David Crosby has been remembered by his former bandmate Neil Young as “the soul of CSNY” in an online memorial written in the wake of Crosby’s death. Young’s comments were shared on his Neil Young Archives website a matter of hours after the announcement of Crosby’s passing on Friday at the age of 81.
“David is gone, but his music lives on,” Young wrote. “The soul of CSNY, David’s voice, and energy were at the heart of our band. His great songs stood for what we believed in and it was always fun and exciting when we got to play together.”
Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young – ‘Déjà Vu’
“‘Almost Cut My Hair’ and ‘Déjà Vu’, and so many other great songs he wrote were wonderful to jam on, and [Stephen] Stills and I had a blast as he kept going on and on. His singing with Graham [Nash] was memorable, their duo spot a highlight of so many of our shows.”
Young joined Crosby – a former member of The Byrds – and his Crosby, Stills & Nash co-founders, The Hollies’ Graham Nash and Buffalo Springfield’s Stephen Stills, in 1969 to form Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young. The expanded group’s first album was 1970’s Déjà Vu, which boasts iconic tracks including ‘Helpless’ (Young), ‘Teach Your Children’ (Nash) and Crosby’s ‘Almost Cut My Hair’.
“We had so many great times, especially in the early years,” said Young. “Crosby was a very supportive friend in my early life, as we bit off big pieces of our experience together. David was the catalyst of many things.”
Further Reading
Crosby, Stills & Nash Return To Spotify Following Boycott
Neil Young Claims He’ll Only Tour Again If It’s Environmentally Sustainable
Watch This Aussie Rock Supergroup Cover A Byrds Classic For An A+ Cause
