“For What It's Worth”: The true story behind the Buffalo Springfield classic and a musical revival with Josh Turner

Although " For What It's Worth " is often considered an anti-war song, Stephen Stills was inspired to write it after a curfew on the Sunset Strip in Los Angeles in November 1966. At the time, Buffalo Springfield was the house band at the Whiskey a Go Go on the Sunset Strip.

Residents and businesses had complained that the influx of young people going to clubs and music venues along the Strip had led to nightly traffic congestion. In response, they lobbied Los Angeles County to pass local ordinances to stop loitering and enforced a strict curfew on the Strip after 10 p.m.

Young music fans, however, felt their civil rights were violated by the new laws. Protests ensued. On Saturday, November 12, 1966, leaflets were distributed on the Sunset Strip urging people to join demonstrations later that day. Several of Los Angeles ' rock radio stations also announced a rally in front of the Pandora's Box club at the corner of Sunset Boulevard and Crescent Heights. That evening, up to 1,000 young demonstrators, including celebrities such as Jack Nicholson and Peter Fonda (who was taken away by police in handcuffs), gathered to protest the enforcement of the curfew. Although the rallies began peacefully, riots eventually broke out. These riots continued the next night and periodically throughout the rest of November and December, forcing some clubs to close within weeks. Against the backdrop of this civil unrest, Stephen Stills recorded the song “ For What It's Worth ” with his then band, Buffalo Springfield, on December 5, 1966.

The version presented here is performed by the ensemble that brought the Simon and Garfunkel show to the stage. The artists are supported by guitarist Joshua Lee Turner (far right). Josh Turner, a multi-instrumentalist born in Indianapolis in 1992, is one of today's greatest musical talents. If you want to see and hear more of Josh Turner and his guitar skills (recommended is " Sultans Of Swing, " 12 million views on YouTube), we recommend Josh's own channel on the same video platform!