In 1969, Crosby, Stills, Nash, and Young performed for nearly half a million people at the legendary Woodstock Festival. A year later they released their first album, Deja Vu, which sold 14 million copies worldwide. Then, things started coming apart.
Their collective talent, songwriting, and intricate vocal harmonies suggested they might a bright star in the folk/rock music scene for years to come. They had cultivated a trove of original material for their second album, but problems with substance abuse, mental health, and artistic differences prevented them from recording that much anticipated second album.
Of course, they went on to have successful solo careers, and they recorded and toured in various configurations, but the four artists never made another record together again.
The article linked below, from one of my favorite sites, longreads.com, tells the back story about Crosby, Stills, Nash, and Young’s lost album, and why the band fell apart so spectacularly.
How CSNY fumbled a chance to record their best album.
Bonus video: here’s Graham Nash performing Neil Young’s haunting Ohio acoustically, and telling Howard Stern how that song came to life.