David Van Cortlandt Crosby (born August 14, 1941) is an American guitarist, singer, and songwriter. He is best known for being a founding member of The Byrds and Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young (CSNY). Crosby is a member of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame for his work in the Byrds and CSN. Biography Early years David Crosby was born in Los Angeles, California. His parents were Aliph Van Cortlandt Whitehead and Floyd Crosby, an Academy Award winning cinematographer. He attended Crane Country Day School in Montecito, California, for elementary school and junior high. At Crane, he starred in HMS Pinafore and other musicals. He received his high school education at the Cate School, Carpinteria, California. In 1960 , when Crosby was 19, his parents divorced. Originally, he was a drama student, but he dropped out of drama school to pursue a career in music. He moved toward the same Greenwich Village scene (as a member of th