How George Harrison Rejected Crosby, Stills, & Nash

When David Crosby, Stephen Stills, and Graham Nash first heard The Beatles, they were blown away. Like many musicians in the ‘60s, they were deeply influenced by the Fab Four. So when they got the chance to audition for Apple Records—the label started by The Beatles—it felt like a dream opportunity.

Unfortunately, not everyone in the room felt the same excitement. George Harrison, guitarist and vocalist of The Beatles, wasn’t sold.

Rejected by a Beatle

In 1969, Crosby, Stills & Nash flew from Los Angeles to London with high hopes. Their goal? To land a deal with Apple Records. At the time, they had been rehearsing their debut album and were confident in their sound.

They didn’t record demos. Instead, they gave a live performance in front of George Harrison and Apple’s A&R head, Peter Asher. Years later, Crosby recalled the moment in a tweet:

“Apple passed on a number one record there. Ahh well… everybody makes mistakes. Bet they regretted it later.”

Graham Nash also looked back on that moment during a 2015 interview with The Guardian:

“We were rehearsing the first record, and we had our s** down. To hear ‘Suite: Judy Blue Eyes’ in our living room was pretty f**ing impressive. And they turned us down.”

From Fans to Fellow Rockers

The rejection stung—especially coming from musicians they idolized. All three members of Crosby, Stills & Nash held The Beatles in the highest regard. David Crosby credited George Harrison with changing the course of his musical life.

Before seeing The Beatles perform on The Ed Sullivan Show, Crosby saw himself as a folk musician. After watching them, everything changed. He embraced rock ‘n’ roll, channeling that energy into The Byrds—his band before CSN. Crosby told MusicRadar:

“We took our guitar cues from The Beatles.
“I had the Tennessean, the Country Gentleman, and Roger [McGuinn] had the Rickenbacker. My whole attitude was, ‘If it’s good enough for George Harrison, it’s good enough for me.’ I wanted to be like George.”

A Twist of Fate That Worked Out

Being turned down by your musical heroes hurts. But CSN didn’t let it stop them. When they returned to California, they signed with Atlantic Records instead. The rest, as they say, is history.

Despite the rejection, the trio remained friendly with The Beatles and went on to become one of the most successful folk-rock groups of their time. Their harmonies, songwriting, and influence remain unmatched—even if George Harrison didn’t hear it that day.