David Van Cortlandt Crosby (1941 - 2023)

I've always been a sucker for almost any music that came out of the Laurel Canyon. The harmonies that emanated from many Southern California folk-rockers who lived, worked and thrived there will always have a place in the musical part of my heart. To this day the vocal sounds of artists like The Beach Boys, The Mamas and The Papas, Eagles and Crosby, Stills and Nash always have me listening in awe at how people can sing so beautifully together.

CSN had three distinct personalities. Stephen Stills rocked out more than his two bandmates, Graham Nash was the pop tunesmith, and David Crosby was the one who wrote songs that were the most out-of-the-mainstream. It was true even when the trio was joined by Neil Young. Nevertheless, when their voices blended together it was a thing of beauty. 

"Guinevere," "Wooden Ships," "Déjà Vu," "Almost Cut My Hair," "Shadow Captain" "Long Time Gone," and "Delta" were just some of the songs Crosby either wrote or co-wrote for the loosely organized outfit.

Crosby also had a solo career. He recorded and toured with Nash as a duo and he recently released his first ever live album and DVD.

In the 90s Crosby started another band, CPR, that included his son, James Raymond, who was given up for adoption as a child. The two eventually formed a great bond, and after they disbanded Raymond became part of CSN's touring band.

Crosby's career began with the groundbreaking Byrds, another iconic group of great harmonizers that enabled him to be one of just a handful of musicians who have been elected to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame twice.

Crosby was opinionated, very outspoken, and he didn't kowtow to many people. Those personality traits made him very fascinating, but they also cost him a few close friends. His lack of fear at expressing himself allowed the man who never did cut his hair to be very active on Twitter. I follow several musicians, and he was the only one I was certain wasn't using staffers or bots to tweet on his account. He used the handle @thedavidcrosby to write and post his own tweets. He also wrote an advice column for Rolling Stone magazine.

The singer with the huge mustache was also a devoted husband who was married to the same woman for over thirty-five years. In addition to Raymond the singer-songwriter had three other children.

David Crosby was a lot more than one of the three great harmonizing songwriters of Crosby, Stills, and Nash, but that's how I'll mostly remember him. 

This is the rock and roll death that saddens me the most since the passing of Glenn Frey. I'm sure there will be some other big ones in the coming years as the musicians I've loved for decades age and sadly join the great rock band in the sky.