A Study in Harmony: Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young, and The Band

• Week 1
  All of the members of Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young had successful musical careers before they formed CSN&Y—David Crosby with the Byrds; Stephen Stills and Neil Young with the Buffalo Springfield; and Graham Nash with the Hollies. We’ll see how they each began their musical careers and the magical coincidences that brought them together.

• Week 2
  The group first began as Crosby, Stills and Nash, with a hugely successful first album and a rather nervous first performance at Woodstock. We’ll look at the connections to the “Laurel Canyon Mafia” that contributed to the songwriting and development of Crosby, Stills & Nash, especially the influence of Joni Mitchell. We’ll look at the very personal stories behind each song.

• Week 3
  Their record label thought the group needed a little more “edge” and suggested they bring in their old friend Neil Young. We’ll go back and look at how Neil Young’s career developed before he joined and made it Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young, and how the group’s sound and their dynamics changed when Neil joined them.

• Week 4
  There is a natural progression for musical groups: excitement as they discover each other and how good the combination of voices and songwriting is, followed by the exhilaration of gigantic success, but as time goes on, each musician often decides they need to have their own particular success with their own musical voice. They are not satisfied in a group setting anymore. This is how it all ended for CSN&Y.

• Week 5
  There is no group called The Band without the influence and the mentorship of Rockin’ Ronnie Hawkins. He hired the members of The Band as his backing group while playing in and around the Toronto area. He took them on a wild ride through the U.S. South, working seven nights a week in seedy bars and clubs, but this was their apprenticeship and what made them who they became.

• Week 6
  As with so many other groups, the natural progression also affected The Band. Members began to lose focus on the music and start to enjoy their fame a little too much. Drugs entered their world and tore the harmony apart, leading to the eventual demise of The Band.

By the end of the course, you should be able to:

• Recognize the musical styles of the individual members of Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young
• Appreciate the influence of the “Laurel Canyon Mafia” on the CSN sound and the changes to the sound when Neil Young joined
• Consider the extensive early road life experienced by The Band and the importance on solidifying their unique sound
• Identify the positive and negative reasons these successful groups broke up and the members went their separate ways

• Lectures
• Participation in discussions
• Supplementary resources accessed through Canvas
• Reflective essay (applicable only to certificate students)

No textbook is required. We will provide all course materials online.