They signed with Atlantic and got busy making their album, with Stills pretty much taking the production reins. By the third go-round, he added his third vocal part, and the group was born. It started with only two: Stills and Crosby discovered they sounded great singing together on a new Beatles song they loved, cCartney’s “Blackbird.” When Graham Nash was in Los Angeles and heard them singing at Cass Elliot’s house, he asked them to sing it again. He was a master at these ingenious middle parts, and the precise vocal blend needed to complement the other two voices. In CSN, except when singing lead, he’d invariably sing the middle part, which is the toughest part to sing, the glue that holds the top and bottom part together and completes the chord. David Crosby, who sang harmonies in the The Balladeers before The Byrds, was then and remains one of the greatest and most creative harmony singers of all time. And although Stephen Stills was on fire in terms of songwriting, writing remarkable songs of love for Judy Collins, he had no outlet for them: Buffalo Springfield had already imploded by 1968.Īll three were exceptional singers – each unique, and gifted vocally in different ways. Yet Nash’s great “King Midas In Reverse” was deemed a little too strange for The Hollies, as was Crosby’s “Triad” for The Byrds. Stills’ “For What It’s Worth” was a giant hit, as was “Eight Miles High” for The Byrds, co-written by Crosby, and also many Hollies hits that Nash co-wrote, including “Carrie Anne,” “On A Carousel,” and “Stop Stop Stop.”īut all three had expanded as artistic songwriters, inspired and empowered by the expansive evolution of songwriting sparked by Dylan, The Beatles, and others. And all three were already serious songwriters. It became a hit, going to #21 on American pop charts, and #11 in Canada.ĬSN all came from big rock bands before getting together: David Crosby in The Byrds, Stephen Stills in Buffalo Springfield and Graham Nash in The Hollies. When it came time for a second single to be released in September 1969, Atlantic, their label, deemed it too long, and it was edited down to 4:35 in length. Stills started composing the various sections which became “Suite: Judy Blue Eyes” before “Hey Jude” was released and before the trio formed. Photography: Henry Diltz/Morrison Hotel Galleries

The full unedited album cut, from their debut album.Īcoustic Guitars, Electric Guitars, Electric Bass, Piano, Organ, Percussion, Vocals: Stephen Stills Crosby, Stills & Nash, “Suite: Judy Blue Eyes.”

Judy blue eyes cover