Legendary Singer/Songwriter/Musician David Crosby Has Died

David Crosby, one of the pioneering rock stars in both the Byrds and later with Crosby, Stills & Nash, has died at the age of 81 after a long illness.

Crosby joined the Byrds in 1964 as that groundbreaking group turned this Bob Dylan song into a #1 classic the following year.  

In 1966, the Byrds remade a Pete Seeger tune based on the Book of Eccliastes.  "Turn!  Turn Turn!" also went to #1 and is The #126 Song of the Rock Era, according to the book The Top 500 Songs of the Rock Era.

Crosby left the Byrds in 1967. In 1968, after meeting Stephen Stills and Graham Nash at a party in Laurel Canyon in California, the three began harmonizing and instantly knew the combination of their voices was magic.  All three were established musicians with Stills coming from Buffalo Springfield ("For What It's Worth") and Nash a key part of the Hollies.  

Crosby, Stills & Nash signed a recording contract with Atlantic Records and released their self-titled landmark album in May.  "Marrakesh Express", with a peak of #28, is one of The Top Unknown/Underrated Songs of the Rock Era.

 

The follow-up single is also a member of the underrated club, getting as far as #21.  Crosby, Stills & Nash blew the audience away at Woodstock in August, 1969 in only their second live performance.  Here is the epic performance of "Suite:  Judy Blue Eyes".

Those two great singles are just the tip of the iceberg.  So many Top Tracks* are found as well, including the song responsible for forming the group.  It is Stills' "You Don't Have To Cry" that the trio harmonized on at the 1968 party, to the delight of party guests that evening.

Another superb gem showcasing that amazing harmony is "Helplessly Hoping"

"Wooden Ships", a collaboration between the group and Paul Kantner of Jefferson Airplane, is a another standout track on the group's memorable debut.

 

The trio's debut has now sold over four million units.  We also want to feature "Long Time Gone", also the title of Crosby's 1988 autobiography.

 

Neil Young joined the group for the 1969 album Deja Vu.  The songs, except for the Joni Mitchell song "Woodstock" (the live version featured here), were recorded in individual sessions by each member.  Young appears on just half of the tracks and usually recorded his tracks alone in Los Angeles before bringing them to the recording studio to add voices.

During the sessions, Crosby would break down and cry at the recent death of his girlfriend Christine Hinton.  David told Crawdaddy in 1974, "I was not at my best as a functioning person...completely unable to deal with it all."

 

The trio released the single "Teach Your Children", which included Jerry Garcia of the Grateful Dead on pedal steel guitar.  This one too amazingly stopped just short of the Top 10 at #11!

Crosby, Stills & Nash also released "Our House" as a single.

 

Deja Vu has sold over seven million copies, the top seller of any recorded by any of the four members.  Crosby's "Almost Cut My Hair" is outstanding.

"Carry On", never released as a single, is one of The Top Album Tracks of the Rock Era*.

After their spring and summer tour in 1970, Crosby, Stills and Nash completed just one project together, a 1974 reunion tour of CSNY.  Meanwhile, Crosby and Nash recorded three albums together as a duo, with David releasing a solo album and Nash a pair.  Stills worked on other projects including the release of four solo albums, a brief career with Manassas that produced two albums, and a tour and album with Young.

 

In 1977, Crosby, Stills & Nash went back into the studio for the first time in eight years.  the album CSN was the result of those sessions, and yielded what in hindsight is unbelievably the group's first Top 10 single, "Just A Song Before I Go".

 

CSN has sold over four million copies in the U.S. alone and nearly eight million worldwide.  The legendary trio got together for one more album, 1982's Daylight Again, which yielded the smash hit "Wasted On The Way".

"Southern Cross" stopped at #18, the final hit for Crosby, Stills & Nash.  Timothy B. Schmidt of the Eagles sang backing vocals.

David Crosby, who gave the world incredible music and memories for six decades, will live on in the music featured above.  Rest in peace, David.