David Crosby dies; outspoken member of Byrds, CSNY

David Crosby, a founding member of the Byrds and Crosby, Stills & Nash, has died. He was 81.

 “It is with great sadness after a long illness, that our beloved David (Croz) Crosby has passed away,” a statement from his family said. “His legacy will continue to live on through his legendary music.”

Crosby had been in ill health for many years, yet continued to tour and record into the new century. He struggled with drugs and addiction for many years, and underwent a liver transplant in the mid-1990s.

His longtime musical partner Graham Nash wrote upon hearing news of the death: “David was fearless in life and in music. He leaves behind a tremendous void as far as sheer personality and talent in this world. He spoke his mind, his heart, and his passion through his beautiful music and leaves an incredible legacy.”

Crosby and Nash had been estranged in recent years.

Crosby was a key, influential and outspoken member of the 1960s counterculture. His onstage rant about the assassination of President Kennedy at Monterey Pop led to his dismissal from the Byrds, the popular folk-rock group he helped found in 1964.

Key Crosby compositions over the years include “Guinnevere,” “Wooden Ships” and “Triad,” the latter two recorded by Jefferson Airplane.

His solo album “If I Could Only Remember My Name” was received indifferently upon its debut in 1971, but is now considered a high watermark of Crosby’s career.

Crosby said the record, which featured a gaggle of counterculture guest stars, “was not where everything else was going, so (reviewers) thought it was irrelevant.” It received a major rerelease at its half-century mark and has been a favorite of audiophiles. Key tracks include “Laughing” and the sonic adventure “Cowboy Movie.”

Crosby’s sometimes-ethereal voice, and love of “strange” guitar tunings and time signatures, gave his music a psychedelic tinge, but most of his work fell into the folk-rock genre. In concert, he was part raconteur, comedian and lecturer.

With the Byrds, Crosby was primarily a singer. The group’s hits were written by others although he contributed to its psychedelic classic “Eight Miles High.” None of the Byrds hits featured Crosby on lead vocals. He co-wrote several album cuts with group leader Jim (Roger) McGuinn.

“Everybody’s Been Burned” was an early Crosby composition recorded by the Byrds that featured the dreamy offbeat feel of his later solo work.  His song “Triad,” proposing a menage-a-trois, was left off the album “The Notorious Byrd Brothers,” adding to the creative and personal differences within the group.

Crosby found sanctuary, for a while, with new bandmates Stephen Stills and Graham Nash. Crosby songs recorded by the instantly successful Crosby, Stills & Nash included “Long Time Gone,” “Wooden Ships” (co-written) and “Guinnevere.”

Neil Young joined the band and they famously performed for the second time at the Woodstock pop festival. Their signature album was “Déjà Vu,” to which Crosby contributed the spacey title track and the paranoia-driven “Almost Cut My Hair.”

Young wrote, “The soul of CSNY, David’s voice and energy were at the heart of our band. His great songs stood for what we believed in. …”

Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young then released a strong live double-LP. They reunited in the mid-1970s for a massive stadium tour. The group, with and without Young, reunited for occasional tours and recordings through 2006.

Stephen Stills said, “(Crosby) was without question a giant of a musician, and his harmonic sensibilities were nothing short of genius. … I am deeply saddened at his passing and shall miss him beyond measure.”

Nash, with whom Crosby often worked as a duo, said in 2016 that both acts were dead because of personal conflicts with Crosby.

Crosby’s drug problems reportedly spiked in 1970 as he dealt with the accidental death of a girlfriend. In 1986, he served time in Texas on drugs and weapons charges. He later said the judicial wake-up call saved his life.

The CSNY favorite “The Lee Shore” reflected Crosby’s life-long love of sailing.

Crosby continued to record as a solo act, including the albums “Oh Yes I Can” (1989), “Thousand Roads” (1993), “Croz” (2014) and “For Free” (2021). He formed the well-received act CPR with his son James Raymond. David Crosby & Friends, featuring the elderly singer with a band of enthusiastic young players, toured in 2019.

Crosby wrote several books and was the subject of the documentary “David Crosby: Remember My Name” (2019).

Crosby is survived by his wife, Jan Dance, sons Django and James Raymond, and daughters Erika and Donovan.

Crosby died Jan. 19, 2023. He was born in Los Angeles on Aug. 14, 1941.

Photo: Christopher Michel