Cherokee by Stephen Stills

Album: Stephen Stills (1970)

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Songfacts®:

In the summer of 1970, Stephen Stills fell hard for singer Rita Coolidge while playing on sessions for her first album. Sparks flew, they dove into a romance, and it fueled the fire for this love song on Stills' debut solo album (Coolidge is part Cherokee).

When Coolidge left Stills for Graham Nash, it was like tossing a grenade into the mix, contributing to the initial 1970 breakup of Crosby, Stills, Nash, & Young.
Most of the songs for the Stephen Stills album were recorded at London's Island Studios. After the 1970 CSNY Tour, Stills recorded a few more songs in LA, including this one at Wally Heider Studio. Co-produced by Stills and Bill Haverson, they were joined by Booker T. Jones on organ and session drummer Dallas Taylor.

There's also flute and alto saxophone in the mix played by Sidney George. "He was a young studio player in LA trying to make a living," Bill Halverson told Uncut magazine of Sidney George. "He kept bringing all these instruments in from his car. Stephen fell in love what he was doing. Folks like Dallas, they didn't get union wages – but he was an overdub musician, so he did. After he we got done, Steven said, 'Yeah, let's pay him what he should be paid.' With all the overdubs, it was like $3,700. It was a biggest check the kid has ever had."
The Stephen Stills album comprises 10 soulful tracks inspired by the musician's relationships with various girlfriends and members of CSNY.

The album went Top 10 in the UK, the US, and several other countries. Critics used to sleep on Stills, putting him in the shadow of David Crosby, Graham Nash and Neil Young. With this album he shut them all up.
Rita Coolidge had a string of musician beaus and has been the muse for several other songs. Among them:

Stephen Stills recorded another smoldering serenade for Coolidge on the same album titled "Sit Yourself Down."

Graham Nash's "Better Days," which is about the love triangle between him, Stills and Coolidge.

The Leon Russell-penned song "Delta Lady," recorded by Joe Cocker in 1969.

It was long thought Leon Russell wrote "A Song For You" about Coolidge, but Russell denied it.

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