Pasadena Weekly - Graham Nash teams up with old friend David Crosby to raise funds for the children of Five Acres
By Carl Kozlowski 08/21/2013
Throughout his nearly 50 years as a rock star, Graham Nash and his band mates in Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young have written hundreds of songs. They have also recorded dozens of albums, both as solo artists and in various combinations of the super group. But through it all, Nash has maintained a particularly strong bond with David Crosby.
The duo performed 87 concerts in 2012 and is doing a total of 45 more shows this year, with one of the most meaningful slated for Sunday night at the Pasadena Playhouse. That’s when they will be performing a fundraiser for the Permanency Fund of Five Acres, the social services agency that has been helping children and needy families for 125 years, including an average of 6,500 families annually. It’s shows like this one that are a large part of what keeps life meaningful for Nash.
“We did a benefit in 2009 for the Grace Center, under the umbrella of Five Acres, and their work helping families and children less fortunate than we are is just incredible — for 125 years!” exclaims Nash, speaking from his self-described “paradise” Hawaiian home of 35 years. “The truth is that we are so lucky as people that we have always, all our lives, wanted to give back. You have to prioritize your time because you get asked to do lots and lots of benefits, obviously. Children, the environment and particularly anti-nuke programs are our priorities.”
Nash was born in Blackpool, England in 1942 and embarked on his music career at an early age, co-founding The Hollies in 1963. They found instant success with a string of classic hits, but as the other members shifted musical styles, Nash felt displaced and wound up making a bold move during a trip to the US in 1968.
It was then that famed singer Mama Cass Elliott of The Mamas and The Papas introduced Nash to fellow musician David Crosby, then of The Byrds, and they quickly became best friends. Crosby, in turn, introduced Nash to Stephen Stills of Buffalo Springfield and Neil Young, and the legendary foursome went on to become one of the biggest rock acts of the 1970s.