David Crosby Biography
David Van Cortlandt Crosby was an American vocalist, guitarist, and songwriter who was born on August 14, 1941. He started his solo career with Crosby, Stills, and Nash and the Byrds.
Crosby was born in Los Angeles, California, the second child of Wall Street cameraman Floyd Crosby and Macy’s salesman Aliph Van Cortlandt Whitehead.
David Crosby mother was a Van Cortlandt, while his father was a Van Rensselaer. She was the granddaughter of the Bishop of Pittsburgh, Cortlandt Whitehead.
David Crosby was the younger brother of Ethan Crosby. In California, he completed his elementary and junior high education at Laguna Blanca School in Santa Barbara, Crane Country Day School in Montecito, and University Elementary School in Los Angeles.
In Chicago and Greenwich Village, he performed with Terry Callier, but they didn’t record anything. Around 1962, he performed with Les Baxter’s Balladeers. Jim Dickson oversaw the recording of Crosby’s first solo album in 1963.
Early in 1964, he formed the Jet Set with Jim McGuinn and Gene Clark, then the Byrds with Chris Hillman on bass and Michael Clarke on drums. Due to creative differences, Crosby left the Byrds after the Monterey Pop Festival.
After producing Joni Mitchell’s 1968 debut album, Crosby made numerous solo albums and collaborated with Stephen Stills. Later, Graham Nash joined. With the release of their debut album in 1969, Crosby, Stills, and Nash became well known.
After joining Stills’ former Buffalo Springfield bandmate Neil Young, Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young (CSNY) performed at Woodstock for the second time in 1969.
1969 Best New Artist Grammy Award winner.
The performers on Crosby’s 1971 solo album If I Could Only Remember My Name featured Nash, Young, Joni Mitchell, Jefferson Airplane, the Grateful Dead, and Santana.
With session guitarist Jeff Pevar and his pianist son James Raymond, Crosby established CPR, sometimes known as Crosby, Pevar & Raymond, in 1996. Before breaking up in 2004, they created two studio albums and two live albums.
The Byrds and Crosby, Stills, and Nash were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1991. (1997).
Wife
In a ceremony held at the Hollywood Church of Religious Science in Los Angeles in May 1987, Crosby married Jan Dance. He was 45 years old at the time, and Dance was just 35.
Children
In 1962, Crosby and Celia Crawford Ferguson welcomed James Raymond Crosby into the world. James Raymond was given up for adoption but later returned to Crosby as an adult.
A son named Django Crosby was born to him and his wife, Jan Dance, following extensive fertility treatments while Crosby’s liver was failing.
David Crosby also had three other children: a daughter named Erika with his ex-girlfriend Jackie Guthrie; a daughter named Donovan Crosby with his ex-girlfriend Debbie Donovan; and a son named Django Crosby with his wife Jan Dance. Donovan and Erika both have the names Debbie Donovan and Jackie Guthrie, respectively.
According to celebritynetworth.com, David Crosby has a net worth of $10 million.
Cause of death
David Crosby passed away on January 19th, 2023, at the age of 81.
“It is with tremendous grief that we report that our beloved David (Croz) Crosby has passed away after a lengthy illness,” his wife Jan Dance told Variety. He could feel Jan, his soul mate and wife, and his son Django’s warmth and company. He may not be physically here with us longer, but his good nature and kind humanity will still guide and inspire us.
David Crosby continued by saying that the great music he produced will carry on his legacy. I pray for peace, love, and harmony for everyone who knew David and for everyone whose lives he touched.
All of us will miss him terribly. We respectfully and sincerely ask for privacy at this difficult time as we grieve and try to comprehend the enormity of our loss. I am appreciative of the prayers and love that have been expressed.