The David Crosby song that “united” him with his son
The late David Crosby lived a storied life. A member of folk-rock pioneers The Byrds, countercultural legends CSNY, and an esteemed solo artist, Crosby’s undoubted musical ability was backed up by a colourful character and a spirit that embodied the counterculture’s highs and lows. Authentic until the very end, Crosby might have landed himself in hot water over the years, but no one in their right mind would ever doubt his honesty.
As is well known, Crosby was a hedonist, and during his heyday in the 1960s and 1970s, he found infamy as a hard partier who wasn’t afraid to speak his mind. Reflecting this, he was kicked out of The Byrds in 1967 following a series of onstage political diatribes at the Monterey International Pop Festival and his refusal to change his stance over the direction of their material.
As is well documented, Crosby’s life was full of twists and turns, and one of the most monumental moments was when he and Cecilia Crawford Ferguson had a son, James Raymond, in 1962. However, James was placed for adoption and only reunited with Crosby years later as an adult, when the pair would forge a strong bond. Beginning in 1997, Raymond performed with his father as a member of CPR and then as a part of the touring bands for Crosby and Nash and Crosby, Stills and Nash.
When listing a collection of his favourite songs for American Songwriter, Crosby picked ‘Lay Me Down’ from he and Graham Nash’s 2004 double album, Crosby & Nash. It was written by James Raymond and was one of five songs he penned or shared co-writing credits with for the duo. More significantly, it was also the moment that Crosby said he and his son “united musically”.
“This is the moment where my son James and I are united musically,” Crosby said. “It’s a stunner. Graham and I were getting ready to make a record and James says, ‘I think I’ve got a song for the album,’ and sits down and plays this devil for us. It was mind-blowing, as if he was inside our heads when he wrote it.”
As is well known, Crosby and Raymond started writing music together shortly after reconnected. Raymond had barely any contact with his father after he was adopted, but things changed after his adoptive parents reached out to the former Byrds man during the time of his highly publicised liver transplant in 1994. Famously, the operation was paid for by Phil Collins.
“They told me they knew I might not make it, but if I did, would I meet my son,” Crosby continued. “As soon as I could stand up and walk, I did. There could be others out there. I have six children that I know of, but I think there might be a seventh one, a girl, but I have no way to find out.”
Listen to ‘Lay Me Down’ below.
