Born in Los Angeles in 1941, David Crosby co-founded the folk rock supergroup Crosby, Stills & Nash along with fellow musicians Stephen Stills and Graham Nash. They later added Canadian singer-songwriter Neil Young, and their music became a cornerstone of rock 'n roll.
Crosby's early career saw him as part of the original line-up of The Byrds, joining the band in 1964, and he appeared on their first five albums, including the 1965 hit cover of Bob Dylan’s Mr Tambourine Man.
In 1967 he joined Buffalo Springfield on stage at the Monterey Pop Festival, and he subsequently formed Crosby, Stills & Nash in 1968 with Stephen Stills (of Buffalo Springfield) and Graham Nash of the Hollies. After the release of their debut album, CSN won the Grammy Award for Best New Artist of 1969. Neil Young joined the group for live appearances, their second concert being Woodstock, before recording their second album Déjà Vu. Meant to be a group that could collaborate freely, Crosby and Nash recorded three gold albums in the 1970s, and the core trio of CSN remained active from 1976 until 2016. CSNY reunions took place in each decade from the 1970s through the 2000s.
Songs Crosby wrote or co-wrote include Lady Friend, Everybody's Been Burned, Why and Eight Miles High with the Byrds and Guinnevere, Wooden Ships, Shadow Captain and In My Dreams with Crosby, Stills & Nash. He wrote Almost Cut My Hair and the title track Déjà Vu for Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young's 1970 album of the same name. He is known for having employed alternative guitar tunings and jazz influences. He released six solo albums, five of which charted. Additionally, he formed a jazz-influenced trio with his son James Raymond and guitarist Jeff Pevar in CPR. Crosby's work with the Byrds and CSNY has sold over 35 million albums.
Crosby was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame twice: once for his work in the Byrds and again for his work with CSN. Five albums to which he contributed are included in Rolling Stone's The 500 Greatest Albums of All Time, three with the Byrds and two with CSN(Y). He was outspoken politically and was sometimes depicted as emblematic of the 1960s' counterculture.
