third and final with Neil Young. 2000s This CSNY reunion resulted in CSNY reunion tours 2000 CSNY2K, 2002 and 2006 reunion tours, their first since 1974. The CSNY2K tour of the United States and Canada with the reformed super quartet earned $42.1 million, making it the eighth largest grossing tour of 2000. The 2006 CSNY tour was the Freedom of Speech tour, which was released on the album Deja Vu Live. Stills also toured with CSN in 2003, 2005, 2007, 2008 and 2009. The 2005 tour supported their Gold certified album Greatest Hits, their 2009 tour supported the CSN demos album Demos. 2005 saw Stills release Man Alive!, his first solo offering in 14 years. Man Alive! was released on the small English independent folk rock label Talking Elephant, and was not widely reviewed. The record did not chart on either side of the Atlantic, and was received lukewarmly by the few critics who did review it. It featured songs dating from the 1970s to the present, including "Spanish Suite", originally recorded in the late 70s with Herbie Hancock. Throughout 2006 and 2007, Stills toured regularly as a solo artist with "the Quartet", which consisted of drummer Joe Vitale, either Mike Finnigan or session player Todd Caldwell on keyboards, and either Kevin McCormick or Kenny Passarelli on bass. On May 28, 2007, Stills sang the national anthem for Game 1 of the 2007 Stanley Cup Finals between the Anaheim Ducks and Ottawa Senators in Anaheim, California. On December 17, 2007, Graham Nash revealed on Larry King Live that Stills had been diagnosed with early stage prostate cancer and that his operation would take place on January 3, 2008, which is Stills's birthday. In 2007 he released Just Roll Tape, a recently found tape of Stills singing demos of his unreleased songs in 1968 after the breakup of the Buffalo Springfield, during the last hour of a Judy Collins session. Stills toured Europe as a solo artist for the first time during October 2008, resulted in the release of the 2009 live album and video Live at Shepherds Bush, recorded in London, England. Also in 2009, he released his second archival release Pieces by Manassas, a selection of alternate takes and unreleased songs of Stills band recorded between 1971 and 1973. This was supposed to be the start in a series of archival releases, however none have appeared since. Later years Stills toured with CSN in 2010, 2012, 2014, 2015. The 2012 tour resulted in the release CSN 2012. In 2011, Stills contributed a song, "Low Barefoot Tolerance," to the soundtrack of a documentary produced by J. Ralph, Wretches & Jabberers. Also in 2010, Stills reunited with Neil Young and Richie Furay to reform Buffalo Springfield with Young for the Bridge School Benefit 2010. The band also played Bonnaroo in 2011. This was supposed to be followed by a full tour in 2012 but this never materialized. On August 27, 2013, Stills released the album, ''Can't Get Enough with Kenny Wayne Shepherd and Barry Goldberg as the blues band the Rides. The band toured to support this release in 2013. They released a follow-up album called Pierced Arrow'' in 2016, this was followed by another tour to support this release in 2016 and 2017. On August 12, 2014, Watsky released the album All You Can Do, featuring a song with Stills, "Cannonball". In 2016, CSN split up after over 30 years together, and in December 2016 Stills independently released a song called "Look Each Other in the Eye" on SoundCloud. On September 22, 2017, Stills and Judy Collins released an album Everybody Knows, which entered the Billboard 200 chart at number 195 and peaked at 45. It was their first joint album and was followed by a 2017-2018 tour supporting the album. In April 2021, Stills gave an interview indicating that he was retired. Since the pandemic, Stills returned to guest with Brandi Carlile at a tribute concert honoring Joni Mitchell, his first public performance since a benefit in December 2018. In February 2023, Stills announced his co-headlining appearance with Neil Young at a Light Up the Blues event, due to take place in April. ==Personal life==

Relationship with Judy Collins Stills was involved with musician Judy Collins from 1968 to 1969. Their brief relationship inspired some of Stills's songs. Stills was a guitarist and session musician for Collins. He appeared on her 1968 album Who Knows Where the Time Goes and was credited as "Steven Stills". It was during these sessions that Stills recorded his demo album, Just Roll Tape on April 28, 1968 (finally released in 2007). The songs "Change Partners", "So Begins the Task", "Judy", "Helplessly Hoping" and "Suite: Judy Blue Eyes" were originally recorded as demos, with only a stripped-back acoustic guitar. In 1969, Stills released the song "Suite: Judy Blue Eyes". When Stills first played the song alone for Collins, she recalls, "Afterwards, we both cried – and then I said: 'Oh, Stephen, it's such a beautiful song. But it's not winning me back.'" In the early 1970s, Stills recorded "So Begins the Task" about accepting rejection from Collins. About their relationship, Collins has said, "My center was in New York and his in L.A. He hated New York and he hated therapy. And I was in both." Other relationships Stills dated actress and singer-songwriter Nancy Priddy, who was the inspiration for the Buffalo Springfield song "Pretty Girl Why". Stills also had a short-term relationship with Rita Coolidge, as had Graham Nash, which apparently led to the initial breakup of CSNY, in 1970. Second paternity suit Stills' son Justin Stills was born in January 1971 to Harriet Tunis, whose sister Roxanne had had a daughter by Clint Eastwood in 1964, thus making Stills' son a maternal first cousin of Eastwood's daughter. Tunis filed a paternity suit against Stills, which was not settled until December 1973, when Justin was nearly three years old. Justin was critically injured while snowboarding on Mt. Charleston, just outside Las Vegas, in 1997. An episode of Discovery Health's documentary series Trauma: Life in the ER featured his treatment and recovery. First marriage During a Manassas tour in France, Stills met his first wife, French singer-songwriter Véronique Sanson. They were married on March 14, 1973. Their son Chris Stills was born in 1974. They divorced in 1979. Second marriage On December 5, 1987, he married American model Pamela Ann Jordan, with whom he had a daughter, Eleanor (b. 1988), a photographer and graduate of Art Center College of Design. Since Eleanor's graduation, she has been responsible for all recent Crosby, Stills & Nash photography. Third paternity case Stills has another daughter by ex-girlfriend Marilyn Rubin, Alexandra Stills (b. 1992), who is a graduate of Emerson College and currently plays in the rock band Stilljill. Third marriage His third wife is Kristen Hathaway, whom he married on May 27, 1996 and has two sons, Henry (b. 1996) and Oliver (b. 2004). Henry has been diagnosed with Asperger syndrome and is profiled in the 2007 documentary Autism: The Musical. Health In 1976, Stills told Rolling Stone, "My hearing has gotten to be a terrible problem. If I keep playing and touring the way I have been, I'll go deaf." Stills has struggled with both drug addiction and alcoholism. Stills has been completely sober since 2022. Politics Stills has long been involved in liberal causes and politics. In 2000, he served as a member of the Democratic Party credentials committee from Florida during the Democratic National Convention, and was a delegate in previous years. Stills performed with Billy Porter during the 2020 Democratic National Convention. In December 2018, Stills received an Honorary Doctorate in Music from the University of Florida, Gainesville, where he was a speaker at the commencement ceremony. ==Style, musicianship, and sound==

Stills is a guitarist whose music draws from myriad genres that include rock and roll, blues, gospel, country and folk music. In addition, Latin music has played a key role in both his approach to percussion and guitar and he is also a multi-instrumentalist, capable of playing keyboards, bass, percussion, congas, clavinet, electric piano, piano, organ, banjo and drums. Stills experimented with the guitar itself, including soaking strings in barbecue sauce or flipping pickups to mimic Hendrix playing a right-handed guitar left-handed. He is also known for using alternate guitar tunings, particularly when performing acoustically. Often a long acoustic solo section of the show would showcase agile fingerstyle playing in standard and altered tunings. His primary alternate tuning is usually D A D F♯ A D, or "Palmer modal tuning which is 'E E E E B E' ", which can be heard in "Suite: Judy Blue Eyes," "Carry On," and "4 + 20." For the CSN debut album in 1969, Graham Nash commented that "Stephen had a vision, and David and I let him run with it." Stills played every instrumental part on Crosby, Stills and Nash with the exception of some guitar by Crosby and Nash, and drums by Dallas Taylor. ==Discography==

::See also discographies for The Au Go Go Singers, Buffalo Springfield, Crosby Stills Nash & Young. Albums Singles Other appearances Guest appearances Filmography and TV appearances == Tours ==

• Memphis Horns Tour 1971 • Manassas World Tour 1972 • Manassas North American Tour 1973 • 1974 Theater Tour • 1975 Tour • The Stills–Young Band Tour • 1976 Tour • 1979 California Blues Band Tour ==References==