Stephen Arthur Stills is an American guitarist, a songwriter, and a singer,… Read Full Bio ↴Stephen Arthur Stills is an American guitarist, a songwriter, and a singer, best known for his work with the Buffalo Springfield, Crosby, Stills & Nash and Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young.

Stephen Stills was born in Dallas, Texas on January 3, 1945 to a military family. Moving around as a child, he developed an interest in blues and folk music. He was also influenced by Latin music after spending his teenage years in Costa Rica and the Panama Canal Zone, where he graduated from high school.

Stills dropped out of the University of Florida to pursue a music career in the early 1960s. He played in a series of unsuccessful bands including the Continentals, which featured future The Eagles guitarist Don Felder. Stills eventually ended up in a nine-member vocal harmony group, the house act at the famous Cafe Au Go Go in NYC, called the Au Go Go Singers (Rick Geiger, Roy Michaels, Michael Scott, Jean Gurney, Kathy King, Nels Gustafson, Bob Harmelink, Richie Furay & Stills) where and when he met Richie Furay. This group also did some touring in the Catskills, and in the South, released one album in 1964, then broke up in 1965. Afterwards, Stills, along with four other former members of the Au Go Go Singers: Geiger, Michaels, Gurney & Scott, formed The Company, a folk/rock group. Immediately prior to performing in the Au Go Go Singers, Stills could be seen singing solo in Gerde's Folk City, a well-known coffee house in Greenwich Village. The Company embarked on a 6-week tour of Canada where Stills met a young guitarist named Neil Young. On the VH1 CSNY Legends special, Stills would say that at that time, Young was doing what he always wanted to do, "play folk music in a rock band." The Company broke up in New York within four months, opening up the way for Geiger to join a light opera company in Los Angeles; Michaels to link up with Jimi Hendrix, Gurney to go on to college while doing TV commercials, and Scott to tour with a retro-Highwaymen. Stills did session work and went to various auditions (including an unsuccessful one for The Monkees). In 1966 he convinced a reluctant former Au Go Go Singers, Richie Furay, then living in Massachusetts, to move with him to California.

Solo years

In the wake of CSNY's success, all four members recorded solo albums. In 1970, Stills released his self-titled debut, which featured guests Eric Clapton, Jimi Hendrix, "Mama" Cass Elliot, and Ringo Starr (credited only as "Richie") as well as contributions from various members of the CSNY band. It provided Stills with the hit single "Love The One You're With" as well as the concert favorite "Black Queen." Stills followed this with Stephen Stills 2, which featured "Change Partners." Nash saw this song as a metaphor for the many relationships in CSNY, while Stills viewed the band as something much less bland and repetitive.
The next year, Stills teamed up with ex-Byrd Chris Hillman and several CSNY sidemen to form the band Manassas. During a Manassas tour in France, Stills met and married French singer-songwriter Veronique Sanson. Then he switched to Columbia Records, where he recorded two albums: Stills in 1975 and the punningly titled Illegal Stills in 1976. The former record found Stills in an uncharacteristically joyful mood; his marriage was going great, his son Chris had just been born, and he was happy living in Colorado. "To Mama From Christopher and the Old Man" was an exceptionally optimistic view of his new family.
In 1976, Stills attempted a reunion with Neil Young. At one point, Long May You Run was slated to be a CSNY record, but when Crosby and Nash left to fufill recording and touring obligations, according to both David and Graham the other pair wiped their vocals from the recordings, as Stills and Young decided to go on without their erstwhile partners as The Stills-Young Band. However, Young would leave midway through the resulting tour due to an apparent throat infection. Stills was contractually bound to finish the tour, which he did, but upon returning home, his wife announced she wanted a divorce and wished to move back to France. Stills reunited with Crosby and Nash shortly afterwards, thanks to the efforts of Nash's future wife Susan, who got Nash to forgive Stills for wiping the Crosby and Nash vocals from Long May You Run. This led to the semi-permanent CSN reunion of 1977, which has persisted even though all three have released solo records since then.
In 1997, Stills became the first person to be inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame twice in the same night for his work with CSN and the Buffalo Springfield.
2005 saw Stills release 'Man Alive'; his first solo offering in 14 years. Although not troubling the chart compilers, the record was critically well received and is regarded by many fans as his best since the mid seventies.

Stills was the inspiring influence for Ray LaMontagne who, after hearing one of his songs, decided to quit his job and focus on music.

Dark Star
Stephen Stills Lyrics

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Forgive me if my fantasies might
Seem a little shopworn
I'm sure you've heard it all before.
I wonder what's the right form
Love songs written for you,
It's been going down for years
But to sing what's in my heart
Seems more honest than the tears.

I am curious, don't want to hurry us.
I'm intrigued with us.
Ain't this song a bust.
I don't care, dark star.

I met you several years ago,
The times they were so strange,
But I had a feeling.
You looked into my eyes just once,
An instant flashing by that we were stealing.
Another time you felt so bad,
And I wasn't any help at all as I recall.
We didn't quite know what to do
So we left the wanting be
Still there for me and you.

Dark star, I see you in the morning,
Dark star, a' sleeping next to me.
Dark star, let the memory of the evening
Be the first thing that you think of
When you open up your smile and see me, dark star.

It's easy to be with you
Even with the storms that rage
Beneath your search for peace.
We must make some time together
Take the kids and find a world
That's ours to keep.
Now you've got me dreaming girl.
It's been so long that I thought that I'd forgotten how.
My heart is once again my soul.
We touched, we did, you know we did,
No more teasing now.

Dark star, I see you in the morning,
Dark star, a' sleeping next to me.
Dark star, let the memory of the evening

Be the first thing that you think of
When you open up your smile and see me, dark star.

Overall Meaning

In Stephen Stills's song "Dark Star," he expresses his love for someone who has been in his life for years. He acknowledges that his fantasies may seem unoriginal, but he wants to be honest about his feelings. Stills reminisces about their past encounters and how he felt a connection with this person. He admits that there were times he wasn't there for them but they are still there for each other. Stills is intrigued by their relationship and wants to dedicate a love song to them.

The chorus of "Dark Star" repeats the phrase "dark star" multiple times, creating a sense of mystery and enigma. The lyrics suggest that the person he loves is like a shining "dark star" that he sees every morning and sleeps beside. Stills wants to create a lasting memory of their love and hopes that when they think of him, they will remember the beautiful evening they shared together.

Overall, "Dark Star" is a passionate love song that illustrates the depth of a long-lasting relationship. Stills's use of imagery and repetition makes the song both mystical and emotional.

Dark StarStephen Stills Lyrics

Dark Star
Stephen Stills Lyrics