David Crosby

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About David Crosby

Official Site: http://crosbycpr.com/


The singular odyssey of David Crosby remains one of the more remarkable tales in the annals of music history. As a founding member of the pioneering American groups the Byrds and Crosby, Stills & Nash, he helped create and popularize the highly influential folk-rock sound, forging the richly harmonic, radiantly acoustic approach which defined the West Coast music scene for years to follow; he also sold millions of records and enjoyed a cultural impact equaled by few of his contemporaries. Yet despite his often overwhelming success, Crosby is recognized far less for his artistic achievements than for his larger-than-life off-stage exploits, specifically a long and fantastically excessive battle with drug abuse which seemingly kept him teetering on the brink of death for over a decade; that he not only survived but remained as colorful and newsworthy a character as before is a testament to his continued creativity and unpredictability.

Crosby was born in Los Angeles on August 14, 1941; the son of Academy Award-winning cinematographer Floyd Crosby, he dropped out of drama school to pursue a career in music, touring the folk club circuit and recording as a member of the Les Baxter Balladeers. Under the auspices of producer Jim Dickson, Crosby cut his first solo session in late 1963; early the following year he formed the Jet Set with Jim McGuinn and Gene Clark, and with the additions of bassist Chris Hillman and drummer Michael Clarke, the group was rechristened the Byrds. Although McGuinn chiefly pioneered the Byrds' trademark 12-string guitar sound, Crosby was the architect of their shimmering harmonies; his interests in jazz and Indian music also influenced their subsequent excursions into psychedelic. However, creative differences plagued the group throughout its career, and in 1967 Crosby -- reportedly rankled by his bandmates' refusal to release his menage a trois opus "Triad" -- left the Byrds in the wake of their appearance at the Monterey Pop Festival.

After producing Joni Mitchell's 1968 debut LP, Crosby cut a handful of solo recordings and began jamming with ex-Buffalo Springfield singer/guitarist Stephen Stills. In time the duo was joined by ex-Hollies member Graham Nash; with its exquisitely beautiful three-part harmonies, strong individual songwriting contributions, and graceful folk-rock sound, Crosby, Stills & Nash's 1969 debut LP proved a pop landmark, launching all three members to greater fame than they'd experienced in any of their previous projects. The addition of Stills' former Buffalo Springfield bandmate Neil Young expanded the group to a four-piece, and in August of 1969 Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young (CSNY) made just their second live appearance to date at the Woodstock Festival; 1970's Déjà Vu arrived in stores with advance orders numbering over two million, and through the thought-provoking social and political messages of songs like "Woodstock" and "Ohio," they emerged as generational torchbearers of enormous musical and cultural influence.

Following a sellout CSNY tour, the group went on hiatus, and Crosby resumed work on his long-delayed solo debut, releasing If I Could Only Remember My Name in 1971; the following year, he and Nash issued the first of several duo efforts, and he also took part in a short-lived Byrds reunion. Despite continued creative differences, CSNY reformed for a 1974 tour; Crosby and Nash issued Wind on the Water a year later, and in 1977 Stills returned to the fold for the multi-platinum CSN. However, as Crosby's longstanding drug problem continued to worsen, he eventually fell out with both Stills and Nash, and a planned second solo album, Might as Well Have a Good Time, was rejected by Capitol in 1980. A series of arrests for cocaine possession and illegal weapons charges hampered him throughout the years to follow, even as he reunited with Stills and Nash in 1982 for the Top Ten hit Daylight Again. After completing the follow-up, 1983's Allies, the trio did not record together for another seven years.

In late 1985 Crosby was sentenced to prison after fleeing the drug rehabilitation clinic he'd entered in lieu of serving out a previous jail term; upon his release the following August, he'd finally conquered his demons, later chronicling the ugly details of his addiction in the fine autobiography Long Time Gone. In 1988 -- a full 18 years after the release of Déjà Vu -- Crosby reunited with Stills, Nash, and also Young for American Dream; his second solo effort, Oh Yes I Can, finally appeared the following year as well. After the 1990 release of CSN's Live It Up, Crosby continued to suffer personal misfortunes -- first he was severely injured in a motorcycle accident, and then in 1994 he lost his L.A. home as a result of massive earthquake damage. Months later, he returned to the headlines when it was announced he was diagnosed with hepatitis C and dying of liver failure, undergoing a successful organ transplant in 1995.

During the recovery period which followed, Crosby met James Raymond, the son he'd given up for adoption over three decades earlier and a professional musician as well; the two soon began writing songs together, and with guitarist Jeff Pevar they formed CPR, releasing a series of albums and touring regularly. In early 1997, Crosby, Stills & Nash were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Hame; six years earlier, Crosby had first entered the Hall as a member of the Byrds. Young returned to the fold for 1999's Looking Forward, with the resulting millennial tour -- dubbed "CSNY2K" -- heralding the foursome's first joint road venture in a quarter century. Crosby was again the subject of tabloid headlines when in early 2000 it was revealed that he fathered the children of singer Melissa Etheridge and her life partner, Julie Cypher; that same year, he also published a second book, Stand and Be Counted, which assembled interviews with actors and musicians to explore the intersection of celebrity and social activism. ~ Jason Ankeny, Rovi

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Music

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    • Hero (with Phil Collins)
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    • Music Is Love
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    • What Are Their Names
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    • Almost Cut My Hair
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Photos

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  • David Crosby
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    David Crosby
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    Damien Drake
  • David Crosby arrested in 1982 for cocaine & weapon possession.
    David Crosby
    David Crosby arrested in 1982 for cocaine & weapon possession.
  • Atlantic
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    Atlantic

News

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  • David Crosby
    David Crosby on James Taylor
    www.rollingstone.com
    Photo: Getty James Taylor came in at number 74 on the list of Rolling Stone's 100 Greatest Singers of All Time, which longtime friend and collaborator...
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  • David Crosby
    Graham Nash and David Crosby Plot Joint Tour
    www.rollingstone.com
    @ Verizon Theatre at Grand Prairie April 15 - Concho, OK @ Lucky Star Casino April 16 - Newkirk, OK @ First Council Casino April 26 - Cincinnati, OH @...
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  • David Crosby
    David Crosby On Bob Dylan
    American Songwriter
    songs, but he's not an easy guy to get close to. He is a fascinating guy though. What do you admire about him as an artist? A number of things. He's a...
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  • David Crosby
    Read David Crosby's Poem For Jerry Garcia
    American Songwriter
    Jerry Garcia, the iconic Grateful Dead guitarist/vocalist, would have been 70 today, which is the new "50″ for aging rock stars. To mark the occasion,...
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  • David Crosby
    David Crosby: "Cause I'm Missing Jerry Tonight"
    www.jambands.com
    This evening Bob Weir will host the Move Me Brightly event at his TRI Studios, which will pay to the late Jerry Garcia. Part of the evening's program ...
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  • David Crosby
    David Crosby, Members of Railroad Earth to Join Warren Haynes at the Cap
    www.jambands.com
    Warren at the Cap. Photo by Dead Budnick. David Crosby will join Warren Haynes at Port Chester, NY's Capitol Theater on October 11. The show will be p...
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  • David Crosby
    David Crosby Cancels Cap Appearance with Warren Haynes
    www.jambands.com
    David Crosby has cancelled his appearance at Port Chester, NY's Capitol Theatre, which was set for tomorrow night. The CSNY staple was slated to perfo...
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  • David Crosby
    David Crosby, Marty Balin to Hold Benefit for Slick Aguilar
    www.jambands.com
    Paul Kantner and Slick Aguilar David Crosby and Jefferson Starship's Marty Balin will play a benefit concert for Jefferson Starship guitarist Mark "Sl...
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  • David Crosby
    David Crosby Hopes for One More CSNY Tour
    www.rollingstone.com
    Figuring he has another decade to live, David Crosby said he'd love to do one last tour with Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young before he dies. "Look, I h...
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  • David Crosby
    David Crosby Hopes for One More CSNY Tour
    music.yahoo.com
    Related ContentView Photo David Crosby Hopes for One More CSNY Tour Figuring he has another decade to live, David Crosby said he'd love to do one last...
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Discography

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  • Live (2000)
    David Crosby
    Live (2000)
    EMI-Capitol Special Markets
  • It's All Coming Back to Me Now... (1995)
    David Crosby
    It's All Coming Back to Me Now... (1995)
    Atlantic
  • Thousand Roads (1993)
    David Crosby
    Thousand Roads (1993)
    Atlantic
  • Oh Yes I Can (1989)
    David Crosby
    Oh Yes I Can (1989)
    One Way Records
  • If I Could Only Remember My Name (1971)
    David Crosby
    If I Could Only Remember My Name (1971)
    Atlantic
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