The Real Story Behind The Bitter Feud That Tore Apart Crosby, Stills, & Nash

Their music may be filled with calming notes and soothing melodies, but the band Crosby, Stills, & Nash — later joined by Young — was fraught with tempestuous fighting. The men were talented musicians whose voices and instrumental prowess meshed into one powerful, yet temperamental supergroup. Despite their arguments they kept their careers on track for decades. But it all eventually crumbled when one particularly difficult member refused to keep his mouth shut, driving a wedge between himself and the rest of the band.

The boys are fighting

In the ’60s David Crosby, Stephen Stills, Graham Nash, and eventually Neil Young formed the folk group CSN — well, CSNY in 1969 once Young officially became a band member. Between them, the musicians were not short of backstories, with plenty of drama coloring their past. And while their collaborations produced some great music, eventually their infighting escalated to the point of no return.

Ending the band

“In my world, there will never, ever be a Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young record and there will never be another Crosby, Stills, and Nash record or show,” Nash told Billboard magazine in 2016. Sharing such an absolute statement publicly showed just how serious Nash’s feelings were on the matter.

Stars to superstars

The band’s subsequent refusal to get together again might be surprising in light of their massive past success. Even before Young joined the band, its three original members had already developed a major fanbase. And their fame only grew with the addition of its fourth member. But without the encouragement of their music label’s impresario, the trio might never have considered bringing him into the fold.

Becoming a quartet

The band knew Young’s reputation as a guitarist, but what they didn’t realize was that he could also play the keyboard. The trio didn’t doubt his talent, but Stills and Nash in particular were still worried about adding Young into the mix. In the end, though, thanks in part to the assurances of their record company, they put aside their reservations. In the summer of 1969, CSN became CSNY.