David Crosby
Encyclopedia
David Van Cortlandt Crosby (born August 14, 1941) is an American
guitarist
, singer, and songwriter
. In addition to his solo career, he was a founding member of three bands: The Byrds
, Crosby, Stills & Nash (who are sometimes augmented by Neil Young
), and CPR. Crosby is a double member of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame
for his work in both The Byrds and CSN.
, California
. His parents were Aliph Van Cortlandt Whitehead and Floyd Crosby
, an Academy Award
winning cinematographer
. He is also the younger brother of musician Ethan Crosby
. Growing up in California, he attended several schools, including the University Elementary School in Los Angeles, the Crane Country Day School
in Montecito
, and Laguna Blanca School
in Santa Barbara
for the rest of his elementary school and junior high. At Crane, he starred in HMS Pinafore
and other musicals but was asked not to return due to lack of academic progress. He graduated from the Cate School
in Carpinteria
, completing his studies by correspondence. In 1960, his parents divorced, and his father was remarried to Betty Christie Crosby.
Crosby also attended Santa Barbara City College
. Originally, he was a drama student, but dropped out to pursue a career in music. He moved toward the same Greenwich Village
scene (as a member of the Les Baxter
's Balladeers) Bob Dylan
participated in, and even shared a mentor of Bob Dylan
's in a local scene favorite Fred Neil
. With the help of producer Jim Dickson, Crosby cut his first solo session in 1963.
) and Gene Clark
, who were then named the Jet Set (although there is no evidence that they ever performed under that name). They were augmented by drummer Michael Clarke
, at which point Crosby attempted to play bass unsuccessfully. Late in 1964, Chris Hillman
joined as bassist, and Crosby relieved Gene Clark of rhythm guitar duties. Through connections that Jim Dickson (The Byrds' manager) had with Bob Dylan
's publisher, the band obtained a demo
acetate disc
of Dylan's "Mr. Tambourine Man
" and recorded a cover version of the song, featuring McGuinn's 12 string guitar as well as McGuinn, Crosby and Clark's vocal harmonizing. The song turned into a massive hit, soaring to #1 in the charts in the U.S.
and the U.K.
during 1965. While Roger McGuinn originated The Byrds' trademark 12 string guitar sound (which he in turn took from George Harrison
on "A Hard Day's Night
"), Crosby was responsible for the soaring harmonies and often unusual phrasing on their songs.
In 1966, Gene Clark, who then was the band's primary songwriter, left the group due to stress. This placed all the group's songwriting responsibilities in the hands of McGuinn, Crosby, and Hillman. Crosby took the opportunity to hone his craft, and soon blossomed into a prolific and talented songwriter. His early Byrds efforts included the classic 1966 hit "Eight Miles High
" (to which he contributed one line, while Clark and McGuinn wrote the rest), and its flip side "Why
", co-written with McGuinn, which showed Crosby at his hard-edged best.
Crosby is widely credited with popularizing the song "Hey Joe
", after he picked it up from Dino Valente. He taught the song to Bryan MacLean
and Arthur Lee
of Love
, who then taught it to members of The Leaves
. Since he felt responsible for having popularized the song, Crosby convinced the other members of the Byrds to cover it on Fifth Dimension
. By Younger Than Yesterday
, the Byrds' album of 1967, Crosby clearly began to find his trademark style.
Friction between Crosby and the other Byrds came to a head in mid-1967. Tensions were high after the famous Monterey Pop Festival
in June, when Crosby's on-stage political diatribes between songs elicited rancor from McGuinn and Hillman. The next night he further annoyed his bandmates when, at the invitation of Stephen Stills
, he substituted for an absent Neil Young
during Buffalo Springfield
’s set. The internal conflict boiled over during recording of The Notorious Byrd Brothers
album in August and September. Differences over song selections led to arguments, with Crosby being particularly adamant that the band should record only original material. McGuinn and Hillman dismissed Crosby in mid-September, after he refused to participate in the recording session of the Goffin
and King
song "Goin' Back
". Crosby's controversial menage-a-trois ode "Triad
", recorded by the band before his dismissal, was left off the album. Jefferson Airplane
recorded "Triad" and released it on their album Crown of Creation
in 1968. David Crosby sang a solo acoustic version on Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young's 1971 double live album Four Way Street. The Byrds' version appeared decades later on the 1988 Never Before release and is now available on the CD re-release of Notorious Byrd Brothers.
In 1973 Crosby reunited with the original Byrds for the album Byrds
, with Crosby acting as the record's producer. The album failed to be a critical or commercial success, and marked the final artistic collaboration of the original band.
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Around the time of Crosby's firing, he met a recently unemployed Stephen Stills
at a party at the home of (Mama) Cass Elliot
in California in March 1968, and the two started meeting informally together and jamming. They were soon joined by Graham Nash
, who left his commercially successful group The Hollies
to play with Crosby and Stills. Remarkably, their appearance at the Woodstock Music and Art Fair
in August 1969 constituted their second live performance ever.
Their first album, Crosby, Stills & Nash
of 1969 was an immediate hit, spawning two Top 40 hit singles and receiving key airplay on the new FM radio format, in its early days populated by unfettered disc jockeys who then had the option of playing entire albums at once.
The songs he wrote while with CSN include "Guinnevere
", "Almost Cut My Hair," "Long Time Gone," and "Delta". He also co-wrote "Wooden Ships
" with Paul Kantner
of Jefferson Airplane
and Stephen Stills
.
In 1969, Neil Young joined the group, and with him they recorded the album Déjà Vu, which went to number 1 on the charts. That same year, Crosby's longtime girlfriend Christine Hinton was killed in a car accident only days after Hinton, Crosby, and fellow girlfriend Debbie Donovan moved from Los Angeles to the Bay Area
. Crosby was devastated, and he began abusing drugs much more severely than he had before. Nevertheless, he still managed to contribute "Almost Cut My Hair" and the title track "Déjà Vu". After the release of the double live album
Four Way Street, the group went on a temporary hiatus to focus on their respective solo careers.
In December 1969, David appeared with CSNY at the Altamont Free Concert, increasing his visibility after also having performed at Monterey Pop
and Woodstock
. At the beginning of the new decade, he briefly joined with Jerry Garcia
, Phil Lesh
and Mickey Hart
from the Grateful Dead
, billed as "David and the Dorks," and making a live recording at the Matrix
on December 15, 1970.
CSNY reunited in 1973 at the Winterland
in San Francisco. This served as a prelude to their highly successful stadium tour in the summer of 1974. Prior to the tour, the foursome attempted to record a new album entitled Human Highway. The recording session, which took place at Neil Young's ranch, was very unpleasant, and marked by constant bickering. The bickering eventually became too much, and the album was cancelled.
In rehearsals for the 1974 tour, CSNY recorded a then-unreleased David Crosby song, "Little Blind Fish." A different version of the song would appear on the second CPR album more than two decades later.
The 1974 tour was also full of constant bickering, though they managed to finish it without interruption. A greatest hits compilation entitled So Far
was released during 1974 to capitalize on the foursome's reunion tour.
In 1976, as separate duos, Crosby & Nash
and Stills & Young were both working on respective albums and contemplated retooling their work to produce a CSNY album. This attempt ended bitterly as Stills and Young deleted Crosby and Nash's vocals from their album Long May You Run
.
CSNY would not perform together again as a foursome until Live Aid in Philadelphia
in 1985, and then performed only sporadically in the 1980s and '90s (mainly at the annual Bridge School Benefit
organized by Young's wife Pegi). Without Young, however, Crosby, Stills & Nash has performed much more consistently since its reformation in 1977. The trio toured in support of their 1977 and 1982 albums CSN
and Daylight Again
and then, starting in the late-eighties, has toured regularly year after year. And while the group has continued to perform live to the present day, since 1982 it has released only four albums of new material: American Dream
(1988, with Young), Live It Up (1990), After The Storm (1994), and Looking Forward
(1999, with Young). In addition Crosby & Nash released the self-titled album Crosby & Nash
in 2004.
Fullscale CSNY tours took place in 2000, 2002 and 2006.
Crosby, Stills and Nash appeared together on a 2008 episode of The Colbert Report, and "Neil Young" joined them during the musical performance at the end of the episode. However, eventually, it became clear that it was only Stephen Colbert impersonating Young as the group sang Teach Your Children
.
In 1971, Crosby released his first solo album If I Could Only Remember My Name
, featuring contributions by Nash, Young, Joni Mitchell
, and members of Jefferson Airplane
, the Grateful Dead
, and Santana
. Panned on release by Rolling Stone
, it has been reappraised amid the emergence of the freak folk
and New Weird America
movements and remains in print.
As a duo Crosby and Graham Nash have released four studio albums and two live albums including Another Stoney Evening
, which features the duo in a 1971 acoustic performance with no supporting band. Some Crosby songs recorded by the various permutations of CSN in the 1970s include "Where Will I Be?", "Carry Me", "Bittersweet", "Low Down Payment", "Homeward Through the Haze", "Time After Time", "Foolish Man", and "In My Dreams". During the mid-70s, Crosby and Nash enjoyed lucrative careers as session musicians, with both performers (as a duo and respectively) contributing harmonies and background vocals to albums by Joni Mitchell, Jackson Browne
(whom Crosby had initially championed as an emerging performer), Dave Mason
, Rick Roberts
, James Taylor
(most notably "Lighthouse" and "Mexico"), Art Garfunkel
, J.D. Souther, Carole King
, Elton John
, and Gary Wright
.
Renewing his ties to the San Francisco milieu that had abetted so well on his solo album, Crosby sang back up vocals on several Paul Kantner
and Grace Slick
albums between 1971 and 1974 and the Hot Tuna
album Burgers in 1972. He also participated in composer Ned Lagin’s
proto-ambient
project Seastones along with members of the Grateful Dead and Jefferson Starship
.
Crosby worked with Phil Collins
occasionally from the late 1980s to the early 1990s; he sang backup to Collins in "Another Day in Paradise
" and, on his own 1993 song, "Hero", from his album Thousand Roads
, he had Collins singing backup. In 1999, he appeared on Return of the Grievous Angel: A Tribute to Gram Parsons
, singing a duet of the title track with Lucinda Williams
.
In 2006 Crosby worked with David Gilmour
on his third solo album On an Island
along with Nash. The album was released in March 2006 and reached #1 quickly on the UK charts. Both Crosby and Nash also performed live with Gilmour in his concert at the Royal Albert Hall in London in May 2006 and toured together in the USA, which can be seen on Gilmour's 2007 DVD Remember That Night
.
, and pianist James Raymond, Crosby's son. The group released two studio albums and two live albums before disbanding in 2004.
The first song that Crosby and Raymond co-wrote, "Morrison", was performed live for the first time in January 1997. The song recalled Crosby's feelings about the portrayal of Jim Morrison
in the movie The Doors
. The success of the 1997 tour spawned a record project, Live at Cuesta College
, which was released in March 1998.
After the disbandment in 2004, Raymond continues to perform with Crosby as part of the touring bands for Crosby & Nash and Crosby, Stills & Nash. Jeff Pevar sometimes tours with the re-formed Jefferson Starship
.
s of The John Larroquette Show
, where he played the part of John Hemingway's AA
sponsor. He appeared on an episode of Roseanne
as the singer husband of one of Roseanne's co-workers, played by Bonnie Bramlett. He sang the Danny Sheridan composition "Roll On Down" on that episode. He was on an episode of Ellen called "Ellen Unplugged," where he was helping out at the Rock and Roll Fantasy Camp. He also appeared as a pirate in the 1991 film Hook
, as a '70s Hippie in the 1991 film Backdraft
, and as a bartender in the 1992 feature film, Thunderheart
.
Crosby has also voiced himself on two episodes of The Simpsons
, "Marge in Chains
" and "Homer's Barbershop Quartet
".
Crosby was the recipient of a highly publicized liver transplant
in 1995, which was paid for by Phil Collins. News of his transplant created some controversy because of his celebrity status and his past issues with drug and alcohol
addiction.
Crosby suffers from obesity
, has type 2 diabetes and is being treated with insulin
to manage this disease.
At a concert in October 2008, Crosby, looking quite thinner than in recent years, announced to the audience that he'd recently shed 55 pounds.
s facing several drugs and weapons charges, Crosby spent 9 months in Texas prisons
. The drug charges stemmed from charges related to possession of heroin and cocaine
.
In 1985, David Crosby, on probation for drunken driving, was arrested for hit-and-run driving and possession of a concealed pistol and drug paraphernalia. Crosby was arrested after driving into a fence in a Marin County suburb and officers found a .45-caliber pistol and cocaine in his car.
One of his famous stories is that while being interviewed, after being arrested, the reporter asked him: "Why did you have a gun?" Crosby responded, "John Lennon, man" and replied the same to each subsequent question.
On March 7, 2004, he was charged with criminal possession of a weapon in the third degree, illegal possession of a hunting knife, illegal possession of ammunition and illegal possession of about 1 ounce of marijuana. Crosby left said items behind in his hotel room. "Authorities said a hotel employee searched the suitcase for identification and found about an ounce of marijuana, rolling papers, two knives and a .45-caliber pistol. Mr. Crosby was arrested when he returned to the hotel to pick up his bag." After spending 12 hours in jail, he was released on $3500 bail. On July 4, 2004, he pleaded guilty to "attempted criminal possession of a weapon," was fined $5,000 and given no jail time. "Prosecutors did not seek a more severe penalty on the weapons charge because the pistol was registered in California and was stowed safely in his luggage when it was found. A charge of "unlawful possession of marijuana" was dismissed. "Mr. Crosby was discharged by the court on condition that he pay his fine and not get arrested again."
Crosby is currently married to Jan Dance but has had a number of prior long-term relationships, including with Christine Hinton, Debbie Donovan and Joni Mitchell
.
Two of Crosby's children were placed for adoption
: a son, James Raymond, in 1962 and a daughter, Erika Keller, in 1966. He has been reunited with both of them as adults. Since 1997 Raymond has performed with Crosby on stage and in the studio, as a member of CPR and as part of the touring bands for Crosby & Nash and Crosby, Stills & Nash. In addition, Crosby has two other children: a daughter, Donovan Crosby, with former girlfriend Debbie Donovan and a son, Django Crosby, who was conceived with wife Jan Dance after extensive fertility treatments while Crosby's liver was failing.
In January 2000, Melissa Etheridge
announced that Crosby was the biological father of two children Julie Cypher
gave birth to by means of artificial insemination
. At the time, Etheridge and Cypher were in a relationship.
Crosby's brother Ethan, who taught him to play guitar and started his musical career with him, committed suicide in late 1997 or early 1998. The date is unknown because Ethan left a note not to search for his body and let him return to the earth. His body was found months later in May 1998.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
guitarist
Guitarist
A guitarist is a musician who plays the guitar. Guitarists may play a variety of instruments such as classical guitars, acoustic guitars, electric guitars, and bass guitars. Some guitarists accompany themselves on the guitar while singing.- Versatility :The guitarist controls an extremely...
, singer, and songwriter
Songwriter
A songwriter is an individual who writes both the lyrics and music to a song. Someone who solely writes lyrics may be called a lyricist, and someone who only writes music may be called a composer...
. In addition to his solo career, he was a founding member of three bands: The Byrds
The Byrds
The Byrds were an American rock band, formed in Los Angeles, California in 1964. The band underwent multiple line-up changes throughout its existence, with frontman Roger McGuinn remaining the sole consistent member until the group disbanded in 1973...
, Crosby, Stills & Nash (who are sometimes augmented by Neil Young
Neil Young
Neil Percival Young, OC, OM is a Canadian singer-songwriter who is widely regarded as one of the most influential musicians of his generation...
), and CPR. Crosby is a double member of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame
Rock and Roll Hall of Fame
The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum is a museum located on the shore of Lake Erie in downtown Cleveland, Ohio, United States. It is dedicated to archiving the history of some of the best-known and most influential artists, producers, engineers and others who have, in some major way,...
for his work in both The Byrds and CSN.
Early years
David Crosby was born in Los AngelesLos Angeles, California
Los Angeles , with a population at the 2010 United States Census of 3,792,621, is the most populous city in California, USA and the second most populous in the United States, after New York City. It has an area of , and is located in Southern California...
, California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
. His parents were Aliph Van Cortlandt Whitehead and Floyd Crosby
Floyd Crosby
Floyd Delafield Crosby, A.S.C. was an American cinematographer.Crosby was born and raised in West Philadelphia, the son of Julia Floyd and Frederick Van Schoonhoven Crosby...
, an Academy Award
Academy Awards
An Academy Award, also known as an Oscar, is an accolade bestowed by the American Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences to recognize excellence of professionals in the film industry, including directors, actors, and writers...
winning cinematographer
Cinematographer
A cinematographer is one photographing with a motion picture camera . The title is generally equivalent to director of photography , used to designate a chief over the camera and lighting crews working on a film, responsible for achieving artistic and technical decisions related to the image...
. He is also the younger brother of musician Ethan Crosby
Ethan Crosby
Ethan Crosby was an American musician, singer, and songwriter. Brother of David Crosby of The Byrds and Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young.- Early life :...
. Growing up in California, he attended several schools, including the University Elementary School in Los Angeles, the Crane Country Day School
Crane Country Day School
Crane Country Day School, established in 1928 by William D. Crane, is a highly-regarded kindergarten through eighth grade, coeducational private school in Santa Barbara, California, United States....
in Montecito
Montecito, California
Montecito is an unincorporated community in Santa Barbara County, California. As a census-designated place, it had a population of 8,965 in 2010. This does not include areas such as Coast Village Road, that, while usually considered part of Montecito, are actually within the city limits of Santa...
, and Laguna Blanca School
Laguna Blanca School
Laguna Blanca School is a private school located in Santa Barbara, California on two different campuses.Founded in 1933, Laguna Blanca is an independent, co-educational, college-preparatory day school for students in grades K-12 is Santa Barbara.-History:...
in Santa Barbara
Santa Barbara, California
Santa Barbara is the county seat of Santa Barbara County, California, United States. Situated on an east-west trending section of coastline, the longest such section on the West Coast of the United States, the city lies between the steeply-rising Santa Ynez Mountains and the Pacific Ocean...
for the rest of his elementary school and junior high. At Crane, he starred in HMS Pinafore
HMS Pinafore
H.M.S. Pinafore; or, The Lass That Loved a Sailor is a comic opera in two acts, with music by Arthur Sullivan and a libretto by W. S. Gilbert. It opened at the Opera Comique in London, England, on 25 May 1878 and ran for 571 performances, which was the second-longest run of any musical...
and other musicals but was asked not to return due to lack of academic progress. He graduated from the Cate School
Cate School
The Cate School, established in 1910 by Curtis Wolsey Cate, is a four-year, coeducational, college-preparatory boarding school in Carpinteria, California, United States....
in Carpinteria
Carpinteria, California
Carpinteria is a small oceanside city located in southeastern Santa Barbara County, California, east of Santa Barbara and northwest of Ventura. The population was 13,040 at the 2010 census, down from 14,194 at the 2000 census....
, completing his studies by correspondence. In 1960, his parents divorced, and his father was remarried to Betty Christie Crosby.
Crosby also attended Santa Barbara City College
Santa Barbara City College
Santa Barbara City College is a two-year community college founded in 1909. It is located on a campus right over the beach in the city of Santa Barbara, California, USA. SBCC offers associate degrees in English, Social Sciences, Computer Science, Engineering, Physics, and occupational and...
. Originally, he was a drama student, but dropped out to pursue a career in music. He moved toward the same Greenwich Village
Greenwich Village
Greenwich Village, , , , .in New York often simply called "the Village", is a largely residential neighborhood on the west side of Lower Manhattan in New York City. A large majority of the district is home to upper middle class families...
scene (as a member of the Les Baxter
Les Baxter
Les Baxter was an American musician and composer.Baxter studied piano at the Detroit Conservatory before moving to Los Angeles for further studies at Pepperdine College. Abandoning a concert career as a pianist, he turned to popular music as a singer...
's Balladeers) Bob Dylan
Bob Dylan
Bob Dylan is an American singer-songwriter, musician, poet, film director and painter. He has been a major and profoundly influential figure in popular music and culture for five decades. Much of his most celebrated work dates from the 1960s when he was an informal chronicler and a seemingly...
participated in, and even shared a mentor of Bob Dylan
Bob Dylan
Bob Dylan is an American singer-songwriter, musician, poet, film director and painter. He has been a major and profoundly influential figure in popular music and culture for five decades. Much of his most celebrated work dates from the 1960s when he was an informal chronicler and a seemingly...
's in a local scene favorite Fred Neil
Fred Neil
Fred Neil was an American folk singer-songwriter in the 1960s and early 1970s. He did not achieve commercial success as a performer, and is mainly known through other people's recordings of his material – particularly "Everybody's Talkin'", which became a hit for Harry Nilsson after being...
. With the help of producer Jim Dickson, Crosby cut his first solo session in 1963.
The Byrds
Crosby joined Jim McGuinn (who later changed his name to RogerRoger McGuinn
James Roger McGuinn is an American singer-songwriter and guitarist. He is best known for being the lead singer and lead guitarist on many of The Byrds' records...
) and Gene Clark
Gene Clark
Gene Clark, born Harold Eugene Clark was an American singer-songwriter, and one of the founding members of the folk-rock group The Byrds....
, who were then named the Jet Set (although there is no evidence that they ever performed under that name). They were augmented by drummer Michael Clarke
Michael Clarke (musician)
Michael Clarke , was an American musician, best known as the drummer for the 1960s rock group The Byrds from 1964 to 1967. He died in 1993, at age 47, from liver failure, a direct result of more than three decades of heavy alcohol consumption.-Biography:Clarke was born Michael James Dick in...
, at which point Crosby attempted to play bass unsuccessfully. Late in 1964, Chris Hillman
Chris Hillman
Christopher Hillman was one of the original members of The Byrds which in 1965 included Roger McGuinn, Gene Clark, David Crosby, and Michael Clarke....
joined as bassist, and Crosby relieved Gene Clark of rhythm guitar duties. Through connections that Jim Dickson (The Byrds' manager) had with Bob Dylan
Bob Dylan
Bob Dylan is an American singer-songwriter, musician, poet, film director and painter. He has been a major and profoundly influential figure in popular music and culture for five decades. Much of his most celebrated work dates from the 1960s when he was an informal chronicler and a seemingly...
's publisher, the band obtained a demo
Demo (music)
A demo version or demo of a song is one recorded for reference rather than for release. A demo is a way for a musician to approximate their ideas on tape or disc, and provide an example of those ideas to record labels, producers or other artists...
acetate disc
Acetate disc
An acetate disc, also known as a test acetate, dubplate , lacquer , transcription disc or instantaneous disc...
of Dylan's "Mr. Tambourine Man
Mr. Tambourine Man
"Mr. Tambourine Man" is a song written and performed by Bob Dylan, which was released on his 1965 album Bringing It All Back Home. The Byrds also recorded a version of the song that was released as their first single on Columbia Records, reaching number 1 on both the Billboard Hot 100 chart and...
" and recorded a cover version of the song, featuring McGuinn's 12 string guitar as well as McGuinn, Crosby and Clark's vocal harmonizing. The song turned into a massive hit, soaring to #1 in the charts in the U.S.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
and the U.K.
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
during 1965. While Roger McGuinn originated The Byrds' trademark 12 string guitar sound (which he in turn took from George Harrison
George Harrison
George Harrison, MBE was an English musician, guitarist, singer-songwriter, actor and film producer who achieved international fame as lead guitarist of The Beatles. Often referred to as "the quiet Beatle", Harrison became over time an admirer of Indian mysticism, and introduced it to the other...
on "A Hard Day's Night
A Hard Day's Night (film)
A Hard Day's Night is a 1964 British black-and-white comedy film directed by Richard Lester and starring The Beatles—John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr—during the height of Beatlemania. It was written by Alun Owen and originally released by United Artists...
"), Crosby was responsible for the soaring harmonies and often unusual phrasing on their songs.
In 1966, Gene Clark, who then was the band's primary songwriter, left the group due to stress. This placed all the group's songwriting responsibilities in the hands of McGuinn, Crosby, and Hillman. Crosby took the opportunity to hone his craft, and soon blossomed into a prolific and talented songwriter. His early Byrds efforts included the classic 1966 hit "Eight Miles High
Eight Miles High
"Eight Miles High" is a song by the American rock band The Byrds, written by Gene Clark, Jim McGuinn, and David Crosby and first released as a single on March 14, 1966 . The single managed to reach the Top 20 of the Billboard Hot 100 and the Top 30 of the UK Singles Chart...
" (to which he contributed one line, while Clark and McGuinn wrote the rest), and its flip side "Why
Why (The Byrds song)
"Why" is a song by the American rock band The Byrds, written by Jim McGuinn and David Crosby and first released as the B-side of the band's "Eight Miles High" single in March 1966. The song was re-recorded in December 1966 and released for a second time as part of the band's Younger Than Yesterday...
", co-written with McGuinn, which showed Crosby at his hard-edged best.
Crosby is widely credited with popularizing the song "Hey Joe
Hey Joe
"Hey Joe" is an American popular song from the 1960s that has become a rock standard and as such, has been performed in a multitude of musical styles by hundreds of different artists since it was first written. "Hey Joe" tells the story of a man who is on the run and planning to head to Mexico...
", after he picked it up from Dino Valente. He taught the song to Bryan MacLean
Bryan MacLean
Bryan MacLean was an American singer, guitarist and songwriter, most known for his work with the influential rock band Love. His famous compositions for Love include "Alone Again Or" and "Old Man".-Early life:...
and Arthur Lee
Arthur Lee (musician)
Arthur Lee was the frontman, songwriter and multi-instrumentalist of the Los Angeles rock band Love, best known for the critically acclaimed 1967 album, Forever Changes.-Early years:...
of Love
Love (band)
Love was an American rock group of the late 1960s and early 1970s. They were led by singer/songwriter Arthur Lee and lead guitarist Johnny Echols...
, who then taught it to members of The Leaves
The Leaves
The Leaves were an American garage band formed in California in 1963. They are best known for their version of the song "Hey Joe", which was a hit in 1966. Theirs is the earliest release of this song, which became a rock standard.-History:...
. Since he felt responsible for having popularized the song, Crosby convinced the other members of the Byrds to cover it on Fifth Dimension
Fifth Dimension (album)
Fifth Dimension is the third album by the American rock band The Byrds and was released in July 1966 on Columbia Records . Most of the album was recorded following the February 1966 departure of the band's principal songwriter Gene Clark...
. By Younger Than Yesterday
Younger Than Yesterday
Younger Than Yesterday is the fourth album by the American rock band The Byrds and was released in February 1967 on Columbia Records . The album saw the band continuing to integrate elements of psychedelic rock into their music, a process they had begun on their previous LP...
, the Byrds' album of 1967, Crosby clearly began to find his trademark style.
Friction between Crosby and the other Byrds came to a head in mid-1967. Tensions were high after the famous Monterey Pop Festival
Monterey Pop Festival
The Monterey International Pop Music Festival was a three-day concert event held June 16 to June 18, 1967 at the Monterey County Fairgrounds in Monterey, California...
in June, when Crosby's on-stage political diatribes between songs elicited rancor from McGuinn and Hillman. The next night he further annoyed his bandmates when, at the invitation of Stephen Stills
Stephen Stills
Stephen Arthur Stills is an American guitarist and singer/songwriter best known for his work with Buffalo Springfield and Crosby, Stills & Nash . He has performed on a professional level in several other bands as well as maintaining a solo career at the same time...
, he substituted for an absent Neil Young
Neil Young
Neil Percival Young, OC, OM is a Canadian singer-songwriter who is widely regarded as one of the most influential musicians of his generation...
during Buffalo Springfield
Buffalo Springfield
Buffalo Springfield is a North American folk rock band renown both for its music and as a springboard for the careers of Neil Young, Stephen Stills, Richie Furay and Jim Messina. Among the first wave of North American bands to become popular in the wake of the British invasion, the group combined...
’s set. The internal conflict boiled over during recording of The Notorious Byrd Brothers
The Notorious Byrd Brothers
The Notorious Byrd Brothers is the fifth album by the American rock band The Byrds and was released in January 1968 on Columbia Records . Musically, the album represents the pinnacle of The Byrds' psychedelic experimentation, with the band blending together elements of folk rock, psychedelic rock,...
album in August and September. Differences over song selections led to arguments, with Crosby being particularly adamant that the band should record only original material. McGuinn and Hillman dismissed Crosby in mid-September, after he refused to participate in the recording session of the Goffin
Gerry Goffin
Gerry Goffin is an American lyricist. He was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1990 with former songwriting partner and first wife, Carole King. he has co-written six Billboard Hot 100 chart-toppers.-Career:Goffin enlisted with the Marine Corps Reserve after graduating from...
and King
Carole King
Carole King is an American singer, songwriter, and pianist. King and her former husband Gerry Goffin wrote more than two dozen chart hits for numerous artists during the 1960s, many of which have become standards. As a singer, King had an album, Tapestry, top the U.S...
song "Goin' Back
Goin' Back
"Goin' Back" is a song written by Gerry Goffin and Carole King in 1966. It describes the loss of innocence that comes with adulthood along with an attempt, on the part of the singer, to recapture that youthful innocence...
". Crosby's controversial menage-a-trois ode "Triad
Triad (David Crosby song)
"Triad" is a song written by David Crosby in 1967 about a ménage à trois, a subject perfectly in keeping with the "free love" hippie philosophies of the day. The song was written while Crosby was a member of the rock band The Byrds, who were at that time recording their fifth studio album, The...
", recorded by the band before his dismissal, was left off the album. Jefferson Airplane
Jefferson Airplane
Jefferson Airplane was an American rock band formed in San Francisco in 1965. A pioneer of the psychedelic rock movement, Jefferson Airplane was the first band from the San Francisco scene to achieve mainstream commercial and critical success....
recorded "Triad" and released it on their album Crown of Creation
Crown of Creation
-Personnel:*Marty Balin – vocals, rhythm guitar*Grace Slick – vocals, piano, organ*Paul Kantner – rhythm guitar, vocals*Jorma Kaukonen – lead guitar, electric chicken, vocals*Spencer Dryden – drums, piano, organ, steel balls, vocals...
in 1968. David Crosby sang a solo acoustic version on Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young's 1971 double live album Four Way Street. The Byrds' version appeared decades later on the 1988 Never Before release and is now available on the CD re-release of Notorious Byrd Brothers.
In 1973 Crosby reunited with the original Byrds for the album Byrds
Byrds (album)
Byrds is the twelfth album by the American rock band The Byrds and was released in March 1973 on Asylum Records . It was recorded as the centerpiece of a reunion between the five original members of The Byrds: Roger McGuinn, Gene Clark, David Crosby, Chris Hillman, and Michael Clarke...
, with Crosby acting as the record's producer. The album failed to be a critical or commercial success, and marked the final artistic collaboration of the original band.
Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young
Stephen Stills
Stephen Arthur Stills is an American guitarist and singer/songwriter best known for his work with Buffalo Springfield and Crosby, Stills & Nash . He has performed on a professional level in several other bands as well as maintaining a solo career at the same time...
at a party at the home of (Mama) Cass Elliot
Cass Elliot
Cass Elliot , born Ellen Naomi Cohen and also known as Mama Cass, was an American singer and member of The Mamas & the Papas. After the group broke up, she released five solo albums. Elliot was found dead in her room in London, England, from an apparent heart attack after two weeks of sold-out...
in California in March 1968, and the two started meeting informally together and jamming. They were soon joined by Graham Nash
Graham Nash
Graham William Nash, OBE is an English singer-songwriter known for his light tenor vocals and for his songwriting contributions with the British pop group The Hollies, and with the folk-rock band Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young. Nash is a photography collector and a published photographer...
, who left his commercially successful group The Hollies
The Hollies
The Hollies are an English pop and rock group, formed in Manchester in the early 1960s, though most of the band members are from throughout East Lancashire. Known for their distinctive vocal harmony style, they became one of the leading British groups of the 1960s and 1970s...
to play with Crosby and Stills. Remarkably, their appearance at the Woodstock Music and Art Fair
Woodstock Festival
Woodstock Music & Art Fair was a music festival, billed as "An Aquarian Exposition: 3 Days of Peace & Music". It was held at Max Yasgur's 600-acre dairy farm in the Catskills near the hamlet of White Lake in the town of Bethel, New York, from August 15 to August 18, 1969...
in August 1969 constituted their second live performance ever.
Their first album, Crosby, Stills & Nash
Crosby, Stills & Nash (album)
Crosby, Stills & Nash is the first album by Crosby, Stills & Nash, released in 1969 on the Atlantic Records label. It spawned two Top 40 hits, "Marrakesh Express" and "Suite: Judy Blue Eyes," which peaked respectively at #28 the week of August 23, 1969, and at #21 the week of October 25, 1969, on...
of 1969 was an immediate hit, spawning two Top 40 hit singles and receiving key airplay on the new FM radio format, in its early days populated by unfettered disc jockeys who then had the option of playing entire albums at once.
The songs he wrote while with CSN include "Guinnevere
Guinnevere
"Guinnevere" is a folk song written by David Crosby in 1969. The song appears on Crosby, Stills & Nash's critically acclaimed eponymous debut album. The song is notable for its serene yet pointed melody and its unique lyrics, which compare Queen Guinevere to the object of the singer's affection,...
", "Almost Cut My Hair," "Long Time Gone," and "Delta". He also co-wrote "Wooden Ships
Wooden Ships
"Wooden Ships" is a rock song written and composed by David Crosby, Stephen Stills and Paul Kantner in the late 1960s. The song was written and composed in Florida on Crosby's boat...
" with Paul Kantner
Paul Kantner
Paul Lorin Kantner is an American rock musician, known for co-founding the psychedelic rock band Jefferson Airplane and its spin-off band Jefferson Starship.- Overview :...
of Jefferson Airplane
Jefferson Airplane
Jefferson Airplane was an American rock band formed in San Francisco in 1965. A pioneer of the psychedelic rock movement, Jefferson Airplane was the first band from the San Francisco scene to achieve mainstream commercial and critical success....
and Stephen Stills
Stephen Stills
Stephen Arthur Stills is an American guitarist and singer/songwriter best known for his work with Buffalo Springfield and Crosby, Stills & Nash . He has performed on a professional level in several other bands as well as maintaining a solo career at the same time...
.
In 1969, Neil Young joined the group, and with him they recorded the album Déjà Vu, which went to number 1 on the charts. That same year, Crosby's longtime girlfriend Christine Hinton was killed in a car accident only days after Hinton, Crosby, and fellow girlfriend Debbie Donovan moved from Los Angeles to the Bay Area
San Francisco Bay Area
The San Francisco Bay Area, commonly known as the Bay Area, is a populated region that surrounds the San Francisco and San Pablo estuaries in Northern California. The region encompasses metropolitan areas of San Francisco, Oakland, and San Jose, along with smaller urban and rural areas...
. Crosby was devastated, and he began abusing drugs much more severely than he had before. Nevertheless, he still managed to contribute "Almost Cut My Hair" and the title track "Déjà Vu". After the release of the double live album
Live album
A live album is a recording consisting of material recorded during stage performances using remote recording techniques, commonly contrasted with a studio album...
Four Way Street, the group went on a temporary hiatus to focus on their respective solo careers.
In December 1969, David appeared with CSNY at the Altamont Free Concert, increasing his visibility after also having performed at Monterey Pop
Monterey Pop Festival
The Monterey International Pop Music Festival was a three-day concert event held June 16 to June 18, 1967 at the Monterey County Fairgrounds in Monterey, California...
and Woodstock
Woodstock Festival
Woodstock Music & Art Fair was a music festival, billed as "An Aquarian Exposition: 3 Days of Peace & Music". It was held at Max Yasgur's 600-acre dairy farm in the Catskills near the hamlet of White Lake in the town of Bethel, New York, from August 15 to August 18, 1969...
. At the beginning of the new decade, he briefly joined with Jerry Garcia
Jerry Garcia
Jerome John "Jerry" Garcia was an American musician best known for his lead guitar work, singing and songwriting with the band the Grateful Dead...
, Phil Lesh
Phil Lesh
Phillip Chapman Lesh is a musician and a founding member of the Grateful Dead, with whom he played bass guitar throughout their 30-year career....
and Mickey Hart
Mickey Hart
Mickey Hart is an American percussionist and musicologist. He is best known as one of the two drummers of the rock band the Grateful Dead. He was a member of the Grateful Dead from September 1967 to February 1971, and from October 1974 to August 1995...
from the Grateful Dead
Grateful Dead
The Grateful Dead was an American rock band formed in 1965 in the San Francisco Bay Area. The band was known for its unique and eclectic style, which fused elements of rock, folk, bluegrass, blues, reggae, country, improvisational jazz, psychedelia, and space rock, and for live performances of long...
, billed as "David and the Dorks," and making a live recording at the Matrix
The Matrix (club)
The Matrix, a renovated former pizza shop, was a nightclub in San Francisco from 1965 to 1972 and was one of the keys to what eventually became known as the "San Francisco Sound" in rock music...
on December 15, 1970.
CSNY reunited in 1973 at the Winterland
Winterland Ballroom
The Winterland Ballroom, often referred to as Winterland Arena or simply Winterland, was an old ice skating rink and 5,400-seat music venue in San Francisco, California...
in San Francisco. This served as a prelude to their highly successful stadium tour in the summer of 1974. Prior to the tour, the foursome attempted to record a new album entitled Human Highway. The recording session, which took place at Neil Young's ranch, was very unpleasant, and marked by constant bickering. The bickering eventually became too much, and the album was cancelled.
In rehearsals for the 1974 tour, CSNY recorded a then-unreleased David Crosby song, "Little Blind Fish." A different version of the song would appear on the second CPR album more than two decades later.
The 1974 tour was also full of constant bickering, though they managed to finish it without interruption. A greatest hits compilation entitled So Far
So Far (album)
-Personnel:*David Crosby - vocals, guitar*Stephen Stills - vocals, bass, guitar, organ, piano, percussion*Graham Nash - vocals, guitar, organ, piano*Neil Young - vocals, guitar, harmonica, piano-Additional personnel:*Dallas Taylor - drums...
was released during 1974 to capitalize on the foursome's reunion tour.
In 1976, as separate duos, Crosby & Nash
Crosby & Nash
In addition to solo careers and within the larger aggregate of Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young, the musical team of David Crosby and Graham Nash have performed and recorded regularly as a duo, mostly during the 1970s and the 2000s.-History:...
and Stills & Young were both working on respective albums and contemplated retooling their work to produce a CSNY album. This attempt ended bitterly as Stills and Young deleted Crosby and Nash's vocals from their album Long May You Run
Long May You Run
-Side two:-Personnel:* Neil Young – vocals, guitars, piano, harmonica, synthesizer* Stephen Stills – vocals, guitar, piano* Jerry Aiello – organ, piano* George "Chocolate" Perry – bass, backing vocals...
.
CSNY would not perform together again as a foursome until Live Aid in Philadelphia
Live Aid
Live Aid was a dual-venue concert that was held on 13 July 1985. The event was organized by Bob Geldof and Midge Ure to raise funds for relief of the ongoing Ethiopian famine. Billed as the "global jukebox", the event was held simultaneously in Wembley Stadium in London, England, United Kingdom ...
in 1985, and then performed only sporadically in the 1980s and '90s (mainly at the annual Bridge School Benefit
Bridge School Benefit
The Bridge School Benefit is an annual non-profit charity concert held in Mountain View, California, every October at the Shoreline Amphitheatre. The concerts are all organized by musician Neil Young and his wife, Pegi....
organized by Young's wife Pegi). Without Young, however, Crosby, Stills & Nash has performed much more consistently since its reformation in 1977. The trio toured in support of their 1977 and 1982 albums CSN
CSN (album)
CSN is a Crosby, Stills & Nash album released in 1977, the fifth album by the group, and the first without Neil Young since his entry into the band...
and Daylight Again
Daylight Again
Daylight Again is a 1982 studio album by the band Crosby, Stills & Nash, their fourth of completely original material, and seventh in total. It peaked at #8 on the Billboard Top Pop Albums chart, the final time the band has made the top ten to date...
and then, starting in the late-eighties, has toured regularly year after year. And while the group has continued to perform live to the present day, since 1982 it has released only four albums of new material: American Dream
American Dream (album)
American Dream is the 1988 reunion album for Crosby, Stills & Nash with Neil Young.Released on November 3, 1988, there was great anticipation for the quartet's first studio album in eighteen years, but all four performers were in fact at various ebbs in their songwriting. The harmonies still...
(1988, with Young), Live It Up (1990), After The Storm (1994), and Looking Forward
Looking Forward
Looking Forward is an album by folk rock band Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young, released on Oct 26, 1999.-Track listing:#"Faith in Me" – 4:21 Take 1, recorded 5:26 PM, January 23, 1997 at Ga Ga's Room, Los Angeles, CA...
(1999, with Young). In addition Crosby & Nash released the self-titled album Crosby & Nash
Crosby & Nash (album)
Crosby & Nash is a double album released by David Crosby and Graham Nash of CSNY in 2004.-Track listing:#"Lay Me Down" – 3:37#"Puppeteer" – 4:06#"Through Here Quite Often" – 4:05#"Grace" – 0:46...
in 2004.
Fullscale CSNY tours took place in 2000, 2002 and 2006.
Crosby, Stills and Nash appeared together on a 2008 episode of The Colbert Report, and "Neil Young" joined them during the musical performance at the end of the episode. However, eventually, it became clear that it was only Stephen Colbert impersonating Young as the group sang Teach Your Children
Teach Your Children
"Teach Your Children" is a song by Graham Nash. Although it was written when Nash was a member of The Hollies, it was never recorded by that group, and first appeared on the album Déjà Vu by Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young released in 1970. The recording features Jerry Garcia on pedal steel guitar...
.
Solo career
If I Could Only Remember My Name
-External links:*...
, featuring contributions by Nash, Young, Joni Mitchell
Joni Mitchell
Joni Mitchell, CC is a Canadian musician, singer songwriter, and painter. Mitchell began singing in small nightclubs in her native Saskatchewan and Western Canada and then busking in the streets and dives of Toronto...
, and members of Jefferson Airplane
Jefferson Airplane
Jefferson Airplane was an American rock band formed in San Francisco in 1965. A pioneer of the psychedelic rock movement, Jefferson Airplane was the first band from the San Francisco scene to achieve mainstream commercial and critical success....
, the Grateful Dead
Grateful Dead
The Grateful Dead was an American rock band formed in 1965 in the San Francisco Bay Area. The band was known for its unique and eclectic style, which fused elements of rock, folk, bluegrass, blues, reggae, country, improvisational jazz, psychedelia, and space rock, and for live performances of long...
, and Santana
Carlos Santana
Carlos Augusto Alves Santana is a Mexican rock guitarist. Santana became famous in the late 1960s and early 1970s with his band, Santana, which pioneered rock, salsa and jazz fusion...
. Panned on release by Rolling Stone
Rolling Stone
Rolling Stone is a US-based magazine devoted to music, liberal politics, and popular culture that is published every two weeks. Rolling Stone was founded in San Francisco in 1967 by Jann Wenner and music critic Ralph J...
, it has been reappraised amid the emergence of the freak folk
Freak folk
Freak folk is a genre of folk music associated with contemporary artists such as Faun Fables, Animal Collective, Davenport, Devendra Banhart,CocoRosie, Panda Bear, Kelli Ali, Joanna Newsom, Bowerbirds, Woods, Greg Weeks, Hecuba, Akron/Family, Rio en Medio, Birdengine, Sufjan Stevens, Sean Hayes,...
and New Weird America
New Weird America
New Weird America describes a subgenre of psychedelic and indie music, often psych folk, of the late 20th and early 21st centuries.-Origin of the term:...
movements and remains in print.
As a duo Crosby and Graham Nash have released four studio albums and two live albums including Another Stoney Evening
Another Stoney Evening
-Personnel:* David Crosby — vocal, guitar* Graham Nash — vocal, guitar, piano-Additional personnel:* Stephen Barncard — producer* Bill Halverson — recording engineer* Steve Silberman — liner notes...
, which features the duo in a 1971 acoustic performance with no supporting band. Some Crosby songs recorded by the various permutations of CSN in the 1970s include "Where Will I Be?", "Carry Me", "Bittersweet", "Low Down Payment", "Homeward Through the Haze", "Time After Time", "Foolish Man", and "In My Dreams". During the mid-70s, Crosby and Nash enjoyed lucrative careers as session musicians, with both performers (as a duo and respectively) contributing harmonies and background vocals to albums by Joni Mitchell, Jackson Browne
Jackson Browne
Jackson Browne is an American singer-songwriter and musician who has sold over 17 million albums in the United States alone....
(whom Crosby had initially championed as an emerging performer), Dave Mason
Dave Mason
David Thomas "Dave" Mason is an English singer, songwriter, and guitarist from Worcester, who first found fame with the rock band Traffic...
, Rick Roberts
Rick Roberts
Rick Roberts may refer to:* Rick Roberts , Canadian actor* Rick Roberts , American radio talk show host* Rick Roberts , Canadian field hockey player* Rick Roberts , American rock musician, founder of Firefall...
, James Taylor
James Taylor
James Vernon Taylor is an American singer-songwriter and guitarist. A five-time Grammy Award winner, Taylor was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 2000....
(most notably "Lighthouse" and "Mexico"), Art Garfunkel
Art Garfunkel
Arthur Ira "Art" Garfunkel is an American singer-songwriter, poet, and actor, best known as being a member of the folk duo Simon & Garfunkel...
, J.D. Souther, Carole King
Carole King
Carole King is an American singer, songwriter, and pianist. King and her former husband Gerry Goffin wrote more than two dozen chart hits for numerous artists during the 1960s, many of which have become standards. As a singer, King had an album, Tapestry, top the U.S...
, Elton John
Elton John
Sir Elton Hercules John, CBE, Hon DMus is an English rock singer-songwriter, composer, pianist and occasional actor...
, and Gary Wright
Gary Wright
Gary Malcolm Wright is an American musician, best known for his song, "Dream Weaver". He was the piano player on Harry Nilsson's version of "Without You".-Early life:...
.
Renewing his ties to the San Francisco milieu that had abetted so well on his solo album, Crosby sang back up vocals on several Paul Kantner
Paul Kantner
Paul Lorin Kantner is an American rock musician, known for co-founding the psychedelic rock band Jefferson Airplane and its spin-off band Jefferson Starship.- Overview :...
and Grace Slick
Grace Slick
Grace Slick is an American singer and songwriter, who was one of the lead singers of the rock groups The Great Society, Jefferson Airplane, Jefferson Starship, and Starship, and was a solo artist, for nearly three decades, from the mid-1960s to the mid-1990s...
albums between 1971 and 1974 and the Hot Tuna
Hot Tuna
Hot Tuna is an American blues-rock band formed by bassist Jack Casady and guitarist Jorma Kaukonen as a spin-off of Jefferson Airplane. It plays acoustic and electric versions of original and traditional blues songs.- Jefferson Airplane side project :...
album Burgers in 1972. He also participated in composer Ned Lagin’s
Ned Lagin
Ned Lagin is an American avant-garde keyboardist.Lagin is considered a pioneer in the development and use of minicomputers in real-time stage and studio performance. This included running analogue to digital converters and doing digital signal processing to generate music in the era before digital...
proto-ambient
Ambient music
Ambient music is a musical genre that focuses largely on the timbral characteristics of sounds, often organized or performed to evoke an "atmospheric", "visual" or "unobtrusive" quality.- History :...
project Seastones along with members of the Grateful Dead and Jefferson Starship
Jefferson Starship
Jefferson Starship is an American rock band formed in the early 1970s. The group is a spin-off from the iconic 1960s psychedelic/folk group Jefferson Airplane. The band has undergone several major changes in personnel and genres through the years while retaining the same Jefferson Starship name...
.
Crosby worked with Phil Collins
Phil Collins
Philip David Charles "Phil" Collins, LVO is an English singer-songwriter, drummer, pianist and actor best known as a drummer and vocalist for British progressive rock group Genesis and as a solo artist....
occasionally from the late 1980s to the early 1990s; he sang backup to Collins in "Another Day in Paradise
Another Day in Paradise
"Another Day in Paradise" is a song by Phil Collins released as the first single from his number-one album But Seriously . As with his song from Genesis, "Man on the Corner" "Another Day in Paradise" was written to bring attention to the problem of homelessness; as such, the song was a substantial...
" and, on his own 1993 song, "Hero", from his album Thousand Roads
Thousand Roads
Thousand Roads is the third solo album released by David Crosby, a founding member of Crosby, Stills, and Nash. It was released in 1993 .-Track listing:#"Hero" – 4:39...
, he had Collins singing backup. In 1999, he appeared on Return of the Grievous Angel: A Tribute to Gram Parsons
Return of the Grievous Angel: A Tribute to Gram Parsons
Return of the Grievous Angel: A Tribute to Gram Parsons is a 1999 tribute album to pioneering country-rock musician Gram Parsons, co-produced by his one-time singing partner, Emmylou Harris and featuring cover versions of songs written/co-written by or popularized by Parsons, performed by Harris,...
, singing a duet of the title track with Lucinda Williams
Lucinda Williams
Lucinda Williams is an American rock, folk, blues and country music singer and songwriter. She recorded her first albums in 1978 and 1980 in a traditional country and blues style and received very little attention from radio, the media, or the public. In 1988, she released her self-titled album,...
.
In 2006 Crosby worked with David Gilmour
David Gilmour
David Jon Gilmour, CBE, D.M. is an English rock musician and multi-instrumentalist who is best known as the guitarist, one of the lead singers and main songwriters in the progressive rock band Pink Floyd. In addition to his work with Pink Floyd, Gilmour has worked as a producer for a variety of...
on his third solo album On an Island
On an Island
On an Island is the third solo album by David Gilmour, best known as vocalist and lead guitarist for Pink Floyd. It was released in the UK on 6 March 2006, Gilmour's 60th birthday, and in the United States the following day. It was Gilmour's first new solo album in 22 years...
along with Nash. The album was released in March 2006 and reached #1 quickly on the UK charts. Both Crosby and Nash also performed live with Gilmour in his concert at the Royal Albert Hall in London in May 2006 and toured together in the USA, which can be seen on Gilmour's 2007 DVD Remember That Night
Remember That Night
Remember That Night is a live concert recording of Pink Floyd guitarist David Gilmour's solo concerts at the Royal Albert Hall on 29, 30 & 31 May 2006 as part of his On an Island tour. The title is taken from a line in the song "On an Island". It has been released on both DVD and Blu-ray formats...
.
CPR
In 1996, Crosby formed CPR or Crosby, Pevar & Raymond with session guitarist Jeff PevarJeff Pevar
Jeff Pevar is an American musician who has recorded and toured with hundreds of renowned artists and is a member of CPR with David Crosby. Although primarily a guitarist, he is also a multi-instumentalist, also playing bass, mandolin, lap steel, dobro and more...
, and pianist James Raymond, Crosby's son. The group released two studio albums and two live albums before disbanding in 2004.
The first song that Crosby and Raymond co-wrote, "Morrison", was performed live for the first time in January 1997. The song recalled Crosby's feelings about the portrayal of Jim Morrison
Jim Morrison
James Douglas "Jim" Morrison was an American musician, singer, and poet, best known as the lead singer and lyricist of the rock band The Doors...
in the movie The Doors
The Doors (film)
The Doors is a 1991 biopic about the 1960s-1970s rock band of the same name which emphasizes the life of its lead singer, Jim Morrison. It was directed by Oliver Stone, and stars Val Kilmer as Morrison, Meg Ryan as Pamela Courson , Kyle MacLachlan as Ray Manzarek, Frank Whaley as Robby Krieger,...
. The success of the 1997 tour spawned a record project, Live at Cuesta College
Live at Cuesta College
Live at Cuesta College is the debut album by the band CPR. It is a live document of their 1997 tour issued in limited release only via the CPR website.-Track listing:#In My Dreams – 6:51#Tracks In The Dust – 5:48#Homewards Through The Haze – 6:21...
, which was released in March 1998.
After the disbandment in 2004, Raymond continues to perform with Crosby as part of the touring bands for Crosby & Nash and Crosby, Stills & Nash. Jeff Pevar sometimes tours with the re-formed Jefferson Starship
Jefferson Starship
Jefferson Starship is an American rock band formed in the early 1970s. The group is a spin-off from the iconic 1960s psychedelic/folk group Jefferson Airplane. The band has undergone several major changes in personnel and genres through the years while retaining the same Jefferson Starship name...
.
Acting career
During the early 1990s, he appeared as a guest star in several episodeEpisode
An episode is a part of a dramatic work such as a serial television or radio program. An episode is a part of a sequence of a body of work, akin to a chapter of a book. The term sometimes applies to works based on other forms of mass media as well, as in Star Wars...
s of The John Larroquette Show
The John Larroquette Show
The John Larroquette Show is a situation comedy that ran on the NBC network from 1993 to 1996. The show, created by Don Reo, was a vehicle for John Larroquette following his run as Dan Fielding on Night Court. The series took place in a seedy bus terminal in St. Louis, Missouri and focused on the...
, where he played the part of John Hemingway's AA
Alcoholics Anonymous
Alcoholics Anonymous is an international mutual aid movement which says its "primary purpose is to stay sober and help other alcoholics achieve sobriety." Now claiming more than 2 million members, AA was founded in 1935 by Bill Wilson and Dr. Bob Smith in Akron, Ohio...
sponsor. He appeared on an episode of Roseanne
Roseanne (TV series)
Roseanne is an American sitcom broadcast on ABC from October 18, 1988 to May 20, 1997. Starring Roseanne Barr, the show revolved around the Conners, an Illinois working class family...
as the singer husband of one of Roseanne's co-workers, played by Bonnie Bramlett. He sang the Danny Sheridan composition "Roll On Down" on that episode. He was on an episode of Ellen called "Ellen Unplugged," where he was helping out at the Rock and Roll Fantasy Camp. He also appeared as a pirate in the 1991 film Hook
Hook (film)
Hook is a 1991 American fantasy film directed by Steven Spielberg. The film stars Robin Williams, Dustin Hoffman, Julia Roberts, Bob Hoskins, and features Maggie Smith, Caroline Goodall, Charlie Korsmo, Amber Scott, and Dante Basco. Hook acts as a sequel to Peter Pan's original adventures, focusing...
, as a '70s Hippie in the 1991 film Backdraft
Backdraft (film)
Backdraft is a 1991 action thriller film directed by Ron Howard and written by Gregory Widen. The film stars Kurt Russell, William Baldwin, Scott Glenn, Jennifer Jason Leigh, Rebecca De Mornay, Donald Sutherland, and Robert De Niro. Jason Gedrick and J. T. Walsh co-star in the film...
, and as a bartender in the 1992 feature film, Thunderheart
Thunderheart
Thunderheart is a 1992 American contemporary western mystery film directed by Michael Apted from an original screenplay by John Fusco. The film is a loosely based fictional portrayal of events relating to the Wounded Knee incident in 1973...
.
Crosby has also voiced himself on two episodes of The Simpsons
The Simpsons
The Simpsons is an American animated sitcom created by Matt Groening for the Fox Broadcasting Company. The series is a satirical parody of a middle class American lifestyle epitomized by its family of the same name, which consists of Homer, Marge, Bart, Lisa and Maggie...
, "Marge in Chains
Marge in Chains
"Marge in Chains" is the 21st episode of The Simpsons fourth season. It first aired on the Fox network in the United States on May 6, 1993. In the episode, Marge is arrested for shoplifting after forgetting to pay for an item at Kwik-E-Mart...
" and "Homer's Barbershop Quartet
Homer's Barbershop Quartet
"Homer's Barbershop Quartet" is the first episode of The Simpsons fifth season. The episode was written by Jeff Martin and directed by Mark Kirkland. It features The Be Sharps, a barbershop quartet founded by Homer Simpson. The band's story roughly parallels that of The Beatles...
".
Medical issues
Crosby was the recipient of a highly publicized liver transplant
Organ transplant
Organ transplantation is the moving of an organ from one body to another or from a donor site on the patient's own body, for the purpose of replacing the recipient's damaged or absent organ. The emerging field of regenerative medicine is allowing scientists and engineers to create organs to be...
in 1995, which was paid for by Phil Collins. News of his transplant created some controversy because of his celebrity status and his past issues with drug and alcohol
Alcoholism
Alcoholism is a broad term for problems with alcohol, and is generally used to mean compulsive and uncontrolled consumption of alcoholic beverages, usually to the detriment of the drinker's health, personal relationships, and social standing...
addiction.
Crosby suffers from obesity
Obesity
Obesity is a medical condition in which excess body fat has accumulated to the extent that it may have an adverse effect on health, leading to reduced life expectancy and/or increased health problems...
, has type 2 diabetes and is being treated with insulin
Insulin
Insulin is a hormone central to regulating carbohydrate and fat metabolism in the body. Insulin causes cells in the liver, muscle, and fat tissue to take up glucose from the blood, storing it as glycogen in the liver and muscle....
to manage this disease.
At a concert in October 2008, Crosby, looking quite thinner than in recent years, announced to the audience that he'd recently shed 55 pounds.
Drugs charges and prison time
In 1982, after appearing in criminal courtCriminal justice
Criminal Justice is the system of practices and institutions of governments directed at upholding social control, deterring and mitigating crime, or sanctioning those who violate laws with criminal penalties and rehabilitation efforts...
s facing several drugs and weapons charges, Crosby spent 9 months in Texas prisons
Prison
A prison is a place in which people are physically confined and, usually, deprived of a range of personal freedoms. Imprisonment or incarceration is a legal penalty that may be imposed by the state for the commission of a crime...
. The drug charges stemmed from charges related to possession of heroin and cocaine
Cocaine
Cocaine is a crystalline tropane alkaloid that is obtained from the leaves of the coca plant. The name comes from "coca" in addition to the alkaloid suffix -ine, forming cocaine. It is a stimulant of the central nervous system, an appetite suppressant, and a topical anesthetic...
.
In 1985, David Crosby, on probation for drunken driving, was arrested for hit-and-run driving and possession of a concealed pistol and drug paraphernalia. Crosby was arrested after driving into a fence in a Marin County suburb and officers found a .45-caliber pistol and cocaine in his car.
One of his famous stories is that while being interviewed, after being arrested, the reporter asked him: "Why did you have a gun?" Crosby responded, "John Lennon, man" and replied the same to each subsequent question.
On March 7, 2004, he was charged with criminal possession of a weapon in the third degree, illegal possession of a hunting knife, illegal possession of ammunition and illegal possession of about 1 ounce of marijuana. Crosby left said items behind in his hotel room. "Authorities said a hotel employee searched the suitcase for identification and found about an ounce of marijuana, rolling papers, two knives and a .45-caliber pistol. Mr. Crosby was arrested when he returned to the hotel to pick up his bag." After spending 12 hours in jail, he was released on $3500 bail. On July 4, 2004, he pleaded guilty to "attempted criminal possession of a weapon," was fined $5,000 and given no jail time. "Prosecutors did not seek a more severe penalty on the weapons charge because the pistol was registered in California and was stowed safely in his luggage when it was found. A charge of "unlawful possession of marijuana" was dismissed. "Mr. Crosby was discharged by the court on condition that he pay his fine and not get arrested again."
Family
Crosby is currently married to Jan Dance but has had a number of prior long-term relationships, including with Christine Hinton, Debbie Donovan and Joni Mitchell
Joni Mitchell
Joni Mitchell, CC is a Canadian musician, singer songwriter, and painter. Mitchell began singing in small nightclubs in her native Saskatchewan and Western Canada and then busking in the streets and dives of Toronto...
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Two of Crosby's children were placed for adoption
Adoption
Adoption is a process whereby a person assumes the parenting for another and, in so doing, permanently transfers all rights and responsibilities from the original parent or parents...
: a son, James Raymond, in 1962 and a daughter, Erika Keller, in 1966. He has been reunited with both of them as adults. Since 1997 Raymond has performed with Crosby on stage and in the studio, as a member of CPR and as part of the touring bands for Crosby & Nash and Crosby, Stills & Nash. In addition, Crosby has two other children: a daughter, Donovan Crosby, with former girlfriend Debbie Donovan and a son, Django Crosby, who was conceived with wife Jan Dance after extensive fertility treatments while Crosby's liver was failing.
In January 2000, Melissa Etheridge
Melissa Etheridge
Melissa Lou Etheridge is an American rock singer-songwriter and musician.Etheridge is known for her mixture of confessional lyrics, pop-based folk-rock, and raspy, smoky vocals...
announced that Crosby was the biological father of two children Julie Cypher
Julie Cypher
Julie Cypher, born August 24, 1964 in Wichita, Kansas, is best known as the former partner of Melissa Etheridge.Cypher attended the University of Texas at Austin. She married actor Lou Diamond Phillips in 1986. In 1988, Cypher met Etheridge while assisting on the music video for the song, "Bring Me...
gave birth to by means of artificial insemination
Artificial insemination
Artificial insemination, or AI, is the process by which sperm is placed into the reproductive tract of a female for the purpose of impregnating the female by using means other than sexual intercourse or natural insemination...
. At the time, Etheridge and Cypher were in a relationship.
Crosby's brother Ethan, who taught him to play guitar and started his musical career with him, committed suicide in late 1997 or early 1998. The date is unknown because Ethan left a note not to search for his body and let him return to the earth. His body was found months later in May 1998.
Discography
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- See also discographies for Crosby Stills Nash & YoungCrosby, Stills, Nash & Young discographyThe discography of American/British/Canadian supergroup Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young is composed of 8 studio albums, 3 live albums, 5 compilation albums, 4 video albums, one music video, 19 singles, 1 guest single, and 1 soundtrack appearance....
, The ByrdsThe Byrds discographyThe Byrds were an American rock band that were formed in Los Angeles, California in 1964. Although the band only enjoyed the huge commercial success of contemporaries like The Beatles or The Beach Boys for a short period of time , they were pivotal in originating the musical styles of folk rock,...
, and Crosby & Nash.Date of release Title Peak Billboard chart position RIAA Certifications Label Information February 22, 1971 If I Could Only Remember My Name If I Could Only Remember My Name-External links:*...#12 Gold Atlantic Records Atlantic RecordsAtlantic Records is an American record label best known for its many recordings of rhythm and blues, rock and roll, and jazz...Studio January 23, 1989 Oh Yes I Can Oh Yes I CanOh Yes I Can is the second solo album by Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young member David Crosby. It was released in 1989 , 18 years on from his previous solo release If I Could Only Remember My Name.-Track listing:...#104 A&M Records A&M RecordsA&M Records is an American record label owned by Universal Music Group that operates under the mantle of its Interscope-Geffen-A&M division.-Beginnings:...Studio May 4, 1993 Thousand Roads Thousand RoadsThousand Roads is the third solo album released by David Crosby, a founding member of Crosby, Stills, and Nash. It was released in 1993 .-Track listing:#"Hero" – 4:39...#133 Atlantic Studio January 24, 1995 It's All Coming Back To Me Now... It's All Coming Back To Me Now...It's All Coming Back To Me Now... is a live album by David Crosby and his fourth solo effort. Chris Robinson of the Black Crowes and Graham Nash also appear on the album...Atlantic Live August 27, 1996 King Biscuit Flower Hour King Biscuit Records Live November 21, 2006 Voyage Box Set Voyage Box SetVoyage Box Set is a 3-CD boxset by David Crosby. It features solo stand-outs and classics with legendary groups, including The Byrds, CSN, and CPR plus one full disc of previously unreleased material.-Track listing:Disc One: Essential Vol...Rhino Records Compilation
- See also discographies for Crosby Stills Nash & Young
With CPR
Live at Cuesta College Live at Cuesta College is the debut album by the band CPR. It is a live document of their 1997 tour issued in limited release only via the CPR website.-Track listing:#In My Dreams – 6:51#Tracks In The Dust – 5:48#Homewards Through The Haze – 6:21... |
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Just Like Gravity Just Like Gravity is the second studio album recorded by Crosby, Pevar and Raymond .-Track listing:#"Map to Buried Treasure" – 5:34... |