Tribute to David Crosby, featuring Sheldon Zoldan

In today's tribute, writer/editor Sheldon Zoldan shares insights about the life of the legendary David Crosby, co-founder of the Byrds and Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young. This is one of 44 tributes to artists, songwriters and producers who passed away in 2023. 

Sheldon also writes Song of the Day, a music-related story sent daily to an email list of subscribers. All of those stories and these tributes include links to featured songs.

You can listen to Sheldon tell Crosby's story on the WGCU website, where he posts once a week, or hear today's featured song, “Déjà  vu,” on YouTube.  (And to get on Sheldon’s Song of the Day subscriber list, email shzoldan@comcast.net with the subject line ADD ME TO SOTD.)

If want to check out Crosby's 2007 memoir, "Since Then: How I Survived Everything and Lived to Tell About It," which he wrote with Carl Gottlieb, here's a link to the Kindle edition.  I used the book cover as the image in the chapters because I like how Crosby is looking right into the camera.

The tributes in this series are fascinating glimpses into the lives and impact of those who made the soundtracks of our lives. Although some of Sheldon's subjects are less famous than others, you may find that their songs and stories are equally worth your time. I sure did. 

Audio engineer Mike Villegas (who’s also a musician) and I will publish all 44 tributes in the coming weeks. Hope you enjoy them.

This is Kate Jones. Thank you for listening to the show!

Available on Apple, Spotify, Audible and in other directories, and on YouTube.

Transcript

Kate:
00:00:22.380 --> 00:00:25.200
Hello, and welcome to Everyday Creation,

00:00:25.975 --> 00:00:29.435
a show about living our purpose and lifting

00:00:29.495 --> 00:00:30.235
our vibes

00:00:30.615 --> 00:00:32.795
for ourselves and the world.

00:00:33.530 --> 00:00:36.330
I'm Kate Jones here with a tribute to

00:00:36.330 --> 00:00:37.390
David Crosby,

00:00:38.010 --> 00:00:41.530
co-founder of the Birds and Crosby, Stills, Nash,

00:00:41.530 --> 00:00:42.270
& Young.

00:00:42.785 --> 00:00:44.965
This is one of 44 short

00:00:45.265 --> 00:00:46.165
yet illuminating

00:00:46.545 --> 00:00:47.045
episodes

00:00:47.505 --> 00:00:50.245
about significant figures in the music industry

00:00:50.560 --> 00:00:52.260
who passed away in 2023.

00:00:53.920 --> 00:00:55.540
My guest Sheldon Zoldan,

00:00:56.000 --> 00:00:58.580
a longtime writer and newspaper editor,

00:00:59.085 --> 00:01:01.345
wrote these tributes and recorded them.

00:01:01.725 --> 00:01:03.505
Here's what he says about Crosby,

00:01:03.885 --> 00:01:06.785
who died on January 18th last year.

Sheldon:
00:01:07.550 --> 00:01:11.330
David Crosby defied death and defined folk rock.

00:01:11.790 --> 00:01:13.950
Crosby was a co-founder of the Byrds

00:01:13.950 --> 00:01:15.170
in the mid-1960s

00:01:16.265 --> 00:01:19.305
and Crosby Stills Nash & Young later in

00:01:19.305 --> 00:01:19.965
the decade.

00:01:20.665 --> 00:01:23.725
Crosby died January 18th in Los Angeles.

00:01:24.380 --> 00:01:26.700
His wife said he died after a long

00:01:26.700 --> 00:01:27.200
illness.

00:01:27.740 --> 00:01:29.980
However, friends said he died in his sleep

00:01:29.980 --> 00:01:31.920
after a short bout with COVID-19.

00:01:33.115 --> 00:01:33.775
He was

00:01:35.035 --> 00:01:38.075
81. Crosby was as troubled as he was

00:01:38.075 --> 00:01:38.575
talented.

00:01:39.115 --> 00:01:41.035
He was kicked out of the Byrds because

00:01:41.035 --> 00:01:44.450
of his political diatribes and disagreements over what

00:01:44.450 --> 00:01:46.790
songs to use on their fifth album.

00:01:47.730 --> 00:01:50.770
He'd already started playing with Stephen Stills and

00:01:50.770 --> 00:01:53.615
Neil Young when he met Graham Nash, and

00:01:53.615 --> 00:01:56.195
they formed Crosby, Stills & Nash.

00:01:56.815 --> 00:01:58.275
Young would join later.

00:01:59.030 --> 00:02:01.350
They became one of the most popular groups

00:02:01.350 --> 00:02:02.570
of the early 1970s.

00:02:03.910 --> 00:02:06.470
Crosby turned to a solo career during the

00:02:06.470 --> 00:02:07.850
band's long hiatuses.

00:02:09.095 --> 00:02:12.235
Crosby's drug use, mostly cocaine and heroin,

00:02:12.695 --> 00:02:14.075
grew during the 1970s

00:02:14.695 --> 00:02:15.195
and 80s.

00:02:15.495 --> 00:02:17.995
He was arrested in Texas in 1982

00:02:18.870 --> 00:02:20.410
for possession of cocaine.

00:02:21.590 --> 00:02:24.310
He continued to abuse drugs for the next

00:02:24.310 --> 00:02:25.050
three years

00:02:25.430 --> 00:02:27.450
while fighting to stay out of prison.

00:02:28.185 --> 00:02:28.925
He lost

00:02:29.305 --> 00:02:30.445
all his appeals

00:02:30.745 --> 00:02:33.785
and spent eight months in a Texas prison

00:02:33.785 --> 00:02:34.605
in 1985.

00:02:35.810 --> 00:02:38.050
He said being in prison forced him to

00:02:38.050 --> 00:02:40.710
become sober and saved his life.

00:02:41.490 --> 00:02:44.230
Crosby survived a liver transplant in 1994,

00:02:45.535 --> 00:02:46.755
hepatitis C,

00:02:47.215 --> 00:02:47.715
diabetes

00:02:48.495 --> 00:02:49.875
and several heart issues.

00:02:51.375 --> 00:02:53.955
Crosby wrote dozens of great songs.

00:02:54.530 --> 00:02:56.930
He wrote our song of the day, "Déjà

00:02:56.930 --> 00:02:57.430
vu"

00:02:57.730 --> 00:02:58.710
for the "CSNY"

00:02:59.650 --> 00:03:00.150
album.

00:03:00.850 --> 00:03:03.010
The song idea came to him during his

00:03:03.010 --> 00:03:04.390
first sailing trip.

00:03:04.995 --> 00:03:07.015
"It's as if I've done it before,

00:03:07.715 --> 00:03:10.355
I knew way more about it than I

00:03:10.355 --> 00:03:12.455
should have," he said in a 2019

00:03:12.835 --> 00:03:15.660
book about Crosby, Stills, Nash, & Young.

Kate:
00:03:17.160 --> 00:03:18.380
This is Kate again.

00:03:18.920 --> 00:03:21.775
Sheldon also writes Song of the Day, a

00:03:21.775 --> 00:03:24.655
music-related story sent daily to an email

00:03:24.655 --> 00:03:25.715
list of subscribers.

00:03:26.575 --> 00:03:27.795
All of those stories

00:03:28.095 --> 00:03:29.155
and these tributes

00:03:29.750 --> 00:03:31.850
include links to the featured songs.

00:03:32.630 --> 00:03:34.250
In this episode's description,

00:03:34.710 --> 00:03:37.495
you can link to "Déjà vu" on the

00:03:37.495 --> 00:03:37.995
WGCU

00:03:38.535 --> 00:03:39.035
website,

00:03:39.495 --> 00:03:41.435
where Sheldon posts once a week,

00:03:41.815 --> 00:03:43.835
or hear the song on YouTube.

00:03:44.295 --> 00:03:45.195
In the description,

00:03:45.580 --> 00:03:47.200
you also can get information

00:03:47.740 --> 00:03:50.240
on how to join Sheldon's subscriber list.

00:03:50.700 --> 00:03:52.160
If you enjoyed this tribute,

00:03:52.625 --> 00:03:55.185
please check out the next one about Barrett

00:03:55.185 --> 00:03:55.685
Strong,

00:03:56.065 --> 00:03:58.325
who wrote songs that other performers

00:03:58.705 --> 00:03:59.845
turned into classics.

00:04:01.000 --> 00:04:03.320
And please share the tributes with anyone who

00:04:03.320 --> 00:04:05.820
might appreciate these well-researched glimpses

00:04:06.280 --> 00:04:08.895
into the lives of the talented people who

00:04:08.895 --> 00:04:10.915
created some of the music we love.

00:04:11.455 --> 00:04:13.795
Thank you for listening to Everyday Creation.