This Legendary Rock Group Formed 60 Years Ago Today

On March 3, 1966, Neil Young, Stephen Stills, Richie Furay, and Bruce Palmer formed Buffalo Springfield, the folk rock group best known for its hit song "For What It's Worth."

The group's namesake was a steamroller they'd seen in Hollywood, with the words "Buffalo Springfield" written on the side, according to Britannica. The band played a six-week residency at the legendary Sunset Strip venue Whiskey A Go Go in Los Angeles, which let to them getting signed to Atlantic Records.

"For What It's Worth," released in 1967, is widely considered an anti-establishment anthem on the Vietnam War era, representing the epitome of '60s hippie counterculture. However, the song wasn't actually written about the Vietnam War. Rather, it was written about the Sunset Strip Curfew Riots on Nov. 12, 1966.

After Los Angeles county imposed a curfew for minors, the youth revolted, protesting on the Sunset Strip. Police showed up, and the situation quickly escalated. Michael Rummans, a protestor who was at the scene, told NPR, "A cop came up to me, and he said, 'Get out of here right now or I'll drag you out of that car and kick the s*** out of you.'"

Francie Zbilski, another protestor, said, "I never saw so many policemen in my entire life. We were just surrounded by police officers, like an army of them."

The event inspired Stills to write "For What It's Worth," which he reportedly wrote in just 15 minutes and the group recorded in just one night.

"The song was about the times," the group's former manager Richard "Dickie" Davis told NPR. "The protests for the Vietnam War were in play right then, and they were on Stephen's mind just as much as anything else. The song was written about the Sunset Strip, but it's bigger than that."

Although Buffalo Springfield was only active from 1966 to 1968, Young and Stills went on to form Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young with David Crosby and Graham Nash, which launched them into superstardom.