Stephen Stills
A Reason To Smile
Stephen Stills is a man who has worn many hats. He was a member of two of the most successful folk-rock groups in history: Buffalo Springfield and Crosby, Stills & Nash. He is a singer, a songwriter, a musician, a harmonizer, an arranger, and a producer. He has created rock, folk, and country music. He plays the guitar, bass, banjo, piano, and organ. He famously played every instrument on CSN’s first album except the drums.
Stills could also be wearing a birthday hat, because he turned 81 on Saturday. For all of this and more he is our reason to smile.
Stills wrote dozens of songs for CSN. His last major hit was “Southern Cross.” In the liner notes for “Daylight Again” he described the song’s origins.
“The Curtis Brothers brought a wonderful song called ‘Seven League Boots,’ but it drifted around too much. I rewrote a new set of words and added a different chorus, a story about a long boat trip I took after my divorce. It’s about using the power of the universe to heal your wounds. Once again, I was given somebody’s gem and cut and polished it.”
I interviewed Stills, along with David Crosby and Graham Nash, a few years back. Stills talked about the music they made together.
“It’s not so much that we were going to change the world. It’s that we want to convince everybody that it’s possible. And it’s not so much that America’s sick and dying, it’s that it’s a beautiful idea that needs to be nurtured. And we’re about the joy of making a wonderful noise together.”
Nash went further to describe their “wonderful noise.”
“It was absolutely, completely a unique sound. It was one voice made up of three individual strains of voice. There was no doubt. We knew what we had.”
We are all glad they had it and grateful they shared it with the rest of us.
Note: We understand some of you have issues with our continued use of Spotify for the Reason to Smile playlist. We hear you and are working to set up the playlist on a different platform. Watch this space for the link coming soon. Thank you for your feedback.
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Stay Steady,
Dan
Thanks for sharing a little bit of fresh air as we push through the smutty smog that has become our every day in the USA…
Their sound is indeed like no other - thank you for spotlighting and giving background on Stephen! I am going to look up some of that previous music. It’ll be something new for me in the New Year.
I especially appreciate the awareness you mentioned of Spotify - I haven’t ever used it, but know that it’s an issue. To acknowledge and be researching an alternative is in a way above and beyond, and yet such a sign of these times.
Makes me proud to be a subscriber. And helps me feel more Steady, indeed.