Crazy Horse (band) facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Crazy Horse
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Crazy Horse in 1972
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| Origin | Los Angeles, California |
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| Years active | 1969–present |
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Crazy Horse is an American rock band famous for working with musician Neil Young. Since 1969, they have released many albums together as Neil Young and Crazy Horse. The band has also released six of their own albums between 1971 and 2009.
Billy Talbot (who plays bass guitar) and Ralph Molina (who plays drums) are the only members who have been with the band for its entire fifty-five years. The original guitarist, Danny Whitten, passed away in 1972. He had recorded two albums with the band: Everybody Knows This Is Nowhere (with Neil Young) and Crazy Horse. For many years, Frank "Poncho" Sampedro (rhythm guitar) was a regular member from 1975 until 2014. On some of Crazy Horse's albums without Neil Young, Talbot and Molina played with different musicians.
After Sampedro retired, Nils Lofgren rejoined the group. He had been an early member of Crazy Horse in the early 1970s. This group of Young, Talbot, Molina, and Lofgren recorded three albums between 2019 and 2022. In 2024, guitarist Micah Nelson joined the band, replacing Lofgren. Nelson had played with Young before in a band called Promise of the Real.
Crazy Horse: A Rock Band's Journey
Early Days and The Rockets
The band's story began in 1963 in Los Angeles. It started as a singing group called Danny & the Memories. This group included Danny Whitten as the lead singer, along with Billy Talbot and Ralph Molina.
Over several years, the group changed and became the Rockets. This band played psychedelic pop and folk rock music. Whitten played rhythm guitar, Talbot played bass, and Molina played drums. They also had Bobby Notkoff on violin and Leon Whitsell on lead guitar. Later, Leon's brother George joined, so they had two lead guitarists.
This six-member band recorded their only album, The Rockets, in 1968. Danny Whitten's song "Let Me Go" was even covered by another famous band, Three Dog Night.
Even though their album didn't sell many copies, the Rockets soon reconnected with Neil Young. They had met him a few years earlier. In August 1968, Neil Young played with the Rockets at a club. Ralph Molina later said that Young's unique guitar style was amazing.
Working with Neil Young
Soon after playing together, Neil Young asked Whitten, Talbot, and Molina to play on his second solo album. At first, everyone thought the Rockets would continue as a separate band. But Neil Young wanted his new backing band to practice a lot, so the Rockets eventually stopped playing together.
The album, called Everybody Knows This Is Nowhere, was released in May 1969. It was credited to Neil Young with Crazy Horse. The album became very popular and included songs like "Cinnamon Girl" and longer, jam-style songs like "Down by the River" and "Cowgirl in the Sand".
Crazy Horse toured with Young in 1969 and 1970. Jack Nitzsche joined them on electric piano for some shows. Neil Young later felt that Crazy Horse sounded best with just two guitars, bass, and drums.
While Young worked on his next album, After the Gold Rush, he also joined the supergroup Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young. Because of this, Crazy Horse's role on After the Gold Rush was smaller. They appeared on only three songs. Young later decided to work less with the group after a difficult performance.
Changes and New Albums
Even after Neil Young's break, Crazy Horse released their own first album, Crazy Horse, in 1971. They kept Jack Nitzsche and added Nils Lofgren as a second guitarist. Guitarist Ry Cooder also played on some songs because Danny Whitten was not well. Whitten's song "I Don't Want to Talk About It" from this album became very famous and was covered by many artists later.
After this album didn't sell well, Lofgren and Nitzsche left. Whitten also left the band due to personal challenges. Talbot and Molina then released two more albums, Loose and At Crooked Lake, in 1972. These albums also did not become big hits.
In late 1972, Neil Young tried to work with Danny Whitten again for his new touring band. However, Whitten was unable to continue, and he sadly passed away shortly after.
After Whitten's passing and the albums' quiet reception, Talbot and Molina decided to take a break from using the Crazy Horse name. In 1973, Neil Young brought Talbot, Molina, and Nils Lofgren together again to record a new album, which later became Tonight's the Night. This group toured as the Santa Monica Flyers.
In 1975, the band reunited with a new member, Frank "Poncho" Sampedro, on rhythm guitar. He was a friend of Billy Talbot. This new lineup felt great together. Billy Talbot said, "It was the first time we heard the Horse since Danny Whitten died."
Neil Young and Crazy Horse quickly recorded Zuma in 1975. Poncho Sampedro's playing style helped shape the album's sound, making it more rock-focused. They toured Japan and Europe in 1976.
Crazy Horse also appeared on Neil Young's albums American Stars 'n Bars (1977) and Comes a Time (1978). In 1978, Crazy Horse released their fourth album, Crazy Moon. They then joined Neil Young for a big tour in 1978, which led to the live albums Rust Never Sleeps and Live Rust in 1979.
Later Years and Reunions
Through the 1980s, Neil Young experimented with different music styles, so Crazy Horse worked with him less often. They recorded Re·ac·tor in 1981 and Life in 1987.
In 1989, Talbot and Molina formed a new version of Crazy Horse with Sonny Mone on vocals and Matt Piucci on lead guitar. They released the album Left for Dead.
However, the classic lineup of Neil Young, Billy Talbot, Ralph Molina, and Frank Sampedro reunited in 1990 for the album Ragged Glory. They also toured, releasing the live albums Weld and Arc in 1991. For the next 12 years, Crazy Horse continued to work with Young on albums like ... with Angels (1994), Broken Arrow (1996), and Greendale (2003).
After the Greendale tour in 2003-2004, Crazy Horse took a break for seven years. In 2009, they released an album called Trick Horse with some older, unreleased recordings.
In 2012, Neil Young and Crazy Horse recorded two new albums: Americana, which featured covers of classic American folk songs, and ... Pill, with new songs by Young. They toured North America, Australia, New Zealand, and Europe to support these albums.
In 2014, the band toured Europe again. During this tour, Rick Rosas filled in for Billy Talbot, who was recovering from a minor stroke. Sadly, Rosas passed away shortly after the tour.
Poncho's Retirement and Nils Lofgren's Return
In 2018, Nils Lofgren rejoined Neil Young, Billy Talbot, and Ralph Molina for some practice concerts. Frank "Poncho" Sampedro had retired from music due to severe arthritis in his wrists and a finger injury, which made touring too painful for him.
This new lineup, sometimes called "Horse of a Different Color," released their first album, Colorado, in October 2019. This began a very busy period for the band. They released Barn in 2021, recorded in Neil Young's barn. In 2022, they released the album Toast (recorded in 2001) and World Record. In 2023, the members of Crazy Horse released All Roads Lead Home, which featured solo recordings made during the COVID-19 pandemic.
In September 2023, Promise of the Real guitarist Micah Nelson joined the band for two shows. In April 2024, Neil Young and Crazy Horse, with Nelson, started the Love Earth Tour in North America. However, some dates were later cancelled due to illness within the band.
Re-issued Recordings
Many of Crazy Horse's albums have been re-released over the years. Their first album was re-issued on CD in 1994. In 2005, a special two-disc set called Scratchy: The Complete Reprise Recordings was released. It included their first two albums and some rare songs. Other albums like Loose, Crazy Moon, Left for Dead, and At Crooked Lake have also been re-issued, allowing more fans to discover their music.
Members
Current Members
Past Members with Neil Young
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Other Past Members
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Neil Young's Time with the Band
- Neil Young – lead singing, lead guitar, keyboards, harmonica (1969–1970; 1973–1976; 1978–1987; 1990–present)
Timeline of Members
Discography
Crazy Horse Albums
Studio albums (without Neil Young)
- Crazy Horse (1971)
- Loose (1972)
- At Crooked Lake (1972)
- Crazy Moon (1978)
- Left for Dead (1989)
- Trick Horse (2009)
Compilation Albums
- Gone Dead Train: The Best of Crazy Horse 1971–1989 (2005)
- Scratchy: The Complete Reprise Recordings (2005)
Neil Young and Crazy Horse Albums
Studio Albums
- Everybody Knows This Is Nowhere (1969)
- Zuma (1975)
- Rust Never Sleeps (1979)
- Re·ac·tor (1981)
- Life (1987)
- Ragged Glory (1990)
- ... with Angels (1994)
- Broken Arrow (1996)
- Greendale (2003)
- Americana (2012)
- ... Pill (2012)
- Colorado (2019)
- Barn (2021)
- Toast (2022; recorded 2001)
- World Record (2022)
- Early Daze (2024; recorded 1969)
Live Albums
- Live Rust (1979)
- Weld (1991)
- Arc (1991) - a 35-minute mix of sounds from live song endings
- Year of the Horse (1997)
- Live at the Fillmore East (2006; recorded March 6–7, 1970)
- Return to Greendale (live, 2020; recorded September 4, 2003)
- Way Down in the Rust Bucket (2021; recorded November 13, 1990)
- ... Up (2024; recorded November 4, 2023 with Lofgren and Nelson)
Films and Videos
- Rust Never Sleeps (1979)
- Weld (1991)
- The Complex Sessions (1995)
- Year of the Horse (1997)
- Greendale (2004)
- video includes "Be the Rain" live in Toronto, 2003
Other Appearances
- Farm Aid 2003: A Soundstage Special Event (c. 2004)
- includes "Hey Hey, My My (Into the Black)" live in Columbus, Ohio, 2003
- A MusiCares Tribute to Bruce Springsteen (2014)
Session Work with Other Artists
Neil Young
- After the Gold Rush (1970) - on "Oh Lonesome Me", "When You Dance I Can Really Love" and "I Believe in You"
- Tonight's the Night (1975) - most songs feature Lofgren, Molina, and Talbot as the Santa Monica Flyers; "Come on Baby Let's Go Downtown" (recorded live in 1970)
- American Stars 'n Bars (1977) - most songs
- Comes a Time (1978) - on "Look Out for My Love" and "Lotta Love"
- Trans (1982) - on "We R in Control" and "Computer Cowboy (aka Syscrusher)"
- Are You Passionate? (2002) - on "Goin' Home"
Other Artists
- She Used to Wanna Be a Ballerina, Buffy Sainte-Marie, Vanguard, 1971
- Head like a Rock, Ian McNabb, 1994 (on four songs; without Sampedro)
Related Albums
The Rockets
- The Rockets (White Whale Records; 1968)
Billy Talbot
- Alive in the Spirit World (2004)
- On the Road to Spearfish (2013)
Ralph Molina
- Love & Inspiration (2019)
- All Roads Lead Home (as Molina, Talbot, Lofgren & Young; 2023)
