The Black Crowes

The Black Crowes is a renowned band that emerged from the 90s jam band movement. Unlike contemporaries such as Dave Matthews or Phish, they had a more blues-influenced sound. The band was led by brothers Rich and Chris Robinson, with other musicians joining and leaving over the years. They are best known for hits like “She Talks to Angels”, “Remedy”, “Jealous Again”, and a cover of Otis Redding’s “Hard To Handle”.

In 2002, the band went on a hiatus while the Robinsons pursued their solo careers. Chris released two solo albums in this time, New Earth Mud, and This Magnificent Distance, and Rich put out one, entitled Paper. In 2005, The Crowes reformed, but with some lineup changes which would continue for the next few years. The band went on another, shorter hiatus in 2011. This time, Chris and keyboardist Adam MacDougall formed a band called the Chris Robinson Brotherhood along with Ryan Adams & the Cardinals guitarist Neal Casal. They reformed after this hiatus, but broke up for good in 2015. Rich continues to tour with solo projects, and Chris is still going with the Brotherhood.

The Black Crowes is an American rock band that formed in Atlanta, Georgia, in 1984. The band has released eight studio albums, four live albums, and several charting singles. They were signed to Def American Recordings in 1989 by producer George Drakoulias and released their debut album, Shake Your Money Maker, the following year. Their follow-up, The Southern Harmony and Musical Companion, reached the top of the Billboard 200 in 1992. The albums Amorica (1994), Three Snakes and One Charm (1996), By Your Side (1999), and Lions (2001) followed, with each showing moderate popularity but failing to capture the chart successes of the band’s first two albums. After a hiatus from 2002 to 2005, the band regrouped and toured for several years before releasing Warpaint in 2008, which reached number 5 on the Billboard chart.

Following the release of their greatest hits/acoustic double album Croweology in August 2010, the band embarked on a 20th-anniversary tour that was followed by a second hiatus. After touring in 2013, the band announced another breakup in 2015, reforming in late 2019 to announce a 2020 tour in support of the 30th anniversary of Shake Your Money Maker. By this point, the band had none of its original line-up left except for Chris and Rich Robinson, the only two constant members of the band over its entire history.

As of August 2023, the current lineup of the band includes the Robinson brothers, longtime bassist Sven Pipien, and new members Nico Bereciartua (lead guitar), Cully Symington (drums), and Erik Deutsch (keyboards). Their latest album, Happiness Bastards, is set to release in March 2024.

The Black Crowes have sold more than 30 million albums and are listed at number 92 on VH1’s 100 Greatest Artists of Hard Rock. They were labeled by Melody Maker as “The Most Rock ‘n’ Roll Rock ‘n’ Roll Band in the World” and the readers of Rolling Stone voted them ‘Best New American Band’ in 1990.