The Black Crowes
Biography
At the time of their 1990 debut, the kind of rock & roll the Black Crowes specialized in was sorely out of style. Only Guns N' Roses came close to approximating a vintage Stones-style raunch, but they were too angry and jagged to pull it off completely. The Black Crowes, on the other hand, replicated that Stonesy swagger and Faces boogie perfectly. Vocalist Chris Robinson appropriated the sound and style of vintage Rod Stewart, while brother Rich Robinson fused Keith Richards' lean guitar attack with Ron Wood's messy rhythmic sense. At their best, the Black Crowes echoed classic rock without slavishly imitating their influences, and the band's nostalgic sound helped foster a long, popular career.
The Robinson brothers originally formed the Black Crowes in Georgia in 1984. By the time the group released its first album with 1990's Shake Your Money Maker, the lineup comprised vocalist Chris Robinson, guitarist Rich Robinson, bassist Johnny Colt, guitarist Jeff Cease, and drummer Steve Gorman. "Jealous Again," the first single from Shake Your Money Maker, was a moderate hit, but it was the band's cover of Otis Redding's "Hard to Handle" that made the Black Crowes a multi-platinum success. "Hard to Handle" climbed its way into the Top 40, propelling the album into the Top Ten along the way. The acoustic ballad "She Talks to Angels" became the band's second Top 40 hit in the spring of 1991, and Shake Your Money Maker eventually sold over three million copies.
The Black Crowes delivered their second album, The Southern Harmony and Musical Companion, in the spring of 1992. It entered the charts at number one but lacked strong hits, as none of the singles cracked the Top 40 and only "Remedy" and "Thorn in My Pride" made the Top 100. Nevertheless, the band established itself as a popular concert attraction that summer, selling out theaters across America. During 1992, the band added keyboardist Eddie Harsch as a permanent member. The Black Crowes' third album, Amorica, arrived in late 1994 and debuted in the Top Ten. Even so, none of the singles from the album made a significant dent, and the album slipped from the charts after going gold.
Three Snakes and One Charm, the group's fourth album, was released in July 1996. The album quickly slipped out of the Top 50 after making a strong entrance, yet it also received the best reviews of any Crowes album since The Southern Harmony and Musical Companion. Guitarist Marc Ford was fired from the Black Crowes in August 1997, and bassist Johnny Colt left the lineup in order to form the Brand New Immortals. With Rich Robinson handling all guitar parts, the band recorded and released By Your Side before collaborating with one of the world's most celebrated guitarists, Led Zeppelin's Jimmy Page. The partnership was captured by the concert album Live at the Greek, an eclectic mix of newly recorded Zeppelin covers and additional classic blues cuts. Greatest Hits 1990-1999: A Tribute to a Work in Progress, a 16-track best-of compilation, was released several months later in 2000.
Don Was was enlisted to produce the band's new album, 2001's Lions, whose lyrics were influenced by Chris Robinson's highly publicized relationship with actress Kate Hudson. A month-long summer tour with Oasis -- dubbed "the Tour of Brotherly Love" due to the prevalence of siblings in both bands -- followed in June. All was apparently not well with the group, however, and the band announced its decision to go on hiatus in January 2002. Drummer Steve Gorman was fired, and Chris Robinson began planning a solo career.
In 2005, however, the Black Crowes reunited for a show at San Francisco's Fillmore, a concert that was released in both CD and DVD formats as Freak 'N' Roll...Into the Fog in 2006. That year also saw the release of The Lost Crowes, which contained two previously unreleased albums, 1993's Tall (parts of which were seen in Amorica and other places) and the 1997 never-before-heard Band. Following a series of lineup changes, the retooled band then hit the road for a proper tour before setting to work on their first studio effort in seven years. Joined by newcomer Luther Dickinson, guitarist and co-founder of the North Mississippi Allstars, the Black Crowes combined the rootsy appeal of their early work with a newfound political awareness on 2008's Warpaint. A live performance of the album, available as both a DVD and a two-disc CD set titled Warpaint Live, appeared a year later in 2009. Before the Frost/Until the Freeze arrived that same year, marking the band's eighth studio effort. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine, All Music Guide
Selected Discography

Warpaint Live
2009

Before The Frost...Until The Freeze (Live)
2009

Warpaint
2008

Freak 'n' Roll... Into The Fog, The Black Crowes, All Join Hands, The Fillmore, San Francisco (Live)
2006

The Lost Crowes (The Black Crows: The Tall Sessions)
2006

Lions
2001

Greatest Hits
2000

By Your Side
1999

Amorica
1994

The Southern Harmony And Musical Companion
1992
Some ppl were mad that they didn't play their "hits" but if you are a fan of them at all, the show was amazing!!!!
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I am SO pumped for the show oct 17!!!! I am sure it will be fan-frickin- t a s t i c !
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Pandora needs to introduce you to new bands who sound like this. There are bands other than the crowes who still have the good ol' classic rock sound. But they only play bands on this station that have already made it. I suggest to anyone who likes these guys to listen to Earl Greyhound, The Parlor Mob, and Rose Hill Drive
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Saw the Crowes on 9/11/09 in Utica, NY at The Saranac Brewery. It is the first time since 1991 I have seen them live. It was the best $$ I have spent on a concert in quite some time. The new songs are outstanding. They have added a guitarist to their line up and the sound was just incredible! They are currently touring with Truth & Salvage Co., another amazing band worth checking out!
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I did love them and I still respect them as talented musicians. I saw them when I was 14,early 90s. I went to the show hours before the doors opened so I could be in the very front. It broke my heart when Chris was making derogatory remarks about the crowd and the city the venue was in. As a young fan that bought albums, worked to get money to go and see them play and waited in the HOT Tx sun I was super disappointed . I still like their songs and I'm sure they are still amazing.
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I love The Black Crowes and I was lucky enough to be spoiled by the rock and roll of the 70s. It was an incredible abundance of great music. It seemed average back then. These days new and great rock and roll albums/cds seem to be extremely rare. Maybe record producers would rather invest in lame pop artists. The world of music desperately needs more bands like The Black Crowes
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black crowes are the best rock band since john bohnam died and left a zoid
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1990 brought a lot of crap and one shining diamond rising out of the stentch; I listened to their first album over and over and still to this day it is a great first effort. I love this band. They rock hard and sing the mean blues the way few American bands have. They are awesome to this day!
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Can't wait for the new cd to drop in september!!! ! ! ! I'm sure it will be amazing!!!!
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honestly.... this is what we needed....an d to be brutally honest .... we need this type again.and again...
one more time rock on |
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Great studio band....they need to horse whip the guy running the sound boards at their live shows though...one of the worst live mixes I've ever heard (and I've seen them at least 4 times and every time the mix was horrible)... t h e s e guys do kill it though, and C.R.'s solo project is absolutely fantastic. Saw Chris and New Earth Mud at Bonnaroo and it was just incredible. If you get a chance pick up the solo album its the shiz.
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gotta agree with freckbob down there, the crowes wher one of very few non douchey rock bands of the 90's, not to mention the fact i still like the crowes and most of those douchey bands i have been all to happy to never listen to again.
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I don't care what any douchebag says. The crowes were a diamond in a time when rock was sucking tailpipe. I was thanking god that SOMEBODY still knew how to do it.
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One of the best live acts EVER. I've seen them in some classic venues around the country and the NEVER let me down. Fox in Atlanta on Easter Sunday, My Morning Song was incredible. Fillmore for the Freak and Roll show, excellent set, played with an amazing amount of energy. TPAC in Nashville TN on the Southern Harmony tour, one of the best shows I ever saw out of more than 200.
Lay down with #13... |
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i saw them 3 years ago at a Blues festival in Billings Montana, and they werefreakin fantastic. most of the crowd seemed disappointed cause they didnt play She Talks..., Remedy or Jealous Again. Yes their 3 most popular tunes, but not their three BEST tunes.
Can't wait until they tour this part of the world again and the day they get the call to the R&R HOF will be truly great. |
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Love the Crowes! seen them live, love'm! the best rock n roll band in a long time
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Saw them at UMass right before they broke up. What a piss-poor show. One of the worst live performances I've ever seen. Very disappointin g , to say the least.
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The Black Crowes will be in the Rock-n-Roll hall of fame one day, but nobody knows it yet (except us)!
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Loved 'em first time I heard them and I haven't heard anything to make me stop. This is pure rock and funner than hell! Love it. Keep it up. Who cares what the critics say; this is just plain out great stuff.
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The Crowes, carrying the torch for generations! ! No gimics! No special studio tricks! No crap! Nothing but pure rock and roll album after album! I consider myself lucky to live only hours from ATL and can see these guys 5~15 times a year. Just saw them twice in Nov. for my birthday. Had FRONT ROW VIP tickets each night. THE BEST musical experience of my life! I LOVE THIS BAND and always will! "you are blessed w. just 1 life, all you are is what's inside!"
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THE BEST BAND IN THE WORLD BOB KIFFMEYER FROM BLAINE,MNSEE N THEM LIVE EVERY YEAR.
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One of Robert's favorites. Coming through the wall, Chelsea Hotel, room 724. 1992, 4:15 am. Crystal clarity.
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This is BY FAR my favorite band EVER!!!! I have seen them several times, and every time I see them live it makes me love them even more!! They totally rocked the HOB in New Orleans in November!!! The rumor is that they have material for a new album in 09!!! I definately hope so!!!!!
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This group defines what a true bar band is, Southern Harmony and Musical Companion is by far means one of thier best albums - These guys slam out raw material - and ain't no pretty boy shi* about them and that is why these guys know how rock and roll.
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the absolute best live band ive seen them ten times and still cant get enough wish tey come to back to el paso tx
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Go see them live on the current tour if you can...they are at their best! Saw them in D.C. in August for the 7th time and they were just as good, if not better than the first time I saw them in the mid-nineties !
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If you guys like the Black Crowes...you gotta check out "The Highway Band" (www.highway b a n d . c o m ) . They haven't landed here yet (I checked), but I stumbled across them on myspace and they are very refreshing.
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this is rock the way it's supposed to be great vocals, and a very cool groove from the band .
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black crowes were the last of a dying breed and that is so sad. i miss this kind of band. just plain rock. it was the best!
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