Listening to Crosby, Stills & Nash tonight. Truly the sound track of my life. I had already listened to various band members in other bands. I began with Neil Young and Stephen Stills as members of Buffalo Springfield, a band that, oddly enough, was named after a steamroller built in my home town, Springfield, Oh. I remember driving through Springfield and seeing this big sign on a factory building:
And I thought, SIGN FROM GOD.
I was first introduced to David Crosby as a member of The Byrds. I followed on to Crosby, Stills and Nash. As a folk musician, I was excited about the marriage between folk music and rock and roll (okay, they were having a steamy affair, at least.)
I saw CSN&Y at Cleveland Public Hall after the Kent State shootings. When they played 'Ohio," they about burned the place down. We used to cover 'Helplessly Hoping,' trying our best to capture that amazing harmony. I thought of Suite: Judy Blue Eyes as the penultimate song about unrequited love. At a time the Greatest Generation and the Boomers seemed to be at war with each other, Teach Your Children was an anthem for all of us.
My sister played guitar and sang "Our House" at my wedding.
Time to rebuy some more of that music.