This Day in 1992: David Crosby Appears on Roseanne

25 years ago today, David Crosby made a one-off appearance on the ABC sitcom Roseanne, playing the husband of another noted singer of the ‘60s, ‘70s, and…well, ever since, really.

For the majority of his career, Crosby has been known almost exclusively for his music, having come to fame as a member of The Byrds before jumping into a collaboration with Stephen Stills and Graham Nash – and, yes, sometimes Neil Young – that turned him into a household name. In the 1990s, however, Crosby decided that he wanted to start pursuing a side career in acting, and while it didn’t take him into territory that’s resulted in an Oscar, an Emmy, or any other such accolade, he did score a few film gigs of note, including such films as Backdraft, Hook, and Thunderheart, as well as the occasional TV guest spot.

One of those spots was, as you’ve already discovered, on an episode of Roseanne.

Crosby turned up to play guitar and portray the husband of Roseanne’s co-worker, Bonnie, played by Bonnie Bramlett. Whether there was ever any talk of Crosby’s role being anything more than a one-off, we couldn’t say, but he makes the most of his lone appearance, and since he plays a musician, the show naturally took advantage of the built-in opportunity to have him perform, with Bramlett joining him on stage to sing a number.

Of late, Crosby has left acting to the professionals – not that he couldn’t have been one if he’d kept it up, mind you, but his skills as a singer-songwriter and performer are such that there’s no question as to where his strengths lie.