David Crosby Biography

David Crosby

In time-honored tradition, David Crosby's rock-and-roll odyssey has taken him from the heights of superstardom to the depths of drug dependency and back again. Born to cinematographer Floyd Crosby, he started out as a folk duo with his brother. By 1963 he had co-founded The Byrds. Artistic differences caused the Byrds to fire Crosby in 1967. Joining Stephen Stills and Graham Nash he formed Crosby, Stills and Nash. Their self-titled 1969 debut is considered a folk/rock classic. Adding Neil Young, their next album, Deja Vu, was another massive success. Crosby's cocaine addiction led to a series of arrests and in 1985 he was sentenced to prison. A year later, he was clean and sober, and a successful CSNY reunion and solo album followed. A motorcycle accident, an earthquake that destroyed his home, and a life-threatening illness faced Crosby next. He was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame twice, with The Byrds in 1991 and with CSNY in 1997. He was reunited with his son from a brief relationship, and the two formed a band, CPR, releasing their eponymous debut album in 1998. In 2002, CSNY reunited yet again for a successful spring U.S. tour.