David Crosby facts for kids

Quick facts for kids David Crosby
Crosby in 2019
Born	David Van Cortlandt Crosby (1941-08-14)August 14, 1941 Los Angeles, California, U.S.
Died	January 18, 2023(2023-01-18) (aged 81)
Occupation	Singer musician songwriter
Years active	1964–2023
Spouse(s)	Jan Dance ​ (m. 1987)​
Children	4
Musical career
Genres	Rock folk rock psychedelia
Instruments	Vocals guitar
Labels	Atlantic A&M Rhino

David Van Cortlandt Crosby (born August 14, 1941 – died January 18, 2023) was an American singer, guitarist, songwriter, and music producer. He became famous as a member of The Byrds. With this group, he helped create new music styles like folk rock and psychedelic music in the mid-1960s.

Later, he joined the supergroup Crosby, Stills & Nash. This band helped make the "California sound" popular in the 1970s. Besides his music, Crosby was known for speaking his mind and his political views. He was sometimes seen as a symbol of the counterculture of the 1960s.

Crosby started in the folk music scene before co-founding The Byrds in 1964. They had their first number-one hit in 1965 with "Mr. Tambourine Man" by Bob Dylan. Crosby was on the Byrds' first five albums. He also joined them for a reunion album in 1973.

In 1968, he formed Crosby, Stills & Nash (CSN) with Stephen Stills and Graham Nash. Their first album won them a Grammy Award for Best New Artist in 1969. Sometimes, Neil Young joined the group, making it Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young (CSNY). The main trio of CSN stayed active until 2016. Crosby and Nash also released three popular albums as a duo in the 1970s.

Crosby released seven solo albums during his career. His first solo album was If I Could Only Remember My Name in 1971. The last four of his solo albums came out in the last ten years of his life. He also formed a jazz-influenced band called CPR with his son James Raymond. Crosby often appeared on recordings by other artists, including Joni Mitchell and James Taylor.

His music with the Byrds and CSNY sold over 35 million albums. He was put into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame twice. Once for his work with the Byrds and again for his work with CSN. Five albums he worked on are in Rolling Stone magazine's list of "Rolling Stone's 500 Greatest Albums of All Time".

Early Life and Beginnings

David Van Cortlandt Crosby was born in Los Angeles, California. His father, Floyd Crosby, was a famous filmmaker who won an Academy Award. His mother, Aliph Van Cortlandt Whitehead, worked as a salesperson.

David grew up in California and went to several schools. He enjoyed musicals but struggled with schoolwork. He did not finish high school.

In 1960, his parents divorced. Crosby later studied drama briefly at Santa Barbara City College. However, he left to focus on his music career. He performed with other musicians but did not get a record deal at first.

Musical Journey

The Byrds Years

Crosby met Jim McGuinn (who later became Roger McGuinn) and Gene Clark in Chicago. They formed a band called the Jet Set. Later, Michael Clarke joined as drummer, and Chris Hillman became the bassist. Crosby then played rhythm guitar.

The band got a demo of Bob Dylan's "Mr. Tambourine Man". They recorded their own version with McGuinn's 12-string guitar and the group's harmonies. This song became a huge hit in 1965. Crosby helped create the Byrds' unique harmonies.

In 1966, Gene Clark, who wrote many of their songs, left the band. This meant McGuinn, Crosby, and Hillman took over songwriting. Crosby started writing more songs, like "What's Happening." He also helped write "Eight Miles High" and "Why."

Crosby wanted the Byrds to record "Hey Joe," a song he helped make popular. He also showed his unique style on songs like "Renaissance Fair" and "Mind Gardens."

However, Crosby had disagreements with the other Byrds members in 1967. He spoke about politics at the Monterey Pop Festival, which bothered his bandmates. He also played with another band, Buffalo Springfield, when their guitarist was absent.

These tensions grew during the recording of The Notorious Byrd Brothers (1968). Crosby insisted on only original songs, even after his song "Lady Friend" didn't do well. In October, McGuinn and Hillman asked Crosby to leave the band. This happened after he refused to record a cover song.

In 1973, Crosby reunited with the original Byrds for an album called Byrds. Crosby produced the album, and it sold well. This was the last time the original band worked together on music.

Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young

After leaving the Byrds, Crosby met Stephen Stills in 1968. They started playing music together. Soon, Graham Nash joined them, leaving his band, the Hollies. Their second live show ever was at the famous Woodstock Festival in 1969.

Their first album, Crosby, Stills & Nash (1969), was a big success. It had two hit songs and was played a lot on FM radio.

Crosby wrote songs like "Guinnevere" and "Long Time Gone" for CSN. He also co-wrote "Wooden Ships" with Stephen Stills.

In 1969, Neil Young joined the group, and they became CSNY. They recorded the album Déjà Vu, which reached number one on the charts. Crosby's girlfriend, Christine Hinton, died in a car accident in 1969, which deeply affected him. Despite this, he contributed songs like "Almost Cut My Hair" to the album.

After a live album called 4 Way Street, the group took a break. They wanted to work on their own music.

Crosby in August 1974 with CSN

CSNY got back together in 1973 for recording sessions. They also went on a very successful stadium tour in 1974. After the tour, they tried to record a new album, but there were many arguments. The album was eventually canceled.

In 1976, Crosby & Nash and Stills & Young tried to combine their separate albums into a CSNY album. However, this also ended badly. Stills and Young removed Crosby and Nash's singing from their album.

CSNY performed together again at Live Aid in 1985. They played together sometimes in the 1980s and 1990s. However, Crosby, Stills & Nash (without Young) performed much more often after 1977. They released new albums and toured regularly.

Full CSNY tours happened in 2000, 2002, and 2006. In 2016, Graham Nash announced that Crosby, Stills & Nash would no longer perform due to problems with Crosby.

Solo Work and Crosby & Nash

In 1971, Crosby released his first solo album, If I Could Only Remember My Name. Many famous musicians helped him on this album, including Joni Mitchell and members of the Grateful Dead. This album is still popular today.

Crosby on stage during a 1976 Crosby & Nash show at the Frost Amphitheater, Stanford University

As a duo, Crosby & Nash released four studio albums and two live albums. Crosby wrote many songs for their duo, like "Where Will I Be?" and "Carry Me." In the mid-1970s, Crosby and Nash also sang backup vocals for many other artists. These included Joni Mitchell and James Taylor.

Crosby also worked with Phil Collins in the late 1980s and early 1990s. He sang backup on Collins' songs, and Collins sang backup on Crosby's song "Hero."

In 2006, Crosby and Nash sang backup for David Gilmour on his album On an Island. They also performed live with him.

In 2014, Crosby released Croz, his first solo album in 20 years. He worked closely with his son, James Raymond, on this album. He released Lighthouse in 2016 and Sky Trails in 2017.

In 2018, Crosby released Here If You Listen, a collaborative album with Michael League, Becca Stevens, and Michelle Willis. He was also the subject of a documentary film called David Crosby: Remember My Name in 2019.

In 2021, Crosby released For Free, another solo album.

CPR Band

In 1996, Crosby formed a band called CPR. The name stood for Crosby, Jeff Pevar (a guitarist), and James Raymond (Crosby's son and a pianist). The group released two studio albums and two live albums. They stopped performing together in 2004.

The first song Crosby and Raymond wrote together was "Morrison." They performed it live in 1997. After CPR, James Raymond continued to play with Crosby in other bands. Jeff Pevar also toured with many famous artists.

Crosby reunited with the other members of CPR in 2018 for some shows.

Personal Life

Family

David Crosby had a son named James Raymond in 1962. James was adopted but later reunited with Crosby as an adult. Since 1997, James Raymond has performed with his father. Crosby also had three other children: Erika, Donovan, and Django.

Crosby married Jan Dance in May 1987. His bandmate Stephen Stills was part of the wedding.

Sailing

Crosby loved sailing since he was 11 years old. He bought a 59-foot sailboat called Mayan. He said that Peter Tork of The Monkees loaned him the money to buy it.

Crosby sailed the Mayan for thousands of miles in the Pacific Ocean and Caribbean Sea. He believed the boat helped him write some of his most famous songs. These include "Wooden Ships" and "Carry Me." He sold the boat in 2014.

Politics

Crosby was always interested in politics. In 1967, he publicly questioned the official report about the Assassination of John F. Kennedy. He was a pacifist and was against the US involvement in the Vietnam War. However, he also supported the right to own guns.

Crosby often spoke out against political leaders he disagreed with. For example, he strongly criticized Donald Trump. He supported different candidates in elections, like Bernie Sanders.

He later had a more positive view of Joe Biden. Crosby said Biden was a "decent guy" with "humanity and compassion" because of the personal challenges he had faced.

Acting Career

In the early 1990s, Crosby appeared in several TV shows. He was a guest star on The John Larroquette Show. He also appeared on Roseanne and Ellen.

Crosby also acted in movies. He played a pirate in the 1991 film Hook. He was also in Backdraft and Thunderheart.

He even voiced himself on two episodes of The Simpsons.

Health and Passing

Crosby had a liver transplant in 1994. Phil Collins helped pay for the surgery. Crosby also had type 2 diabetes. In 2008, he shared that he had lost a lot of weight due to his health struggles.

In 2014, Crosby had to postpone tour dates for heart tests.

David Crosby passed away on January 18, 2023, at 81 years old. His family said he died "after a long illness." Friends said his death was "sudden" because he was still active and planning new music. Later, it was confirmed that he died in his sleep from complications related to Covid-19.

Discography

See also discographies for Crosby Stills Nash & Young, the Byrds, Crosby & Nash, and CPR.

Studio Albums

Other Solo Albums

Singles

Other Appearances

Images for kids

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  Crosby and The Sky Trails band, 2018

See also

In Spanish: David Crosby para niños