David Van Cortlandt Crosby
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65
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2
Awards
David Crosby co-founded the Byrds and Crosby Stills & Nash, earning induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1991 and 1997 respectively. He died at age 81 in 2023 from COVID-19 complications. He also appeared in films such as Backdraft and Hook.
Names, aliases, and relatives of David Crosby — birth name, kin, and personal ties.
David Crosby by the numbers — life, work, and family.
David Crosby — early life, career, personal life, and legacy.
Floyd Crosby, an Oscar-winning cinematographer, was David Crosby’s father. David was born on August 14, 1941 in Los Angeles, California, to Aliph Van Cortlandt Whitehead and Floyd. He attended Cate School and Santa Barbara City College before diving into music. Through his mother, he is a descendant of the Van Cortlandt family, and through his father, the Van Rensselaer family, and both lines trace back to William Floyd, a signer of the United States Declaration of Independence.
Crosby first gained fame as a member of the Byrds, appearing at the Monterey Pop Festival in 1967 after briefly replacing Neil Young in Buffalo Springfield. In 1968, he formed Crosby Stills & Nash with Stephen Stills and Graham Nash, later adding Neil Young to become Crosby Stills Nash & Young. The group released the album Looking Forward in 1999 and toured North America. Crosby also acted in films including Backdraft 1991 and Hook 1991. He was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as a member of the Byrds in 1991 and as a member of Crosby Stills & Nash in 1997.
Jan Dance and David Crosby married in 1987 and stayed married until his death. He had children—James Raymond, Beckett Cypher, and Django born in 1995. Crosby’s legal troubles included turning himself in to the FBI in 1986 and serving eleven months in Texas jails, four of them in solitary confinement. In 2004, he was arrested for marijuana and gun possession in a Times Square hotel. He also raised actress Drew Barrymore after her rehab and underwent a liver transplant, becoming friends with fellow transplant recipient Larry Hagman.
David Crosby’s double induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame—with the Byrds in 1991 and Crosby Stills & Nash in 1997—underscores his influence on rock music. Crosby Stills & Nash received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. He died on January 18, 2023 from complications of COVID-19, leaving behind a legacy of harmony-focused songwriting.
Browse the complete filmography of David Crosby — every film, TV show, and documentary credit, ranked by popularity.
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Every award, honor, and recognition received by David Crosby — Grammys, hall-of-fame inductions, civic honors, lifetime achievements.
A wall of memorable lines from David Crosby — lyrics, interviews, and off-the-cuff remarks captured over a lifetime.
My Songs Emerge from My Life, or Wherever They Do, Unbidden and Unplanned and Completely on a Schedule of Their Own. I Can’t Legislate a Song into Being, It Just Will Not Happen for Me.
We Don’t Take Show Business or the Spotlight Seriously.
I’ll Tell You My Favorite Woodstock Story. There Was a Girl Walking in the Mud, Barefoot. She Cuts Her Foot, Badly, on Some Glass in the Mud. It’s Bleeding a Lot. She’s Standing There Like a Stork, Holding Her Foot, Crying. Over on the Side Is a New York State Thruway Cop, Fully Uniformed. He Had Just Come on Duty, and His Shoes Were Shined, and His Pants Were Creased. He Knew He Looked Good. Without Any Question at All and You Have to Remember the Cops Were Our Enemies Back Then He Walks into the Mud, Picks the Girl Up, Calms Her Down, Carries Her to His Car, Lays Her Gently in the Back Seat, and Then 14 Hippies Push the Car Out of the Mud so He Can Take Her to the Hospital. That Cooperation? That’s My Shit. Those Are My People. That Cop Is My People. Those Hippies Are My People.
Singer Songwriters, Man, We Came Out of Folk Music. Folk Music Came Out of the Middle European Troubadours, Who Carried the News from Town to Town. so That’s Part of Our Tradition. the Town Crier Is Also Part of It. ‘It’s 12 O’clock and All Is Well.’ Or: ‘It’s 11:30 and Our Country Is on Fire.’ so Politics Is Part of Our Job That We Take Seriously Every Once in a While If Our Country Starts Shooting Its Own Children While They’re Protesting on a College Campus. You Probably Should Say Something. You Probably Should Be a Witness. You Should Probably Write Ohio.
Little-known facts about David Crosby — origins, oddities, and behind-the-scenes details from a public life.
After her release from rehab, David Crosby raised actress Drew Barrymore.
Through his mother, David Crosby is a descendant of the Van Cortlandt family; through his father, the Van Rensselaer family; and from both, William Floyd, a signer of the Declaration of Independence.
David Crosby underwent a liver transplant.
David Crosby briefly replaced Neil Young in Buffalo Springfield, appearing with the band on The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson in 1962 and at the Monterey Pop Festival in 1968, which helped form Crosby Stills & Nash.
In 1986, David Crosby turned himself in to the FBI and served eleven months in Texas jails, including four months in solitary confinement.
In March 2004, David Crosby was arrested for marijuana and gun possession in a Times Square hotel after a worker found a bag with marijuana, a .45-calibre handgun, and two knives.
David Crosby was good friends with Larry Hagman, who also had a liver transplant.
David Crosby was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1997 as a member of Crosby Stills & Nash.
One of David Crosby’s favorite signature guitar tunings is E-B-D-G-A-D.
David Crosby was elected to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as a member of the Byrds in 1991.
Crosby Stills & Nash received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame at 6666 Hollywood Boulevard in Hollywood, California.
David Crosby had a son named Django with Jan Dance, born in July 1995, as well as two other children from previous relationships.
David Crosby released the book Since Then: How I Survived Everything and Lived to Tell It with Carl Gottieb.
David Crosby released the album Looking Forward with Crosby Stills Nash & Young and toured North America in support of it.
Upon his death, David Crosby was cremated and his ashes given to his surviving relatives.
Quick answers to the questions readers ask most about David Crosby.
Celebrities similar to David Crosby — same craft, ranked by reach.
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