david croby, legend of rock and folk, died on Thursday at the age of 81. The guitarist and singer went down in history as the founder of legendary bands of the sixties: “The Byrds” Y “Crosby, Stills and Nash”.
“It is with great sadness, after a long illness, that our beloved David (Croz) Crosby passed away. He was surrounded by love for his wife and soulmate, Jan, and their son Django,” wrote the musician’s wife in a statement. published by the media. .
In the statement, the family said Crosby’s musical legacy “will live on through his legendary music.”
The singer-songwriter, born in California (USA) and member of the Rock Hall of Fame, was the son of director Floyd Crosby, winner of an Academy Award for Best Cinematography. His mother was a housewife, scion of a large New York family.
He began his musical career in childhood with his brother, and later developed his professional career with singer Roger McGuinn. But his leap in popularity came with the Byrds.
The Byrds, celebrities and internal tensions
In 1964 Crosby – just 25 years old – and McGuinn formed the Byrds with musicians Gene Clark and Chris Hillman, in the effervescent Los Angeles of those years.
The group achieved major recognition a year later, when they presented their version of the Bob Dylan classic “Mr. Tambourine Man”, which gave its name to their debut album, with songs such as “Turn Turn Turn”.
His adventure with “The Byrds” culminated in his expulsion from the group in 1967 after recurring struggles over his political standing (such as his support of John Fitzgerald Kennedy assassination conspiracy theories) and his attempt to personally dominate the creations of the group.
The Adventure of Crosby, Stills and Nash
In 1967 and 1968, he left the Byrds over differences, meeting Stephen Stills of the Buffalo Springfields and Graham Nash of the Hollies at the home of Joni Mitchell, a folk legend and ex-girlfriend. Thus Crosby, Stills and Nash were born. Canadian singer Neil Young later joined. The group played their first trio concert at the Woodstock festival in 1969.
Although Young’s joining led to commercial success for the band, with albums such as ‘Deja Vu’, with major hits such as ‘Woodstock’ and ‘Teach Your Children’, the group eventually disbanded due to differences in egos.
Both bands were a key part in the development of folk-rock and country-rock that originated in California and became popular in the 1970s.
Over six decades in the music industry, he has created a rich variety of ballads and heartwarming songs. He was known for both his alternate tunings of the guitar, his exuberant harmonies and his abstract lyrics as well as his anti-war activism, his brutal honesty and a dangerous way of life.
On a personal level, the musician has had problems with alcohol and drug addiction for years. Indeed, in 1982 he was arrested in Dallas, Texas for possession of drugs and weapons, for which he received a five-year prison sentence, although he served only five months behind bars.
Crosby continued as a solo artist and the last album he presented was in 2021 under the name “For Free”. In 1994 she underwent a liver transplant paid for by musician Phil Collins after he was diagnosed with hepatitis C.
After news broke of his death, it didn’t take long for tributes to rain down on the musician best known for his prominent mustache.
Graham Nash expressed his “deep sadness” over Crosby’s death on Facebook, without hiding the “unstable relationship” between the two men.
“But what has always meant the most to David and I has been the sheer joy of the music we made together, the sound we discovered, and the deep friendship we shared all these years,” she said. And highlighted: “I wasn’t afraid of life, nor of music.”
“I don’t know what to say except it breaks my heart to hear about David Crosby,” tweeted Brian Wilson, co-founder of the Beach Boys. “David was an incredible talent (…) a great singer and songwriter. And a wonderful person,” he added.
Rocker Jason Isbell added to the message: “Grateful for the time we spent with David Crosby. He will be sorely missed.”
From their networks, The Doors said: “The world has lost another ethereal element of the 1960s peace and love movement; a legend in its own right, and every group it was a part of. Coming from the same era of the Doors, David Crosby had the voice and songwriting skills that made him totally unique.”
With information from EFE and AFP
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Source: Clarin
