Stills and Nash honor David Crosby: ‘The glue that held us together’

Stephen Stills and Graham Nash honored the memory of the American musician David Crosbywho was described as “the glue that held us together when our vocals soared”.

The trio formed the influential rock group Crosby, Stills and Nash, an American supergroup that later included Neil Young – in 1968

Crosby died aged 81 after a “long illness”, his wife Jan Dance confirmed in a statement to the US publication. Diversity.

The singer-songwriter rose to fame with the Los Angeles-based folk-rock group The Byrds, which he joined in 1964 with Roger McGinn, Gene Clark, Chris Hillman and Michael Clark.

He collaborated on chart-topping hits including a cover of Bob Dylan’s Mr Tambourine Man, which shot to number one in the US Singles Chart, and Turn! Turn! Turn!.

Shortly after leaving The Byrds in 1967, after a tumultuous tenure, he teamed up with Stills and Nash to form their eponymous group.

“David and I have been going head-to-head a lot over time, but mostly it was brilliant shots but still left numb skulls. I was happy to be in the world with him,” Stills wrote in a statement released to the PA news agency.

“He was undoubtedly a gigantic musician and his harmonic abilities were nothing short of genius. The glue that held us together as our vocals soared like Icarus toward the sun.

“I am deeply saddened by his passing and will miss him beyond measure.”

Photo exchange of Crosby’s engraved guitar case InstagramNash, a founding member of The Hollies, wrote: “It is with deep and profound sadness that I have learned that my friend David Crosby has passed away.

“I know people tend to focus on how volatile our relationship was at times, but what mattered most to David and I was the sheer joy of the music we made together, the sound we opened for each other, and the deep the friendship we shared all these long years. David was fearless in life and in music.

“He leaves a huge void in terms of pure personality and talent in this world.

“He expressed his opinion, his heart and his passion through his beautiful music and left an incredible legacy. These are the things that matter most.”

The 80-year-old added that his heart goes out to his wife, son and “all the people he touched in this world.”

During his time with the band, Crosby wrote Guinnevere, Almost Cut My Hair, Long Time Gone, Delta and Deja Vu – but constant conflict led to the band breaking up in the 1970s.

The band regrouped sporadically over the years, including when Crosby and Nash recorded and toured regularly.

Crosby was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame twice for his roles in The Byrds and Crosby, Stills and Nash.

In a statement to the American edition of Variety, his wife Jana wrote: “It is with great sadness that our beloved David (Crose) Crosby has passed away after a long illness. He was surrounded with love by his wife and soulmate Jan and son Jang.

“Although he is no longer with us, his humanity and kind soul will continue to guide and inspire us. His legacy will live on through his legendary music.

“Peace, love and peace to all who knew David and those he touched. We will miss him very much. At this time, we respectfully and kindly ask for privacy as we grieve and try to cope with our profound loss. Thank you for your love and prayers.”

Born in 1941, Crosby was the child of Academy Award-winning cinematographer Floyd Crosby and developed an interest in acting and music at an early age.

Crosby teamed up with Becca Stevens, Michelle Willis and Michael League, known as The Lighthouse Band, in 2016 ahead of their 2018 tour in support of Crosby’s seventh solo album, Here If You Listen.

A year later, his documentary David Crosby: Remember My Name was released, directed by Cameron Crowe, in which he talks about his own mortality.