David Crosby

One of the most popular rock artists of the 1960s and '70s, as well as one of the most troubled, David Crosby's soaring vocals were the cornerstone of two of the decade's most popular and influential groups, The Byrds and Crosby, Stills & Nash. As a member of both groups, Crosby was a pioneering figure in the development of folk-rock and the West Coast rock scene, which came to dominate American pop and rock-n-roll in the 1970s. But his accomplishments with both groups, which earned him two entries into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, were often overshadowed by his long and devastating battle with drug abuse, which not only ruined his creative career but also nearly ended his life. He turned his life around in the late 1980s, whereupon he resumed his partnership with Stephen Stills, Graham Nash and their on-again, off-again fourth member, Neil Young, while forging new musical directions with an adopted son, Jeff Raymond, in the band, Crosby, Pevar & Raymond. An unexpected late-career renaissance led to a string of new solo albums after Crosby's 70th birthday, which many fans considered among his finest work. While Crosby's music remained an enduring inspiration for generations of folk-rock musicians, it was his story of survival and redemption that ensured him a place in the music history books.