On This Day in 1968, an Impromptu Jam at Joni Mitchell’s House Led to the Formation of Crosby, Stills & Nash

On this day (July 3), David Crosby, Stephen Stills, and Graham Nash sat in Joni Mitchell’s living room in Laurel Canyon playing music and having fun. That impromptu jam session, centered around the Stills-penned “You Don’t Have to Cry,” led to the formation of one of the most influential groups of the late 1960s and early 70s.

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The three singer/songwriters were already established as members of popular groups. Crosby had recently left the Byrds. Stills was a member of Buffalo Springfield, but the band had split earlier in the year. He had already started writing songs with Crosby. Nash was playing guitar for the UK-based band The Hollies. He was in Los Angeles to record with his band and visit Mitchell, his girlfriend at the time.

[RELATED: On This Day in 1969: Crosby, Stills & Nash Released Their Genre-Defining Self-Titled Debut Album]

The folk rock scene being what it was at the time, Crosby, Stills, and Crosby already knew one another. Stills and Crosby were already jamming and writing songs together. Nash met Crosby when the Byrds were on tour in the United Kingdom, and had met Stills at a party before their jam session at Mitchell’s home.

The Jam Session That Created Crosby, Stills & Nash

According to the Joni Mitchell Library, Stills and Crosby were playing “You Don’t Have to Cry” when Nash came in. He asked the pair to play the song again, and eventually found his place in the groove. He contributed a top line that Crosby called “amazing.” The trio knew they had something special.

In August, Crosby, Stills, and Nash traveled to New York to record a five-song demo. By the end of the year, Nash left The Hollies, and the new trio inked a recording contract. Their self-titled debut album dropped on May 29, 1969.

Differing Recollections

Some of the details of the above story have been debated by members of Crosby, Stills & Nash for decades. David Crosby and Graham Nash recall the jam session happening in Joni Mitchell’s living room. Stephen Stills, on the other hand, asserted that the jam took place in Mama Cass Elliot’s dining room. Other versions of the story have the trio coming together for the first time in the home of John Sebastian, founder of the Lovin’ Spoonful.

The one thing that all of the group’s members can agree on is the song that started it all. It was “You Don’t Have to Cry,” which appeared on their debut album but was not released as a single.

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