Neil Young began working with the musicians who became Crazy Horse in 1969 after their former singer, Danny Whitten, struggled to match Young’s songwriting and direction. Whitten later said he felt angry that Young had effectively taken the band, but Young’s collaboration with them became central to his sound and produced some of his most celebrated work.

The group had previously performed as the Rockets, with Whitten on vocals and guitar, Ralph Molina on drums and Billy Talbot on bass. Young invited them to record with him after hearing the band, and they appeared on his 1969 album *Everybody Knows This Is Nowhere*, including ‘Cinnamon Girl’, ‘Down by the River’ and ‘Cowgirl in the Sand’; they subsequently adopted the name Crazy Horse.