David Crosby had heard plenty of great songs, but one musician wrote the “best songs”

David Crosby said Stephen Stills was the strongest songwriter in the early days of Crosby, Stills and Nash, calling him the “guy with the best songs”. His respect for Stills’s writing and musical ability helped bring them together after Crosby left The Byrds, giving both musicians room to pursue material that did not fit their former bands.

The article describes Stills as the group’s musical anchor, playing nearly all the guitar parts on its first album and shaping songs through the studio arrangements. Crosby recalled that “You Don’t Have to Cry” helped start their collaboration, while Stills’s versatility and evolving approach also supported the band’s live performances, including its first gig at Woodstock.