Rock group
During the early 1990s, R&B rock group the Black Crowes catapulted their first record, Shake Your Money Maker, to multiplatinum sales by playing no frills, old-line rock ‘n’ roll. Throughout 1990 and 1991 they entranced audiences across the United States and Europe, opening for Heart, Aerosmith, Robert Plant, and ZZ Top. Following their debut, the Black Crowes released Southern Harmony and Musical Companion, which entered the charts at number one. The group released several successful albums during the mid to late 1990s, including Amorica, Three Snakes and One Charm, and By Your Side, and Lions in 2001.
The masterminds of one of the few rock debut albums to go platinum in 1990, the Atlanta quintet went from relative obscurity to pop celebrities in a matter of months. They topped Rolling Stone's 1991 readers and critics polls as Best New American Band, won an Elvis Award for Artist of the Year and Album of the Year at the 1991 International Rock Awards, and earned a Grammy Award nomination for Best New Artist, also in 1991. According to People, after late night television host David Letterman heard the Crowes perform the single "Jealous Again," he summed up their improbably wanton success by asking, "Isn't that rock and roll the way God wanted it to be?."
Sensitive to claims that their sound and style is unduly derived from early 1970s-era British R&B rock bands, Chris Robinson told Kim Neely in Rolling Stone, "There's no new music ever, period. It's all an interpretation of music that's come before."
Born three years apart in the late 1960s in Atlanta, Georgia, Chris and Rich Robinson were the only children of Stan and Nancy (Bradley) Robinson. Former singer Stan had briefly landed a pop single in the top 40 charts in 1958, but after four lean years of touring, his performing career dwindled to a close. The elder Robinson introduced his sons to a sundry collection of blues, R&B, gospel, and rock, though neither parent was pleased when Chris and Rich decided to pursue music. By the early 1980s, however, their mother relented and purchased the boys guitars. A few months later, the brothers named their first band Mr. Crowe's Garden, after a childhood fairy tale.
Developed Bluesy Barroom Sound
In 1984, 18-year-old Chris and 15-year-old Rich made their professional stage debut in Chattanooga, Tennessee. Though the check covering their $50 performance bounced, the boys persisted. School was decidedly secondary as the brothers honed their skills, performing at area gigs. Rich attended five different prep and public schools before high school graduation; Chris made an abrupt exit from Georgia State University. He then left home to room with drummer Steve Gorman, and the two, along with Rich, began developing a demo tape of original numbers in 1987. The makeshift group's bluesy barroom sound took shape over the next two years, featuring Rich's experiments with Muddy Waters-style open-G tuning and what Rolling Stone termed "six-string slash and slippery country-funk grease." They were bolstered in 1988 by the addition of second guitarist Jeff Cease and bassist Johnny Colt. After some advantageous exposure and a name change, the Black Crowes signed a contract with Def American Records in January of 1989, and released their first album roughly a year later.
For the Record …
Members include Jeff Cease (group member, 1988-92), guitar; Johnny Colt (left group, 1997), bass; Marc Ford (group member, 1992-97), guitar; Audley Freed (joined group, 1998), guitar; Steve Gorman (born on August 17, 1965, in Muskegon, MI), drums; Eddie Harsh (born in Toronto, Canada; joined group, 1992), keyboards; Sven Pipien (group member, 1998-2000), bass; Chris Robinson (born on December 20, 1966, in Atlanta, GA; married Lala Sloatman 1996, divorced 1998; married Kate Hudson (actress), 2000; divorced, 2007; one child; Education: Briefly attended Georgia State University and Wofford College, majoring in English), lead vocals; Rich Robinson (born on May 24, 1969, in Atlanta, GA), guitar; Greg Rzab (group member, 2000), bass.
Band formed in Atlanta, GA, as punk ensemble Mr. Crowe's Garden, early 1980s; debuted in Chattanooga, TN, 1984; style evolved into barroom R&B and rock, c. 1988; name changed to the Black Crowes, late 1980s; signed with Def American Records, 1989; released debut album, Shake Your Money Maker, 1990; toured the U.S. and Europe, opening for Heart, Robert Plant, Aerosmith, and ZZ Top; released Southern Harmony and Musical Companion, 1992; released Amorica, 1994; released Three Snakes & One Charm, 1996; released By Your Side, 1999; released Lions, 2001; band went on hiatus, 2002; Robinson brothers created several solo projects both together and separately before reforming the band, creating their own label Silver Arrow, and releasing their first album of original material in several years, Warpaint, 2008.
Awards: Named Best New American Band, Rolling Stone readers and critics polls; named Artist of the Year for Shake Your Money Maker; named Album of the Year at International Rock Awards, 1991.
Addresses: Record company—Silver Arrow Records / Megaforce Records, P.O. Box 1955, New York, NY 10113. Web site—The Black Crowes Official Web site: http://www.theblackcrowes.com.
"There's a flip side to the bottled razzle-dazzle of Milli Vanilli: bottled authenticity," remarked John Leland in Newsweek, after the Crowes' debut recording, Shake Your Money Maker, made the top ten and sold a million copies within a year of its release. "It's the neatly packaged return of the real thing. And no one hawks it with as much spunk as the Black Crowes." Promotion of the album included heavy radio airplay of the mega-hit single "She Talks to Angels" and enthusiastic MTV rotation of their videos. Rolling Stone reported that Shake Your Money Maker sold 108,000 copies in a single day. The Black Crowes were largely considered a contemporary oddity,"a youthful American band that shuns the alternative and metal scenes," according to Rolling Stone. Audio called their record "one terrific rock ‘n’ roll album. Nothing real progressive or strange. Just some damn fine, down-the-line, bluesy rock."
Bounced from ZZ Top Tour
In March of 1991 the Black Crowes found themselves dismissed from the ZZ Top tour, over the course of which they had received almost as much attention as the headlining Top. Chris Robinson had routinely reminded audiences that the Crowes played live rock ‘n’ roll, as opposed to "commercials" for a "product," and according to Rolling Stone, he had been cautioned against doing this by sponsor Miller Lite. Unwilling to bow to what he saw as censorship, Robinson recalled, "I said, ‘Don't tell me what to say. Kick us off.’ And they did."
In the fall of 1991 the Crowes performed for 500,000 Soviet heavy metal fans at the Moscow stop of the mammoth Monsters of Rock tour. Though the group may have been a bit light for many of the attendant "headbangers" and not yet "mature" enough to shine in such a setting, Rolling Stone correspondent Artemy Troitsky nonetheless enjoyed their set. Early in 1992, Black Crowes guitarist Jeff Cease was replaced by Marc Ford, formerly of the group Burning Tree. Though the band's lineup had seemed solid to many of their fans, this shakeup was actually one of a long line of early personnel changes. Keyboardist Eddie Harsh was added to the group in 1992. In 1997 Ford left the group, along with Colt. Sven Pipien and Audley Freed joined in 1998; Pipien was replaced by Greg Rzab on bass in 2000.
Controversy Followed Amorica Release
The group released The Southern Harmony and Musical Companion in 1992 to positive reviews. According to the group's biography at MTV.com, "The musical progression of the band, and of the brothers as songwriters, was obvious [on the album], with more complex arrangements than the debut." The album's lead single, "Remedy," peaked at number 48 on the charts, and the album earned multiplatinum sales. The release of Southern was followed by the High As the Moon tour, and then Amorica was released in 1994, after a difficult creative process in which the group recorded 17 songs, then decided to toss them and start over. Controversy also surrounded the album's artwork, which featured a female crotch covered by a bikini bottom with protruding pubic hair. The hair was airbrushed out for artwork featured on albums sold in store chains such as Kmart, Wal-Mart, Best Buy, and Target.
In 1996 the group released Three Snakes and One Charm to lukewarm reviews. "The production is distressingly monotonous and the songs lack strong hooks," Stephen Thomas Erlewine of All Music Guide commented. By Your Side, produced by Kevin Shirley (who worked with Aerosmith on that group's Nine Lives album), followed in 1999. The group collaborated with Jimmy Page in 2000 for a series of concerts in the United States. An album capturing two live shows at the Los Angeles Ampitheater, called Live at the Greek, earned gold sales status in November of 2000. On May 8, 2001, the group released Lions on the independent label V2 Records.
"Rap and computer-driven dance music have pushed orthodox rock into the margins," declared Newsweek's Leland, explaining the appeal of the Black Crowes' "loving rehashes" of early 1970s British rock. "The success of the Black Crowes is a response to this. These guys are orthodox with a vengeance: they wear the red velvet pants and the scarves, and purse their lips just right, even when there isn't a mirror in sight." One review in Rolling Stone declared that "this is how the Stones might sound today if Keith [Richards] had spent his salad days banging steroids instead of smack." To retain the spirit of rock forged in the epoch of their elders, the Black Crowes conformed to a personal tenet Chris Robinson related to Billboard contributor Chris Morris. "I want to stir the soul," he confessed, "or at least mine."
Band Split, Then Reunited
Despite solid reviews and sales, the Black Crowes went on an indefinite hiatus starting in 2002, but the group's principal leaders stayed active. Younger brother Rich Robinson, who had composed music for the soundtrack of the 2001 film Highway, took singing lessons, gigged with a four-piece band named Hookah Brown, and produced and recorded a poorly received solo album for his own Keyhole label, titled Paper. That same year he released the poorly distributed, seldom heard Live at the Knitting Factory, NYC, 1/16/04 on the Dynasonic label.
Clearly the more visible of the two brothers, songwriter/ vocalist Chris Robinson recorded a pair of new albums. The first, 2002's New Earth Mud, was a mix of hippie-era hard rock and sentiment that prompted Rolling Stone to comment: "On his first solo album, the Black Crowes frontman keeps things light, wrapping his cigarettes-and-whiskey voice around pretty ballads such as ‘Silver Car’ and ‘Fables.’ But with too many half-baked songs, he ultimately comes off like a generic amalgam of a bunch of Seventies songwriters."
The elder Robinson's follow up, This Magnificent, was an improvement, and featured more cohesive songwriting and studio production. Thom Jurek of the All Music Guide commented, "The music is progressive, and wonderfully intricate; it stands completely outside the mark of anything Robinson has done before." Thanks to diehard Black Crowes fans, both of Robinson's solo LPs made the charts, but neither the money nor public reaction was the same. Subse- quently, the Robinson brothers patched up their differences and reunited for the Brothers of a Feather tour in 2005, which resulted in a live album for Eagle the following year.
Volatile Reunion
By 2007 the Crowes's manager Pete Angelus had engineered a full-fledged Black Crowes reunion, but the relationship between the two brothers remained combustible. "Outside of music, we probably would never speak to each other," Rich Robinson told David Fricke of Rolling Stone. This volatility extended to the band's lineup, which by this time included bassist Sven Pipien, drummer Steve Gorman, and two hired guns for touring purposes, keyboardist Andy MacDougall and guitarist Luther Dickinson.
The Black Crowes' first album of original material in seven years, Warpaint, was issued through their own Silver Arrow label. Filled with tough-edged Southern rock and blues flavored with smatterings of psychedlia and fuzz-tone r&b, the album sported a more professional, commercial sound than their earlier efforts. Quickly the disc jumped to number five on the Billboard album charts. Had the brothers not fought away the band's salad years, their catalog might be richer. Yet, in his remarks to Rolling Stone, Chris Robinson was philosophical. "I have no regrets. I've done dumb stuff. I've said things I shouldn't have said. Whatever, man. Choices are made, so you make the next set of choices—hopefully better ones."
Selected discography
Shake Your Money Maker, Def American, 1990.
The Southern Harmony and Musical Companion, Def American, 1993.
Amorica, Def American, 1994.
Three Snakes and One Charm, Def American, 1996.
By Your Side, Def American, 1999.
Jimmy Page and the Black Crowes: Live at the Greek, TVT, 2000.
A Tribute to a Work in Progress… Greatest Hits 1990-1999, Def American, 2000.
Lions, BMG/V2, 2001.
Live, BMG/V2, 2002.
(Chris Robinson) New Earth Mud, Redline, 2002.
(Chris Robinson) This Magnificent Distance, Vector, 2004.
(Rich Robinson) Paper, Keyhole, 2004.
(Rich Robinson) Live at the Knitting Factory, NYC, 1/16/2004, Dynasonic, 2004.
The Lost Crowes, American, 2006.
Soul Singin': the Best of the Black Crowes [Live], Instant Live, 2006.
Freak ‘N’ Roll … Into the Fog [Live], Eagle, 2006.
(Chris and Rich Robinson) Brothers of a Feather: Live at the Roxy, Eagle, 2007.
Warpaint, Silver Arrow, 2008.
Sources
Periodicals
Amusem*nt Business, January 18, 1993.
Audio, August 1990.
Billboard, January 19, 1991; November 12, 1994; January 27, 2001.
Guitar Player, October 1998.
Newsweek, February 11, 1991.
People, March 11, 1991.
Rocky Mountain News, (Denver, CO), May 31, 1991.
Rolling Stone, May 31, 1990; June 14, 1990; December 13, 1990; January 24, 1991; May 30, 1991; November 14, 1991.
Spin, May 1991.
Variety, January 7, 1991.
Online
"The Black Crowes," All Music Guide,http://www.allmusic.com (June 16, 2008).
"The Black Crowes Biography," MTV.com, http://www.mtv.com/bands/az/black_crowes/bio.jhtml (January 3, 2002).
"Black Crowes tour with first album in seven years," Reuters,http://www.reuters.com/articlePrint?articleId=USN2928422520080229 (February 29, 2008).
"Chris Robinson," All Music Guide,http://www.allmusic.com (June 19, 2008).
"Chris Robinson," Internet Movie Databasehttp://www.imdb.com (June 16, 2008).
"Review, New Earth Mud," Rolling Stone.Com,http://www.rollingstone.com/artists/chrisrobinson/albums/album/114158.review/5945894 (November 28, 2002).
"Rich Robinson," All Music Guidehttp://www.allmusic.com (June 19, 2008).
"War of the Crowes," Rolling Stone.com,http://www.rollingstone.com/news/story/19612965/war_of_the_crowes/print (June 16, 2008).
Additional information for this profile was obtained from MTV News reports broadcast June 4-5, 7-10, 12-13, and August 1-2, 1991.
—Marjorie Burgess and Ken Burke
