Back in the days of the Beatles and Jefferson Airplane and the Rolling Stones, there appeared a new group who called themselves Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young. Was this a cop out on naming their band, or was it a strategic decision?

It was actually strategic. David Crosby was already a singer with The Byrds who had many hit songs, (e.g., Turn,Turn,Turn). Graham Nash sang already with The Hollies, and Steven Stills and Neil Young had been in several bands, and together in Buffalo Springfied. Crosby explains that the group decided to use their own names instead of Purple Elephant (which was a candidate) because they discovered at a party that their voices sounded unique and good with each other in any combination of two, three or four. In fact, their first album was as Crosby, Stills and Nash. Young was added later, and did not participate on many of the groups’ albums.

They each had experienced trouble getting along in bands before. They started their own band with the notion that they would probably have their own ins and outs and cut albiums with different mixes of the members so they wanted the naming flexibility to do so.

Maybe that is why the same works so well for advertising agencies and for law firms. Not sure. What do you think?