Stephen Stills

Stephen Arthur Stills ( born January 3, 1945 in Dallas, Texas, USA ) is an American rock musician who has performed in the groups Buffalo Springfield and Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young. In 2003 he was elected number 28 of the list of "100 Best Guitarists of All Time " by Rolling Stone magazine. In 2011 he was ranked 47th Among his most famous pieces include For What It's Worth, Suite: Judy Blue Eyes, Love The One You're With, Change Partners and Southern Cross as well as the popular especially during live performances songs Black Queen and Treetop Flyers.

• 2.1 " Do For the Others ": stills as a guest musician
• 2.2 Honours

• 4.1 Solo
• 4.2 Au Go Go Singers
• 4.3 Buffalo Springfield
• 4.4 Crosby, Stills and Nash
• 4.5 Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young
• 4.6 The Stills - Young Band
• 4.7 The Rides

Musical Career

"So Begins the Task ": beginnings in New York and Buffalo Springfield

Stills began his career in the early 1960s in New York. Here he played with the Au Go Go Singers, the " house band " of the New York club Cafe Au Go Go, with whom he released an album in 1964. Also present was Richie Furay. On a tour of the band both learned to know Neil Young, worked repeatedly with the stills in the course of his career.

→ Main article: Buffalo Springfield

In 1966 stills with Young, Furay, Bruce Palmer and Dewey Martin, the band Buffalo Springfield. Their biggest hit, For What It's Worth, came from the pen of Stephen Stills. One and a half years and three albums later Buffalo Springfield finally broke apart and Stills played with Al Kooper and Mike Bloomfield Super Session Album (1968 ) a, which debuted at # 12 on the U.S. charts.

"Three Together": Crosby, Stills & Nash

→ Main article: Crosby, Stills and Nash

In the same year he met David Crosby, with whom he 1969 - was to come when Graham Nash - the trio Crosby, Stills & Nash founded. Simply titled Crosby, Stills & Nash - - On the 1969 released debut album by the group stills proved not only as the main songwriter of the group: Of the ten songs he had written four alone and co-wrote one. He also appeared as outspoken multi-instrumentalist in appearance: Besides the drums, he had as good as all the instruments (guitar, bass, piano, percussion) recorded alone and was only occasionally supported by Crosby on rhythm guitar.

Along with Neil Young, all four played at the legendary Woodstock Festival. It was only the second public appearance of the band. A short time later, she also appeared in the tragic Altamont Free Concert running.

" For What It's Worth ": Stills on the career highlight

Stills was in 1967-1978 at the height of his creative potential, he could then never retrieve more by matching the view of most critics. Late highlights how the album Stills Alone ( 1991), remained unique highlights of a henceforth otherwise inconsistent and often only mediocre work. Stills was up in the 1970s in with Buffalo Springfield, Crosby, Stills & Nash and Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young very successful from the mid- 1960s and published in 1970 solo recordings, and together with his backing band Manassas ( 1972-1973 ) recorded albums. During this time he published a total of 20 albums and had especially with Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young huge commercial success. The Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young's Déjà Vu plates (1970 ), 4 Way Street (1971) and So Far (1974 ) all reached # 1 in the U.S. LP charts, the Crosby, Stills & Nash CSN work (1977 ) put it at # 2, her sophomore album Daylight Again ( 1982) nevertheless ranked eighth His most successful solo album was Stephen Stills (1970, # 3 on the U.S. LP charts ), on as guests, among others Jimi Hendrix, Eric Clapton, Ringo Starr, David Crosby, Graham Nash and John Sebastian were heard. Also successful were Stephen Stills 2 (1971, 7th place), Manassas (1972, 4th place), Manassas - Down The Road (1973, 8th place) and published with Neil Young as The Stills - Young Band album Long May You Run ( 1976, 12th place). In the singles chart Stills was rarely represented on the front ranks: Only the published piece with Buffalo Springfield For What It's Worth (1967 ), made ​​it to number 7 on the U.S. charts. After all, in the top 20 were still Love The One You're With his first solo album ( 14th) and Southern Cross, 1982, No. 18 for Crosby, Stills & Nash.

In the period 1967-1973 to stills established as a premier rock guitarist and singer, who was beside praised especially for its creative, stylistically diverse songwriting.

"Hung Upside Down": Subsiding success from the late 1970s

From the mid- 1970s, it was pretty quiet around him. Although he continued to publish plates, it still managed to be a success only with stills (1975). Illegal Stills (1976) and Thoroughfare Gap ( 1978) were - although they contained some nice tracks - neither artistic nor commercial success. The artistic low point of his solo career marked the overproduced album Right by You - released in 1984 as the first solo work since Thoroughfare Gap - although it could come up with guests like Jimmy Page. Critics noted especially that Stills ' songwriting qualities had subsided since the 1970s, even though he remained a good singer and excellent guitarist. Righty by You was Stills ' last solo release on a major label, then released him Atlantic Records as a solo artist.

1991 Stills ventured a comeback as a solo artist: Stills Alone was a great success, but was released without much public attention and therefore was not very successful commercially. However, for Stephen Stills, it marked the first artistic peak for a long time.

" Man Alive ": stills in the 21st century

In 2005 he published after 14 years break a new solo album under the title Man Alive! . Even if the time of the great sales success for Stills long past seems to be, he brought in the last few years several interesting albums out: Just Roll Tape - April 26th, 1968 ( 2007) is a collection of demo recordings that will be uncontested documented songwriting talent of the early years. Live at Shepherd's Bush ( 2009) recorded in London in 2008 during his first (!) Solo tour through Europe, offers a varied view of his career.

While his record sales have been through all the ups and downs of the music business, Stills has remained consistently a successful live artists. Even today he is a regular with his own band or with Crosby, Stills, Nash ( & Young) on tour.

In March 2013 appeared with a Carry On 82 items ( including 25 unpublished) comprehensive box set that was praised by critics. The 4 CDs comprehensive set contains recordings from 1962 to 2012, including all the hits, but also rarities and live versions as well - in addition to the extensive solo material - recordings with all the bands that Stills has ever played.

Musical Style

Stephen Stills has been attempted in a variety of musical genres, with folk, rock and country elements dominate and be combined with influences from various North and South American roots music traditions. He has it - understood again and again to make these versatile influences in his music felt - with varying degrees of success: In addition to folk and country sounds are especially his trips to the Southern blues (eg, Black Queen, 1970) or in the Latin American music ( eg Pensamiento, 1973; Dark Star, 1977; Amazonia, 1991; Panama, 1994) is remarkable. In several pieces he sings also - mostly single passages - in Spanish (eg Spanish Suite, 2005), Midnight In Paris ( 1976) even in French. In addition, he also experimented with disco sounds (eg on Thoroughfare Gap, with just the same song soothing them apart ) and bluegrass (eg on Manassas (1972) and the play No Hiding Place, 1984). Since the early 90 's, he is based more strongly on folk and rock music.

His records from the mid- 70s and 80s are often characterized by large-scale instrumentation, only his album Stills Alone ( 1991) stands out from this.

" Do For the Others ": stills as a guest musician

Stephen Stills surrounds himself on his albums not only often with outstanding musicians, he can also be heard even on numerous productions of famous artists. He played guitar on Ringo Starr's Hit It Do not Come Easy ( 1971, produced by George Harrison) and was co-author and producer of Title You've Got a Nice Way (1981). On Neil Young's albums After the Gold Rush (1970), Harvest (1972 ) Zuma (1975) and Americana (2012 ) can be heard stills as a singer. In 1970 he played at concerts of the Rolling Stones piano, the 1975 tour of France Véronique Sanson he accompanied his wife as a bass player. For Judy Collins, he produced their album Who Knows Where the Time Goes (1968) and sang the duet with her Last Thing on My Mind on the album Paradise (2010). Guitar and bass he played for Joni Mitchell on their album Blue. In 1998, he was heard as a guitarist and vocalist on the song He Got Game the hip hop group Public Enemy and also appeared in the accompanying music video. The music of the song came from Stills ' hit For What It's Worth. Blues legend Jimmy Rogers took stills in 1997 for his " Jimmy Rogers All-Stars " to the studio. On two pieces of published until after Rogers' death Album Blues, Blues, Blues Stills was as singer and guitarist here. Previously unpublished is next to a jam session with Jimi Hendrix.

Honors

Stephen Stills is the only musician who was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame on the same night twice: in 1997 he came both as a member of Buffalo Springfield and Crosby, Stills & Nash to this honor.

In June 2009, he was inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame.

Private

Around 1968 he was associated with the folk singer Judy Collins, who he later the song Suite: Judy Blue Eyes devoted. This piece was published by the group Crosby, Stills & Nash. Even more songs he wrote for or about Judy Collins, are among his best-known pieces, such as Bluebird ( Buffalo Springfield, 1967), You Do not Have To Cry ( Crosby, Stills & Nash, 1969) and Bluebird Revisited (1971). From 1973 to 1979 he was married to the French singer -songwriter Veronique Sanson. Their son is the musician Christopher Stills.

In December 2007 it was announced that Stills was suffering from prostate cancer. Stills ' friend and bandmate Graham Nash had made ​​this public in the talk show Larry King. The necessary operation on his 63rd birthday, January 3, 2008 Stills survived very well, according to his wife, Kristen.

Discography

Solo

• Super Session ( with Al Kooper and Mike Bloomfield ), 1968
• Stephen Stills, 1970
• Stephen Stills 2, 1971
• Manassas, 1972
• Down The Road ( Manassas ), 1973
• Stills, 1975
• Live, 1975
• Still Stills: The Best of Stephen Stills, 1976 ( compilation of his solo recordings and Manassas )
• Illegal Stills, 1976
• Thoroughfare Gap, 1978
• Right By You, 1984
• Stills Alone, 1991
• Turnin ' Back The Pages, 2003 ( compilation of his three Columbia albums Stills Illegal Stills Thoroughfare Gap and )
• Man Alive! , 2005
• Just Roll Tape - April 26th 1968 2007 ( demo recordings )
• Pieces ( Manassas ), 2009
• Carry On ( Box Set ) 2013 ( 4- CD set with many unreleased recordings from all periods and all the bands 1962-2012 )

Au Go Go Singers

Buffalo Springfield

• Buffalo Springfield, 1967
• Buffalo Springfield Again 1967
• Last Time Around, 1968
• Retrospective: The Best of the Buffalo Springfield, 1969 ( Compilation )
• Box Set, 2001 ( Compilation )

Crosby, Stills and Nash

• Crosby, Stills & Nash, 1969
• CSN, 1977
• Daylight Again, 1982
• Allies, 1983 ( predominantly live recordings of CSN tours of 1977 and 1982)
• Live It Up 1990
• CSN ( Box Set ), 1991 (4- CD set with many unreleased recordings, partly CSNY )
• After The Storm, 1994
• Greatest Hits, 2005
• Live in L.A. 2007 (recordings 1982)
• Demos, 2009
• CSN 2012, 2012 ( live recordings of the U.S. Tour from April 2012)

Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young

• Déjà Vu, 1970
• 4 Way Street, 1971
• So Far, 1974 ( Compilation )
• Replay, 1980 ( Compilation )
• American Dream, 1988
• Carry On, 1992 ( compilation on 2 CDs; compressed version of the box sets CSN)
• Looking Forward in 1999
• Déjà Vu / LIVE 2008 ( live recording of "Freedom of Speech " tour 2006)

The Stills - Young Band

• Long May You Run 1976

The Rides

• Can not Get Enough, 2013 ( with Kenny Wayne Shepherd and Barry Goldberg )