David Crosby

For other people named David Crosby, see David Crosby (disambiguation).

David Crosby
Crosby in 1983
Born
David Van Cortlandt Crosby

(1941-08-14)August 14, 1941
Los Angeles, California, U.S.
DiedJanuary 18, 2023(2023-01-18) (aged 81)
Santa Ynez, California, U.S.
Occupations
  • Singer
  • musician
  • songwriter
Years active1963–2023
Spouse
Jan Dance
​
(m. 1987)​
Children4
RelativesDescendants of Robert Coe
Musical career
Genres
Instruments
  • Vocals
  • guitar
Labels
Formerly of
David Crosby's voice
from the BBC program Mastertapes, November 18, 2013.[1]
WebsiteOfficial website Edit this at Wikidata

David Van Cortlandt Crosby (August 14, 1941 – January 18, 2023) was an American singer, songwriter, and guitarist. He first found fame as a member of the Byrds, with whom he helped pioneer the genres of folk rock and psychedelia in the mid-1960s,[2] and later as part of the supergroup Crosby, Stills & Nash, who helped popularize the California sound of the 1970s.[3] In addition to his music, Crosby was known for his outspoken personality, politics, and personal troubles; he was sometimes depicted as emblematic of the counterculture of the 1960s.[4][5][6]

After a short time performing in the folk music scene, Crosby co-founded the Byrds in 1964. They scored their first number-one hit in 1965 with a cover of Bob Dylan's "Mr. Tambourine Man". Crosby appeared on the Byrds' first five albums and the original lineup's 1973 reunion album. In 1968, he formed Crosby, Stills & Nash (CSN) with Stephen Stills and Graham Nash. After the release of their debut album, CSN won the Grammy Award for Best New Artist of 1969. The group later occasionally included Neil Young. The core trio of CSN remained active from 1976 until 2016, and the duo of Crosby & Nash also recorded three gold albums in the 1970s. Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young (CSNY) reunions were held in each decade from the 1970s through the 2000s.

Crosby released eight solo albums, albeit sporadically, over the course of his career. His solo debut was 1971's If I Could Only Remember My Name. The last five of his solo albums, beginning with Croz (2014), came in the last decade of his life. Additionally, he formed a jazz-influenced trio with his son James Raymond and guitarist Jeff Pevar in CPR. He also appeared frequently on recordings by other artists, including Joni Mitchell, Jefferson Airplane, Jackson Browne, James Taylor, Elton John and David Gilmour.

Crosby's combined work with the Byrds and CSNY has sold over 35 million albums.[7] He was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame twice: once for his work in the Byrds and again for his work with CSN. Five albums to which he contributed are included in Rolling Stone's list of "The 500 Greatest Albums of All Time", three with the Byrds and two with CSN(Y).

He was also an occasional actor, appearing as a member of Captain Hook's pirate crew in Hook (1991).

  1. ^ "David Crosby". Mastertapes. November 18, 2013. BBC Radio 4. Archived from the original on March 4, 2021. Retrieved January 18, 2014.
  2. ^ Ankeny, Jason. "David Crosby Biography". AllMusic. Retrieved January 27, 2023.
  3. ^ Greene, Andy; Dolan, Jon (January 20, 2023). "David Crosby, iconoclastic rock hero, dies at 81". Rolling Stone. Retrieved January 27, 2023.
  4. ^ Harrington, Richard. "Jail Term Allowed Crosby To Break Bond Of Drugs". Orlando Sentinel. The Washington Post. Archived from the original on April 17, 2014. Retrieved May 3, 2014.
  5. ^ Crosby, David (2012). "Since Then: How I Survived Everything and Lived to Tell About It". DavidCrosby.com. David Crosby. Archived from the original on March 4, 2012. Retrieved May 3, 2014.
  6. ^ "David Crosby-Bio". Penguin Group USA. 2014. Archived from the original on May 4, 2014. Retrieved May 3, 2014.
  7. ^ "RIAA – Soundscan". Greasylakes.org. Archived from the original on March 1, 2021. Retrieved December 23, 2015.