Born on January 3rd: Stephen Stills, a sense of “Déjà Vu”...

Now 81, this native of Dallas, Texas, has been a pioneer of American folk rock since the 60s.

Stephen Stills' career has followed a winding path, both artistically and personally. And addictions are never far behind either. After meeting Neil Young in Canada and moving to Los Angeles, he formed Buffalo Springfield in 1966, one of the legends of American West Coast rock. In just three albums between '66 and '68, they produced such folk-rock classics as “For What It's Worth”, “Rock'n Roll Woman” and “On The Way Home”.

Composed of musicians with strong personalities and a tenacious rivalry between Stills and Young, Buffalo Springfield made way for an entity that put everyone on an equal footing. At least in theory. David Crosby (ex-Byrds), Stephen Stills and Graham Nash, soon to be joined by Neil Young, joined forces to offer some of the finest vocal harmonies of the era (“Helplessly Hoping” or, much later, “Just A Song Before I Go”), as well as tracks on which everyone tries to pull their weight (like Neil Young on “Ohio”). A protest song of the highest order, this song was written following a National Guard shooting on the Kent University campus during a peaceful demonstration in 1970. Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young also made history with their performance at the Woodstock Festival in August 1969. The following year, the “Déjà Vu” album marked the pinnacle of an association still plagued by rivalries and egos. Most often in Neil Young's absence, but sometimes with his temporary presence, C,S,N&Y continued to meet sporadically until 1999 with “Looking Forward”, which, despite its title, marked the end of a story.

Stephen Stills' solo career, which began in 1970 with an eponymous album, includes eight often bluesy studio albums that leave no doubt as to his talents as a guitarist (“Nothin'To Do But Today” or “Song Of Love”), but at best meet with little more than token success.

(Stéphane Soupart - Tr.: MH - Photo: © tienne Tordoir)
Photo: Stephen Stills at the Fête des Leus in Frasns-lez-Couvin (Belgium) on July 17, 1981.