“Although he is no longer here with us, his humanity and kind soul will continue to guide and inspire us. His legacy will live on through his legendary music,” the statement said. The singer and guitarist with the significant walrus beard was born in Los Angeles in 1941 and was twice inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame for his two bands The Byrds and Crosby, Stills & Nash.
His early days as a rock musician took him to new heights with the Byrds, which he co-founded with Roger McGuinn and Gene Clark. From 1964 to 1967 he recorded five key US folk rock albums and had several hits: In addition to the albums, the “Mr. Tambourine Man”, “Turn! Turn! Turn!” and “So You Want To Be A Rock ‘n’ Roll Star”.
Collaboration with Neil Young
Quarrels led to Crosby’s dismissal from the band. But he fell softly and soon formed the “supergroup” Crosby, Stills & Nash (CSN) with Stephen Stills of the band Buffalo Springfield and Graham Nash of The Hollies. At times, the Canadian Neil Young was added as the fourth studio and live member, including 1969 at the famous Woodstock Festival as CSNY.
Musically, Crosby was notable for his intricate vocal harmonies, unorthodox open tunings on the guitar, and incisive songwriting. His work with the Byrds and CSN/CSNY blended rock and folk in new ways, and their music became part of the “soundtrack” for the hippie era.
At the beginning of the 1970s, Crosby, who was praised by critics for his clear, bright voice, concentrated on his outstanding solo debut “If I Could Only Remember My Name…”. .
“Rock’s Unlikeliest Survivor”
Drug escapades and his excessive private life often got in the way of Crosby. Personally, Crosby was the embodiment of the “sex, drugs and rock ‘n’ roll” creed, and a 2014 Rolling Stone magazine article called him “rock’s most unlikely survivor.”
Along with drug addictions that eventually led to a transplant to replace a liver worn by decades of excess, his tumultuous life has included a serious motorcycle accident, the death of a girlfriend, and battles with hepatitis C and diabetes.
“I worry that the time I have here is so short and I’m deeply mad at myself for wasting at least 10 years of time just to destroy myself,” Crosby told im July 2019 in an interview. “I’m ashamed of that.” He had “fallen as low as a person can fall.”
The others “really don’t like me”
He also managed to alienate himself from many of his famous former bandmates, for which he has often expressed remorse in recent years. His drug habits and often aggressive personality contributed to CSNY’s decline, and members eventually stopped speaking to each other. In the 2019 documentary David Crosby: Remember My Name, he made it clear that he hoped they could work together again, but conceded that the others “really don’t like me.”
Crosby fathered six children – two as a sperm donor for rocker Melissa Etheridge’s partner and another who was put up for adoption at birth IN WHAT? and didn’t meet Crosby until he was in his thirties. This son, James Raymond, eventually became his musical collaborator.
Only late work impressed again
With really remarkable albums, the American only appeared again in old age. According to critics, the five most recently presented solo works are among the most beautiful, touching and distinguished that Crosby has done in his long career – from “Croz” (2014) to “For Free” (2021) an impressive late work. Crosby finally announced last year that he was now too old for concerts and that he lacked the strength.
Crosby was born on August 14, 1941 in Los Angeles. His father was a cinematographer who won a Golden Globe in 1952 for Fred Zinnemann’s classic western, High Noon. His mother introduced him to the folk group The Weavers and classical music.
