The Black Crowes

Exposed to a wide variety of music from an early age by their musician father, brothers Chris (b. Christopher Mark Robinson, 20 December 1966, Atlanta, Georgia, USA; vocals) and Rich Robinson (b. Richard S. Robinson, 24 May 1969, Atlanta, Georgia, USA; guitar) formed the band under the name Mr. Crowe’s Garden in 1984. A procession of six bassists and three drummers passed through before the band stabilized with Johnny Colt (b. 1 May 1966, Cherry Point, USA; bass) and Steve Gorman (b. 17 August 1965, Hopkinsville, Kentucky, USA; drums, ex-Mary My Hope). His predecessor, Jeff Sullivan, went on to join Drivin’ N’ Cryin’. Jeff Cease joined the group as a second guitarist in 1988 from Nashville band, Rumble Circus, to augment and toughen both the songs and the live sound. As the Black Crowes, they were signed to the Def American label by George Drakoulias. Given the very heavy nature of the other members of the label’s roster such as Slayer and Danzig, the purist rock ‘n’ roll style of the Crowes was a stark contrast. Drakoulias produced the debut, Shake Your Money Maker, a remarkably mature album from such a young band, blending soul and uncomplicated R&B reminiscent of vintage Rolling Stones and Humble Pie. Another influence was made obvious by the stirring cover of Otis Redding’s ‘Hard to Handle’. The record’s highlight was ‘She Talks To Angels’, an emotive acoustic ballad about the frailties of a drug addict, featuring a superb vocal and highly accomplished lyric from Chris Robinson. The album was released to critical acclaim, and the band went on the road, supporting first Steve Stevens’ Atomic Playboys and then Junkyard in the USA, plus a handful of UK dates, some opening for the Dogs D’Amour and the rest as headliners. Their live performances drew further Stones comparisons, the band’s image being very much rooted in the 70s, with Chris Robinson’s thin frame dominating the stage like a young Mick Jagger.With heavy radio and MTV airplay exposing the Crowes to a wide audience, the first single ‘Jealous Again’ was a deserved US hit, and the band were invited to fill the prestigious support slot for the final leg of Aerosmith’s ‘Pump’ tour on their return to the US.

Canadian keyboard player Ed Hawrysch, recommended by former Green On Red member Chuck Leavell, who had played on the album, joined the band in early 1991 as the live shows became more progressive, incorporating jam sessions on new material, and the band were invited on to another high-profile tour as guests of ZZ Top. However, their uncompromising attitude led to ZZ Top’s management asking the Crowes to leave the tour following a home town show in Atlanta, due to Chris Robinson’s persistent, if oblique, criticism of the corporate sponsorship of the tour. Somewhat ironically, the band fired the support act for their subsequent headline shows after discovering that they had made advertisements for a similar major company.

By this stage the band had achieved a sufficient level of chart success to enable them to continue as a headline act, and their popularity led to an invitation to join the European Monsters of Rock tour, opening at the prestigious Donington festival in England and culminating in a massive free show in Moscow. Prior to these dates, the band were forced to take a five week break (which was to be their longest in 22 months of touring) when Chris Robinson collapsed suffering from exhaustion following an acoustic showcase at Ronnie Scott’s club in London. The singer recovered to undertake the tour, plus a UK trek to complete the band’s world tour. This ended with further controversy, with Colt and vocalist Robinson becoming embroiled in a fight with a member of the crowd in the Edinburgh Playhouse. Almost immediately after the tour was complete, the band parted company with Jeff Cease, who had drifted apart from the other members on the road, replacing him with former Burning Tree guitarist/vocalist Marc Ford, a friend of Chris Robinson’s. Rather than rest on their laurels, the band went straight into pre-production for their second album. Basic tracks were completed in a total of eight days. Using a truncated version of a title found by the elder Robinson in an old hymn book, The Southern Harmony And Musical Companion was released in the spring of 1992, again to positive reviews. The musical progression of the band, and of the brothers as songwriters, was obvious; the greater expanse of sound provided by the permanent addition of Hawrysch coupled with the use of female backing singers allowed the band to develop from the simpler arrangements of Shake Your Money Maker. New recruit Ford, given responsibility for the majority of guitar solos, turned in a superb performance, with one particularly notable lead on ‘Sometimes Salvation’. Robinson had advanced lyrically, finding new depths, and making full use of the backing singers for less straightforward vocal arrangements. Overall, the album has a feel which echoes the great Southern rock bands of the 70s, such as Lynyrd Skynyrd, and, while each track works individually, the album seems to build from driving opener ‘Sting Me’ towards the musical and emotional peak of ‘My Morning Song’, with a gentle coda in an acoustic rendition of Bob Marley’s ‘Time Will Tell’. With both the album and opening single ‘Remedy’ a success, the Black Crowes immediately returned to the road for the High As The Moon tour, their massive popularity ensured healthy attendances in recessionary times – a free show in Toronto’s G Rose Lord Park drew a 75,000 crowd, with people entering the park at a rate of 1,000 per minute at one point. Both the live performances and the customized lighting rig garnered great critical praise. 1994 finally saw the release of Amorica. This arrived complete with artwork featuring a woman’s Stars ‘n’ Stripes-bedecked briefs, which barely cover her embarrassment, taken from a 1976 copy of Hustler . A previously completed album ( Tall) had been scrapped, with only five songs retained, with producer Jack Puig brought in to help rectify matters. Live shows saw the debut of percussionist Chris Trujillo, adding further atmosphere as the now seven-piece band produced some brilliantly tight-but-loose performances. Three Snakes And One Charm was felt by many to be their last album; the making of it was difficult as the band were going through some fragmentation. Marc Ford left the band in August 1997, and was soon followed by Johnny Colt. Colt was replaced in early 1998 by Sven Pipien..