David Crosby: 1941 - 2023

David Crosby: 1941 - 2023
Photo by Francesco Lucarelli

 

David Crosby died today at the age of 81.

Crosby was a founding member of the bands Byrds and Crosby, Stills & Nash & Young. 

Graham Nash issued the following statement:

“It is with a deep and profound sadness that I learned that my friend David Crosby has passed. 

I know people tend to focus on how volatile our relationship has been at times, but what has always mattered to David and me more than anything was the pure joy of the music we created together, the sound we discovered with one another, and the deep friendship we shared over all these many long years.

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. These are the things that matter most.

My heart is truly with his wife, Jan, his son, Django, and all of the people he has touched in this world.” 

David Crosby - May 14, 2012

Inventing David Geffen |  PBS | American Masters

 

Crosby's wife Jan issued the following statement:

"It is with great sadness after a long illness, that our beloved David (Croz) Crosby has passed away.

He was lovingly surrounded by his wife and soulmate Jan and son Django. Although he is no longer here with us, his humanity and kind soul will continue to guide and inspire us. His legacy will continue to live on through his legendary music.

Peace, love, and harmony to all who knew David and those he touched. We will miss him dearly. At this time, we respectfully and kindly ask for privacy as we grieve and try to deal with our profound loss. 

Thank you for the love and prayers."

Crosby, Stills, Nash, and Youngw/ Dallas Taylor & Greg Reeves - Aug. 1969photo by Henry-Diltz(Click photo to enlarge)

 

From Stephen Stills Official:

Crosby, Stills & Nash at the Royal Albert Hall
Saturday 3rd July, 2010
Photo by (C) Cyril Kieldsen

From Stephen: 

"I read a quote in this morning’s paper attributed to composer Gustav Mahler that stopped me for a moment: 'Death has, on placid cat’s paws, entered the room.' I shoulda known something was up. 1/3 

 

David and I butted heads a lot over time, but they were mostly glancing blows, yet still left us numb skulls. I was happy to be at peace with him. 2/3

 

He was without question a giant of a musician, and his harmonic sensibilities were nothing short of genius. The glue that held us together as our vocals soared, like Icarus, towards the sun. I am deeply saddened at his passing and shall miss him beyond measure.” 3/3

Neil Young & David Crosby 

(see  David Crosby Apologizes to Neil Young )

From Neil Young Archives | Times-Contrarian:

1-20-23

David is gone, but his music lives on.

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 and it was always fun and exciting when we got to play together. ‘Almost Cut My Hair’ ‘Dejavu’, and so many other great songs he wrote were wonderful to jam on and Stills and I had a blast as he kept us going on and on. His singing with Graham was so memorable, their duo spot a highlight of so many of our shows.

We had so many great times, especially in the early years. Crosby was a very supportive friend in my early life, as we bit off big pieces of our experience together. David was the catalyst of many things.

My heart goes out to Jan and Django, his wife and son. Lots of love to you. Thanks David for your spirit and songs, Love you man. I remember the best times!

neil

 

 

From INTERVIEW: David Crosby - 'Serve The Song,' Not The Self:

"If I have songs, then I want to be recording them. 

It's not as if I sit there with the songs and say, 'This is a Crosby, Stills & Nash song,' or 'I gotta save this until I can work on it with Neil,' or 'I'm saving this for myself; this is too good for those guys' — I do what comes naturally," Crosby says.

"Our job, really, is to serve the song," he adds. "That's really what making records is about. You have to really write a real song that you can sit down and play for somebody and make them feel something. If you don't have that, you shouldn't bother."

Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young - 1969
(Click photo to enlarge) 

From PODCAST: David Crosby Talks Neil Young & More | ‘Freak Flag Flying’,  Crosby discusses reuniting with Neil Young, Stephen Stills and Graham Nash:

David Crosby: “I don’t think it’s going to happen,” Crosby responds.

“The thing to do is be grateful for what there was. There was a period of time there when we really did make some very good music together and I’m grateful for it. I think everybody has to deal with their life as it coms to them and if those guys are stuck where they are, they’re stuck where they are. I’m trying real hard not to be.”

 

Graham Nash & David Crosby
#OccupyWallStreet in NYC
“Military Madness is Killing Our Country"
Nov 8, 2011
Photo by Sandi Bachom 

Jason Isbell & The 400 Unit + David Crosby

David Crosby Talks “Ohio”, CSNY and Creativity 

(Crosby's last concert performance)

 

David Crosby and Neil Young - Music Scene - 1969
Photo by Jeff Allen | InstaGram

 

David Crosby, Graham Nash, Neil Young and Stephen Stills
Oakland Coliseum, July 14, 1974
Photo by David Zimmer
(Click photo to enlarge)

 

Jerry Garcia, David Crosby, Phil Lesh and Neil Young
Photo by Jim Marshall
(See Photo of the Moment)

 

David Crosby, Stephen Stills and Graham Nash

Crosby, Stills & Nash Perform at the National Christmas Tree Lighting
(WTOP/Jason Fraley)

 

DEVELOPING 

More on David Crosby @

• INTERVIEW: David Crosby - 'Serve The Song,' Not The Self
• "The American Beatles": Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young
  
• PODCAST: David Crosby Talks Neil Young & More | ‘Freak Flag Flying’
• David Crosby: Uncut, Never-Before-Seen Interview | " Inventing David Geffen" | PBS | American Masters
• David Crosby Talks “Ohio”, CSNY and Creativity 
• Photo of the Moment: Jerry Garcia, David Crosby, Phil Lesh and Neil Young - 1970  
• Crosby, Stills & Nash Perform at the National Christmas Tree Lighting
• David Crosby Talks Neil Young, Marijuana, And His Stunning New Album ‘Sky Trails’  
• 2015 Interview with David Crosby | 4WaySite.com
• CONCERT REVIEW: Crosby, Stills & Nash: Wolf Trap, Vienna, VA - August 13, 2005 
  
• Neil Young & David Crosby and their tangled relationship. 

 

"They are one person

 They are two alone 

They are three together 

They are for/4 each other" 

Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young - 2006
(Click photo to enlarge) 

David Crosby Tribute - NBC Nightly News

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INTERVIEW: Stephen Stills on Crosby, Nash & Young - 1991

Stephen Stills on "Later with Bob Costas" - 1991

 

Here is a Stephen Stills interview on the October 29th and 30th, 1991 episodes of "Later with Bob Costas".

Stills discusses the CSN boxset compiled by Graham Nash, and his solo album STILLS ALONE (which featured Hollis Brown by Bob Dylan who Stills talks about), Stephen addresses the Buffalo Springfield (including Neil Young's departure), as well as, Crosby Stills Nash, and Young.

  

In particular, note Stephen's comments on Neil Young @ ~05:00:

"Neil never played team sports. That’s why he would work on different solo projects & wouldn’t commit to touring with CSN."

Now we did some fact checking on that because we had always heard that Neil played hockey in his youth. While Neil did play hockey, it seems that he never played on an organized team. 

More on Stephen Stills and  Crosby,  Nash, & Young.

Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young - 2006
(Click photo to enlarge)

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Crosby, Stills & Nash: "Music is Love" Book

Crosby, Stills & Nash: "Music is Love" Book by Francesco Lucarelli
Published  8 December 2022
(Click photo to enlarge) 

The upcoming book "Crosby, Stills & Nash: Music is Love" by Francesco Lucarelli will be published on 8 December 2022.

This is the largest collection of Crosby, Stills & Nash stories and visuals ever put together – tickets, playbills, backstage passes, flyers, laminated passes, posters, magazine covers, picture-sleeve singles, as well as many never-seen-before photographs. The result is an amazing journey covering almost six decades of music with contributions from all five continents. 

Here's a video preview of  the book Crosby, Stills & Nash: "Music is Love".

 

The book also houses a large number of unpublished photographs featuring Neil Young. 

The 312 color pages tell the tale of more than 50 years of CSN as artists and men, with an intro by Graham Nash. Among the "voices" of the book: Bill Halverson (first CSN record engineer), Craig Doerge, George "Chocolate" Perry, Kenny Passarelli, Ken Weiss, Russ Kunkel, David Zimmer, Bonnie Bramlett, Rickie Lee Jones, Jeff Pevar, Roy McAlister, Paul Zollo, Mike Finnigan, Steve Silberman, Dick Boak, John Ferrentino, Glenn R Goodwin, Carolyne Mas, Pierre Robert. Plus managers, promoters, musicians, painters, luthiers, photographers, collectors from all five Continents. 

Unpublished photographs (and memories) by some of the greats: Henry Diltz, Rowland Scherman, Tom Gundelfinger O'Neal, Lisa Law, Guido Harari, Luciano Viti.

 Crosby, Stills & Nash: "Music is Love" Book

(Click photo to enlarge)

 “This is a wonderful collection of information about Crosby, Stills & Nash, and the photographs bring the reader even closer to the band. This information has been collected over years and years and is a ’must read’ for anyone interested in the band. I’ve enjoyed reading and looking at these stories for a while now and I’m pleased that you get a chance to do the same.”

~~Graham Nash, June 20^th, 2022, New York City.

The book will be available in two versions: 

• standard version (hardcover) 
• deluxe version* 
• 312 page full colour book
• 80-page colour photo book featuring never before seen backstage photographs from tours and venues over 30 years
• A pencil drawing by Gerard Huerta of the original ‘Illegal Stills’ album artwork printed on  vellum
• 3 Crosby, Stills & Nash gig setlists
• 3 Postcard photographs of David Crosby, Graham Nash and Stephen Stills
• CS&N pass from 1984
• Wembley stadium poster from 1974

 * The first 300 copies of the Special slipcase edition are signed by Graham Nash or Stephen Stills. Please specify whose signature you would prefer.

 

  Crosby, Stills & Nash: "Music is Love" Book(Click photo to enlarge) 

Full details here or order on Amazon.com.

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RARE: Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young - San Diego, CA, 12-21-1969

Here is some rare footage of Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young at Balboa Stadium in San Diego, CA on December 21, 1969.

No further info available on source so if you know something, say something.
UPDATE: From comment by Babbo B.: "Like the YouTube caption says, Super 8 footage by Henry Diltz (same day he shot this iconic photo: https://www.morrisonhotelgallery.com/photographs/wopOd3/Neil-Young-White-Falcon-Balboa-Stadium-San-Diego-CA--1969)"

@Babbo B - well that sure helps! You saw and said something. nice. Thanks!


Photography by Henry Diltz
Neil Young and his White Falcon guitar at Balboa Stadium, San Diego, 1969
Neil Young Print by Shepard Fairey

Also, see The Oral History of CSNY's Infamous 1974 'Doom Tour'.

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TODAY: Crosby, Stills & Nash Perform at the National Christmas Tree Lighting

Crosby, Stills & Nash
Photo by Pablo Martinez/AP (via WaPO)
(Click to enlarge)

David Crosby, Stephen Stills and Graham Nash
(WTOP/Jason Fraley)

From WTOP.com:

WASHINGTON — If the holiday season promotes “peace on earth” and “good will toward men,” who better to light the National Christmas Tree than peaceful poets Crosby, Stills & Nash?

The trio will perform at the 93rd annual event, along with Fall Out Boy, Aloe Blacc and the U.S. Coast Guard Band. Other celebrity guests include Miss Piggy and Reese Witherspoon.

The event kicks off at 5 p.m. Thursday on the Ellipse just south of the White House, airing live on PBS and online, co-presented by the National Park Foundation and National Park Service.

David Crosby, Stephen Stills and Graham Nash joined WTOP to preview the event and discuss their prolific careers, including the formation of “CSN” in 1968, the addition of occasional fourth member Neil Young in 1969, and the induction of all four artists into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

“Put down that turkey,” Nash says. “I just wanna wish you a very, very Happy Christmas.”

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David Crosby

When you think holiday music, you probably think of Bing Crosby, not David.

Yet, there he’ll be on Thursday, singing “Silent Night” against a White House backdrop.

“It’s what they told us to sing,” Crosby admits. “I would have done maybe ‘Good King Wenceslas just went out on the feast of Stephen,’ that one, I like that one better. It’s a good melody. But this one is the one they asked us to sing, so we’ll sing it. We’re cooperative guys.”

Ironically, the group did cover Bing’s “White Christmas,” but Crosby doesn’t remember it.

“We’ve sung just about everything one time or another. I don’t remember that, but there’s a lot of stuff I don’t remember, but I can’t figure out why,” Crosby says with a knowing, winking tone, no doubt referencing the proverbial decades of “sex, drugs and rock ‘n roll.”

Those “fuzzy” memories include Crosby’s start with the ’60s band The Byrds, who gave us such songs as “The Ballad of Easy Rider,” and, one of Crosby’s favorites, “Turn, Turn, Turn.”

“I love that one,” Crosby says. “The verses are actually out of Ecclesiastes in The Bible, and Pete Seeger is the one who put it to music and made it into a song. I always really liked it. I thought it was a really good sentiment and really well done.”

So which line in that song applies most to today’s state of global affairs?

“‘A time for peace, I swear it’s not too late,'” Crosby says without hesitation. “We don’t have peace, as usual, and we would like to. … We need peace, we need to not be sending our kids off to war, and if we can celebrate that at Christmas, that would be a good thing.”

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Stephen Stills

Stephen Stills is perhaps the most outspoken of the bunch in his progressive politics.

Bursting on the scene as a member of Buffalo Springfield, Stills wrote the legendary peace anthem “For What It’s Worth.” Which lyrics from that song apply most to today?

“‘There’s a man with a gun over there.’ There’s so many guns out there and it’s silly and it just bodes for exactly what’s happening. Shoot first and ask questions later,” Stills says. “I’ve played for Carter, Clinton and Obama, if you had any doubts about my political leanings.”

Stills says he’s been a political junkie ever since his childhood when he huddled around a TV in his hometown country store to watch Dwight D. Eisenhower in the 1950s. But he hasn’t been thrilled with the nation’s direction in the decades since, pointing to one turning point in particular.

“The murderous ’60s when they killed all of our leaders,” Stills says, alluding to the assassinations of John F. Kennedy, Bobby Kennedy, Malcom X and Martin Luther King Jr. “It’s just gotten worse and worse, when our wonderful Senate Majority Leader (Mitch McConnell) walked out and said, ‘All we have to do is make Obama a one-term president.'”

Stills says he’s deeply concerned about the 2016 presidential race.

“I’m just holding my breath for this next election. It’s the strangest political season I’ve ever seen in my life, and at 70, that’s saying something,” he says. “The leadership of the free world is not supposed to be a reality show, it’s supposed to be a considerate debate on the issues … So I hope the clown car will empty out soon, and we can actually get down to basics.”

Can the holiday season end the partisanship?

“We can hope. We all know that’s wishful thinking,” Stills says. “I just hope race relations will get better and America will introduce themselves to each other and not be so polarized.”

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Graham Nash

While Crosby got his start with The Byrds and Stills got his start with Buffalo Springfield, Nash got his start with The Hollies, which he founded with Allan Clarke in 1962.

The band rattled off plenty of British hits, some of which crossed over to American radio, including “I’m Alive,” “I Can’t Let Go” and “Stop, Stop, Stop.”

“I left on Dec. 8, 1968, so they had the audacity, the gall, to have two No. 1 records after I left. How dare they,” Nash jokes. “The truth was, I wasn’t doing so bad myself.”

While The Hollies dominated the charts with hits like “Long, Cool Woman in a Black Dress” and “The Air I Breath,” Nash found perfect harmony with Crosby, Stills & Nash, who formed at the urging of Cass Elliot of The Mamas & The Papas.

“If it wasn’t for Cass Elliot, none of this would have been happening,” Nash says. “I have a feeling she knew what the three of us would sound like singing together before we did. She knew I was unhappy with The Hollies, she knew that Springfield had broken up, she knew that Crosby & Stills were trying to get some duo action together, and I think Cass really knew what we would sound like.”

Nash says the trio’s first performance happened organically in Joni Mitchell’s living room.

“I came from England to America to be with Joni Mitchell, and David & Stephen were there, and we started to sing together that night in Joni’s living room,” he recalls.

Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young soon delivered an upbeat cover of Mitchell’s “Woodstock,” which memorably played under the end credits of the 1970 documentary of the same name.

Along with “Woodstock,” the group rattled off numerous hits, including “Wasted on the Way,” “Suite: Judy Blue Eyes,” “Ohio,” “Our House” and “Just a Song Before I Go.” Arguably their biggest hit was “Teach Your Children,” written by Nash back when he was a member of The Hollies, but not recorded and released until the CSNY album “Déjà Vu” in 1970.

“I’ve tried to analyze the success of that song, and I just come down to the fact that throughout the world as I travel, I realize that people want the same thing. They want a better future for their children, and with that human desire for a better world for their kids, I think ‘Teach Your Children’ kind of taps into that, and I think that’s why it’s so popular.”

So after decades of original hits, what’s it like coming together to select a Christmas carol to perform in the nation’s capital during the annual National Christmas Tree Lighting?

“We wanted something that was reasonably simple and beautifully melodic, and ‘Silent Night’ is the perfect example of that,” Nash says. “We just finished 11 countries in five weeks, and we took a couple of weeks off from each other, so we didn’t really rehearse it a lot. But we rehearsed it this morning and it sounds pretty good.”

While the rehearsal went smoothly, Nash admits he’s surprised at the size of the tree.

“I personally thought the tree should be like 800 feet high! I could put this one in my pocket,” jokes Nash, adding that the White House backdrop makes up for it. “You can’t beat that.”

Full interviews at WTOP.com.

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PHOTO GALLERY: Crosby, Stills & Nash - Manila, Philippines

Crosby, Stills & Nash
Manila, Philippines - Mar 17, 2015
Photo by Stephen Lavoie/Rappler
(Click photo to enlarge)
A nice photo gallery and review of Crosby, Stills & Nash in concert in Manila, Philippines on their 2015 World Tour. See Photo by Stephen Lavoie/Rappler :

Most bands don't deviate much from the setlist, but these guys are at a whole other level. The way they moved and mixed things around seamlessly, the three functioned as one. It was so special. They also shared the spotlight, did a few solo performances, graciously introduced and gave some stage time to the other members of the band, gentleman indeed. Very impressive to say the least.

Outstanding show.

More on Crosby, Stills & Nash's 2015 World Tour.

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