86 Facts About Stephen Stills

Stephen Stills was ranked number 28 in Rolling Stones 2003 list of "The 100 Greatest Guitarists of All Time" and number 47 in the 2011 list.

Stephen Stills became the first person to be inducted twice on the same night into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

Stills' first solo album, Stephen Stills, earned a gold record and is the only album to feature both Jimi Hendrix and Eric Clapton.

Stephen Stills followed this with a string of solo albums, as well as starting a band with Chris Hillman called Manassas in 1972.

Stephen Stills was born in Dallas, Texas, to Talitha Quintilla Collard and William Arthur Stephen Stills.

Stephen Stills was influenced by Latin music after spending his youth in Gainesville and Tampa, Florida, as well as Covington, Louisiana, Costa Rica, the Panama Canal Zone, and El Salvador.

Stephen Stills dropped out of Louisiana State University in the early 1960s.

Stephen Stills played in a series of bands, including the Continentals, which then featured future Eagles guitarist Don Felder.

Stephen Stills sang as a solo artist at Gerde's Folk City, a well-known coffeehouse in Greenwich Village.

Stephen Stills eventually ended up in a nine-member vocal harmony ensemble, the house act at the Cafe au Go Go in New York City, called the Au Go Go Singers, which included his future Buffalo Springfield bandmate Richie Furay.

Stephen Stills later formed a folk-rock band called the Company with four other former members of the Au Go Go Singers.

The Company embarked on a six-week tour of Canada, where Stephen Stills met guitarist Neil Young.

The Company broke up in New York within four months; Stephen Stills did session work and went to various auditions.

Stephen Stills nominally auditioned for the group that would become The Monkees; the producers of the show decided he was not photogenic enough for the part nor were they interested in his songwriting, but did accept Stephen Stills's recommendation for someone who looked vaguely like him but more attractive: Peter Tork.

Stephen Stills was invited by David Crosby to play on Mitchell's 1968 debut album Song to a Seagull, on the track "Night in the City".

Stephen Stills was an influence on Mitchell's dulcimer sound, since she first discovered the instrument at Big Sur in 1969.

Stephen Stills embraced her new sound, which can be heard on the 1970 album Blue.

In 1972, Stephen Stills was credited as the rock 'n' roll band in "Blonde in the Bleachers".

Stephen Stills played all the bass, organ, and lead guitar parts, as well as acoustic guitar on his own songs.

Stephen Stills brought his version of Joni Mitchell's song "Woodstock" for the band to cover.

The single's B-side was Stephen Stills's "Find the Cost Of Freedom".

Stephen Stills moved to England and started recording his debut solo album.

At the time of release, Stephen Stills's album was the highest selling solo album out of the four.

Ever since being first introduced to Hendrix at the Monterey Pop Festival in 1967, Stephen Stills was inspired by the guitarist and had befriended him.

In early 1971, on the French music show Pop 2, Stephen Stills talked about the influence that Hendrix had on him as a person and a musician:.

Stephen Stills defined the modernization of the old country blues, as played by Blind Willie Johnson, Robert Johnson, and Blind Lemon Jefferson and all those little dudes, y'know.

Stephen Stills initially recorded 23 songs and hoped to release them as a double album; this was ultimately rejected by Atlantic.

Stephen Stills embarked on his first solo US tour with an eight-piece band including the Memphis Horns, in which he sold out Madison Square Garden, The Philadelphia Spectrum, LA Forum and the Boston Garden, arguably at his solo commercial peak.

Stephen Stills donated his stage, sound, lighting system and production manager in kind, but was later upset when Harrison "neglected to invite him to perform, mention his name, or say thank you".

Stephen Stills then spent the show drunk in Ringo Starr's dressing room, "barking at everyone".

In late 1971, Stephen Stills teamed up with ex-Byrd Chris Hillman to form the band Manassas.

Stephen Stills spent the majority of 1972 playing live with Manassas on a world tour, which included headlining festivals in Australia, playing more arenas in the US including the Nassau Coliseum, and the Boston Garden.

Stephen Stills moved to Boulder, Colorado after this world tour finished and in March 1973 married French singer-songwriter Veronique Sanson in London, after having met while at a Manassas gig in France, 1972.

In early 1972, Stephen Stills appeared in a UK documentary about himself called Sounding Out.

Stephen Stills then sold his Surrey home and relocated to Colorado.

Stephen Stills spent early 1974 on a sold out East coast tour where he played well respected theatres, including Carnegie Hall.

The 1975 live album Stephen Stills Live was made up of recordings from this tour.

In 1974, Stephen Stills played bass on, and helped mix his wife's record Le Maudit.

Stephen Stills played bass for her at two concerts in Paris in October 1974.

Stephen Stills released in June 1975, was the highest-charting release of the three at number 22 on the US charts, and the most critically successful of the three.

Stephen Stills then spent the rest of year touring the US, doing a summer and winter tour playing to 10,000 seat arenas, including the LA Forum, and Red Rocks Amphitheatre.

Stephen Stills played an acoustic set at the Bob Dylan-organised Night of the Hurricane Benefit at the Houston Astrodome in January 1976.

Stephen Stills next released Illegal Stills in May 1976, which reached number 31 on the US charts, but was not critically well received, nor produced any charting singles.

Around this time Stephen Stills played percussion on the Bee Gees' song "You Should Be Dancing" and wrote an unreleased song with Barry Gibb.

In 1976 after the release of Illegal Stephen Stills, Stephen Stills attempted a reunion with Neil Young.

Stephen Stills was contractually bound to finish the tour, which he did for three dates before it was cancelled with Chris Hillman helping him, but upon returning home, his wife announced she wanted a divorce and wished to move back to France, although they temporarily reunited.

Stephen Stills went out on tour in November 1976 as a three-piece: Stephen Stills on guitar, vocals, and piano; George Perry on bass; and Joe Vitale on drums.

Stephen Stills released his final album on Columbia Records entitled Thoroughfare Gap in October 1978.

In 1977 and 1978, Stephen Stills played only one solo engagement, at the Bread and Roses Festival in 1978.

Stephen Stills's performance is captured on Ernesto Juan Castellanos's documentary Havana Jam '79.

In 1979, Stephen Stills recorded one of the first entirely digital albums; however, it remains unreleased, as the record company did not feel it was commercial enough.

In 1979, Stephen Stills's wife filed for divorce, which was finalized on July 12,1980.

The album featured the Stephen Stills-written top twenty hit "Southern Cross".

In 1984, Stephen Stills released his first solo album in six years, Right by You on Atlantic Records.

Stephen Stills toured with CSN, in 1990,1994,1996,1997 and 1999.

From 1993 to 1995, Stephen Stills part owned a restaurant in New Orleans, called Toucan Du.

Stephen Stills married his third wife, Kristen Hathaway, on May 27,1996.

In 1997, Stephen Stills became the first person to be inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame twice on the same night for his work with CSN and Buffalo Springfield.

Stephen Stills co-wrote "Faith in Me," which was recorded in Ga Ga's Room in Los Angeles, and which he sang.

Stephen Stills wrote and sang "Seen Enough," recorded at Conway Recording Studios in Hollywood, and "No Tears Left," which was recorded with many other album tracks at Neil Young's facility, Redwood Digital, in Woodside, California.

Stephen Stills toured with CSN in 2003,2005,2007,2008 and 2009.

On May 28,2007, Stephen Stills sang the national anthem for Game 1 of the 2007 Stanley Cup Finals between the Anaheim Ducks and Ottawa Senators in Anaheim, California.

On December 17,2007, Graham Nash revealed on Larry King Live that Stephen Stills had been diagnosed with early stage prostate cancer and that his operation would take place on January 3,2008, which is Stephen Stills's birthday.

In 2007 he released Just Roll Tape, a recently found tape of Stephen Stills singing demos of his unreleased songs in 1968 after the breakup of the Buffalo Springfield, during the last hour of a Judy Collins session.

Stephen Stills toured Europe as a solo artist for the first time during October 2008, resulted in the release of the 2009 live album and video Live At Shepherds Bush, recorded in London, England.

Also in 2009, he released his second archival release Pieces by Manassas, a selection of alternate takes and unreleased songs of Stephen Stills band recorded between 1971 and 1973.

Also in 2010, Stephen Stills reunited with Neil Young and Richie Furay to reform Buffalo Springfield with Young for the Bridge School Benefit 2010.

In 2016, CSN split up after over 30 years together, and in December 2016 Stephen Stills independently released a song called "Look Each Other in the Eye" on SoundCloud.

Since the pandemic, Stephen Stills returned to guest with Brandi Carlile at a tribute concert honoring Joni Mitchell, his first public performance since a benefit in December 2018.

In February 2023, Stephen Stills announced his co-headlining appearance with Neil Young at a Light Up the Blues event, due to take place in April.

On January 30,2025, Stephen Stills appeared at the FireAid benefit concert in Los Angeles where he and guitarist Mike Campbell joined Dawes on stage for a performance of "For What It's Worth".

Stephen Stills was involved with musician Judy Collins, from 1968 to 1969.

Stephen Stills was a guitarist and session musician for Collins, appearing on her 1968 album Who Knows Where the Time Goes and was credited as "Steven Stephen Stills".

In 1969, Stephen Stills released the song "Suite: Judy Blue Eyes", written in an attempt to win back her love.

Stephen Stills dated actress and singer-songwriter Nancy Priddy, who was the inspiration for the Buffalo Springfield song "Pretty Girl Why".

Stephen Stills had a short-term relationship with Rita Coolidge, as had Graham Nash, which apparently led to the initial breakup of CSNY, in 1970.

Stephen Stills' son Justin Stephen Stills was born in 1972 to Harriet Tunis.

Stephen Stills' daughter Eleanor is a photographer and graduate of Art Center College of Design in Pasadena.

Stephen Stills has another daughter, Alex, who attends Emerson College in Boston and currently plays in the rock band Stilljill.

Stephen Stills's youngest son, Oliver Ragland, was born in 2004 and named in honor of Neil Young, whose maternal family name is Ragland.

Stephen Stills has long been involved in liberal causes and politics.

Stephen Stills performed with Billy Porter during the 2020 Democratic National Convention.

In December 2018, Stephen Stills received an Honorary Doctorate in Music from the University of Florida, Gainesville, where he was a speaker at the commencement ceremony.

Stephen Stills is a guitarist whose music draws from myriad genres that include rock and roll, blues, gospel, country and folk music.

Stephen Stills experimented with the guitar itself, including soaking strings in barbecue sauce or flipping pickups to mimic Hendrix playing a right-handed guitar left-handed.

Stephen Stills is known for using alternate guitar tunings, particularly when performing acoustically.