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The Black Crowes are an American
rock Rock most often refers to: * Rock (geology), a naturally occurring solid aggregate of minerals or mineraloids * Rock music, a genre of popular music Rock or Rocks may also refer to: Places United Kingdom * Rock, Caerphilly, a location in Wales ...
band formed in Atlanta, Georgia, in 1984. Their discography includes nine studio albums, four live albums and several charting singles. The band was 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 ''Three Snakes and One Charm'' is the fourth studio album by American rock band The Black Crowes. It was released on July 23, 1996. Background During the "Amorica or Bust" tour of 1995, many of the relationships within The Black Crowes had so ...
'' (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 ''Croweology'' is an acoustic-based album by American rock band The Black Crowes, released on August 3, 2010. The set includes newly recorded versions of nineteen songs from the band's career, covering their albums from '' Shake Your Money Maker'' ...
'' in August 2010, the band started 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'', was released in March 2024. The Black Crowes have sold more than 30 million albums, and are listed at number 92 on
VH1 VH1 (originally an initialism of Video Hits One) is an American basic cable television network based in New York City and owned by Paramount Global. It was created by Warner-Amex Satellite Entertainment, at the time a division of Warner Commun ...
's ''100 Greatest Artists of Hard Rock''. They were labeled by ''
Melody Maker ''Melody Maker'' was a British weekly music magazine, one of the world's earliest music weeklies; according to its publisher, IPC Media, the earliest. It was founded in 1926, largely as a magazine for dance band musicians, by Leicester-born ...
'' 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.


History


Formation: 1984–1989

The first incarnation of the band, "Mr. Crowe's Garden", named after Leonard Leslie Brooke's children's book ''Johnny Crow's Garden'', formed in 1984 in Atlanta, Georgia. Influenced by contemporary local acts like R.E.M., as well as 1960s psychedelic pop and classic Southern rock, they gradually evolved into a revivalist band dedicated to 1970s-era
blues rock Blues rock is a fusion music genre that combines elements of blues and rock music. It is mostly an electric ensemble-style music with instrumentation similar to electric blues and rock (electric guitar, electric bass guitar, and drums, sometimes w ...
.Biography: The Black Crowes
" '' Rolling Stone''. Taken from ''The Rolling Stone Encyclopedia of Rock & Roll'' (Simon & Schuster, 2001)
Although the band has had a high turnover rate throughout their history, the driving force behind the band has always been brothers Chris and Rich Robinson, who initially formed the band while attending Walton High School. The first professional demo the Robinson brothers did was for A&M Records in 1987. The band's manager at the time, Dave Macias, got in touch with A&M rep Aaron Jacoves, from Los Angeles, who offered the band a 'demo' deal and arranged the band's first of several demo sessions. It was held at Steve Gronback's studio in Carrboro, North Carolina. They were paid $2,000 by Jacoves to cover production costs. Jeff Sullivan (of Drivin' 'n' Cryin' fame) played drums on the first demo, while subsequent demo recordings featured
Steve Gorman Steve Gorman (born August 17, 1965) is an American musician and sports talk radio host. Gorman is best known as the former drummer of the American rock and roll band The Black Crowes He spent time as the drummer for British rock band Stereophoni ...
on the drums. Gorman played on the subsequent A&M demos in
Carrboro, North Carolina Carrboro is a town in Orange County in the U.S. state of North Carolina. The population was 21,295 at the 2020 census.R.E.M.'s manager
Jefferson Holt Jefferson Holt is the founder of Daniel 13 Press and manager of rock band R.E.M. from 1981 to 1996. Under the name Vibrating Egg, Holt recorded a five-song EP on his label Dog Gone Records that included R.E.M.'s Mike Mills on bass. In 1996, Holt ...
but declined. The band played as a quartet in New York City clubs such as "Drums" and CBGB in 1988. In 1989 the band - which had stabilized as a five-piece including the Robinsons, Gorman,
Johnny Colt Johnny Colt (born Charles Brandt; May 1, 1966) is an American bass guitar player who formerly played with the southern rock bands Lynyrd Skynyrd and The Black Crowes. Music career From 1989 he was the original bassist for The Black Crowes which ...
and Jeff Cease - met George Drakoulias, who signed the band at
Def American American Recordings (formerly Def American Recordings) is an American record label headed by producer Rick Rubin. The label has featured artists such as Slayer, the Black Crowes, ZZ Top, Danzig, Trouble, Tom Petty, Johnny Cash, The Mother Hips ...
. Drakoulias turned the band on to music it had not heard before like The Faces and
Humble Pie Humble Pie are an English rock band formed by guitarist and singer Steve Marriott in Moreton, Essex, in 1969. They are known as one of the first supergroups of the late 1960s and found success in the early 1970s with songs such as " Black Cof ...
. Under Drakoulias' influence, the band began covering the Rolling Stones and Rich began playing in open-G tunings for Mr. Crowe's Garden songs. At this point, the band also changed their name, and considered ideas such as "The Heartless Crowes" and "The Stone Mountain Crowes", before settling on "The Black Crowes".


Height of fame: 1990–1995

The Black Crowes released their first studio album, '' Shake Your Money Maker'', in 1990. Supported by the singles " Hard to Handle", "
She Talks to Angels "She Talks to Angels" is a song by American rock band the Black Crowes. It is the eighth track on their first album, '' Shake Your Money Maker'' (1990), and was the fourth single released from the album in 1991. The song reached number 30 on the ...
", "
Jealous Again ''Jealous Again'' is a 12" EP that was the second release by American hardcore punk band Black Flag and the third-ever release on SST Records. History Although eventually released as a 12" 45 RPM extended-play, ''Jealous Again'' was initially ...
", " Twice As Hard", "Sister Luck", and "Seeing Things", the album received multi-platinum certification and eventually sold more than five million copies. Their cover of Otis Redding's "Hard to Handle", and acoustic ballad "She Talks to Angels", both achieved top 30 positions on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 in 1991. The band opened for ZZ Top on a tour sponsored by Miller Beer, from which they were fired in March 1991 after Chris Robinson's verbal tirade aimed at Miller. The band launched its own tour that May and later took part in a '' Monsters of Rock'' tour in Europe, where they opened for
Metallica Metallica is an American heavy metal band. The band was formed in 1981 in Los Angeles by vocalist/guitarist James Hetfield and drummer Lars Ulrich, and has been based in San Francisco for most of its career. The band's fast tempos, instrume ...
,
AC/DC AC/DC (stylised as ACϟDC) are an Australian Rock music, rock band formed in Sydney in 1973 by Scottish-born brothers Malcolm Young, Malcolm and Angus Young. Their music has been variously described as hard rock, blues rock, and Heavy metal ...
,
Mötley Crüe Mötley Crüe is an American heavy metal band formed in Los Angeles in 1981. The group was founded by bassist Nikki Sixx, drummer Tommy Lee, lead guitarist Mick Mars and lead singer Vince Neil. Mötley Crüe has sold over 100 million albums ...
and Queensrÿche. After replacing guitarist Jeff Cease with
Marc Ford Marc or MARC may refer to: People * Marc (given name), people with the first name * Marc (surname), people with the family name Acronyms * MARC standards, a data format used for library cataloging, * MARC Train, a regional commuter rail system o ...
from blues-rock power trio Burning Tree, the band released its second album '' The Southern Harmony and Musical Companion'' in 1992. The album debuted at number 1 on the ''Billboard'' 200. The effort spawned the singles " Remedy", "Sting Me", "Thorn in My Pride" and "Hotel Illness", all of which topped the ''Billboard''
Album Rock Tracks Mainstream Rock is a music chart in ''Billboard'' magazine that ranks the most-played songs on mainstream rock radio stations in the United States, a category that combines the formats of active rock and heritage rock. The chart was launched in Ma ...
chart. "Remedy" and "Thorn in My Pride" also charted on the Hot 100 in 1992. Due to the prevalence of
Chuck Leavell Charles Alfred Leavell (born April 28, 1952) is an American musician. A member of the Allman Brothers Band throughout their commercial zenith in the 1970s, he subsequently became a founding member of the band Sea Level. He has served as the pri ...
's piano and
organ Organ may refer to: Biology * Organ (biology), a part of an organism Musical instruments * Organ (music), a family of keyboard musical instruments characterized by sustained tone ** Electronic organ, an electronic keyboard instrument ** Hammond ...
parts on the first release, the band hired a keyboardist of its own,
Eddie Harsch Eddie Harsch (born Edward Hawrysch; May 27, 1957 – November 4, 2016) was a Canadian keyboardist and member of Detroit-based jam band Bulldog. Previous to that he was The Black Crowes' keyboardist from 1991 to 2006. Harsch was replaced on k ...
. He became a permanent member of the group beginning with the "High as the Moon" tour. In 1994, the now six-piece band released '' Amorica'', after scrapping the unreleased album ''Tall'' the previous year. The album eventually achieved Gold status, selling over 500,000 copies. The cover featured a picture of a woman's crotch wearing a
U.S. flag The national flag of the United States of America, often referred to as the ''American flag'' or the ''U.S. flag'', consists of thirteen equal horizontal stripes of red (top and bottom) alternating with white, with a blue rectangle in the c ...
thong with visible pubic hair, which was taken from a 1976 issue of '' Hustler'' magazine. As some stores would not carry the album because of the cover, a different version was released simultaneously with a solid black background, showing only the triangle featuring the flag.


Middle era: 1996–2001

''
Three Snakes and One Charm ''Three Snakes and One Charm'' is the fourth studio album by American rock band The Black Crowes. It was released on July 23, 1996. Background During the "Amorica or Bust" tour of 1995, many of the relationships within The Black Crowes had so ...
'' was released in July 1996. The band's support tour included a summer stint with the 1997 Furthur Festival, along with Ratdog, Bruce Hornsby and others. During this period, the band recorded an album called ''Band'', which was scrapped. Guitarist Marc Ford was fired and bassist Johnny Colt subsequently left the group, dissolving the Crowes' line-up for the previous three albums. The unreleased tracks from ''Tall'' and ''Band'' surfaced among tape trading circles and were later officially released on ''
The Lost Crowes ''The Lost Crowes'' is a compilation album by American rock band The Black Crowes. The two-disc compilation comprises material composed and recorded during the ''Tall'' and ''Band'' sessions in 1993 and 1997, respectively. Many of the songs on ' ...
'' (2006). The band regrouped, adding Sven Pipien on bass prior to its next recording sessions. '' By Your Side'' was released in January 1999; the album stripped away the more adventurous sounds of ''Amorica'' and ''Three Snakes and One Charm'' in favor of leaner, soul-influenced songs. Guitarist
Audley Freed Audley Freed is a guitarist from Burgaw, North Carolina. Early life, family and education Freed's father was in the US Army, so the family relocated often during his early years. Eventually the family settled in Burgaw, North Carolina in the 1 ...
, formerly of
Cry of Love ''The Cry of Love'' is a posthumous album by American rock singer-songwriter and guitarist Jimi Hendrix. Recorded primarily in 1970, it features new material that Hendrix was working on for his planned fourth studio album before his death later t ...
, joined prior to the recording of ''By Your Side'' but was not included in the recording sessions. In October 1999, the band was joined by Led Zeppelin guitarist
Jimmy Page James Patrick Page (born 9 January 1944) is an English musician who achieved international success as the guitarist and founder of the rock band Led Zeppelin. Page is prolific in creating guitar riffs. His style involves various alternative ...
for two pairs of shows in New York and Los Angeles, and also at the Centrum in Worcester, Massachusetts, yielding a live release, '' Live at the Greek'' on TVT Records. Due to contractual issues with Columbia, ''Live at the Greek'' did not feature any of the band's songs performed with Page. The collaboration led to a more extensive tour with Page and The Who in summer 2000, during which Pipien was replaced by
Greg Rzab Greg Rzab ( ; born 1959, Chicago, Illinois, United States) is an American bass guitar player. Greg played for several years with Otis Rush's band, with Buddy Guy's band (1986-1998), and has also had a number of stints, tours, sessions, and reco ...
. Following the tour, singer Chris Robinson married actress Kate Hudson, before heading back to the studio to record the band's sixth studio album. In May 2001, the band released '' Lions'' on Virgin mogul
Richard Branson Sir Richard Charles Nicholas Branson (born 18 July 1950) is a British billionaire, entrepreneur, and business magnate. In the 1970s he founded the Virgin Group, which today controls more than 400 companies in various fields. Branson expressed ...
's V2 record label; the album peaked at number 20 on the charts. The band launched its support of the album with the month-long
Tour of Brotherly Love The Tour of Brotherly Love was a 2001 tour of North America featuring Oasis, The Black Crowes, and Spacehog, three rock bands featuring pairs of brothers: Noel and Liam Gallagher, Chris and Rich Robinson, Royston and Antony Langdon, respectiv ...
with
Oasis In ecology, an oasis (; ) is a fertile area of a desert or semi-desert environment'ksar''with its surrounding feeding source, the palm grove, within a relational and circulatory nomadic system.” The location of oases has been of critical imp ...
and Spacehog in May and June 2001. Throughout the rest of 2001, the band embarked on the "Listen Massive" headlining tour in support of ''Lions'', which spanned Europe and Japan before concluding with 36 U.S. shows. The band effectively dissolved in January 2002 with the departure of drummer Steve Gorman and an announcement that the band was "taking a hiatus."


First hiatus and reunion: 2002–2005

A live album pieced together from two 2001 shows performed at Boston's Orpheum Theatre was released in August 2002. In 2004, some members of the band did reunite to play "Sometimes Salvation" with Gov't Mule at the 2004 Jammy Awards. During the hiatus, Chris Robinson released albums ''
New Earth Mud ''New Earth Mud'' is the solo debut studio album of Chris Robinson. It was released October 22, 2002 on Redline Records. Initial pressings came with a bonus DVD, which included a documentary on the making of the album and several acoustic live ...
'' in 2002 and ''
This Magnificent Distance ''This Magnificent Distance'' is Chris Robinson (singer), Chris Robinson's second solo album, released on June 29, 2004. The album draws on a vast panorama of Americana music—rock, blues, folk, country, soul and elements of jazz. Reception ...
'' in 2004. Meanwhile, Rich Robinson formed a short-lived band called Hookah Brown before releasing his own solo album, '' Paper'', in 2004. In early 2005, the Robinson brothers and
Eddie Harsch Eddie Harsch (born Edward Hawrysch; May 27, 1957 – November 4, 2016) was a Canadian keyboardist and member of Detroit-based jam band Bulldog. Previous to that he was The Black Crowes' keyboardist from 1991 to 2006. Harsch was replaced on k ...
reassembled the band, bringing Marc Ford and
Sven Pipien Sven Pipien (born 30 May 1967, in Hanover, Germany) is a musician best known as the bassist of the southern rock band The Black Crowes. Biography Sven Pipien began his musical career playing bass with Atlanta-based rock outfit Mary, My Hope. The ...
back into the fold and in the absence of founding member Steve Gorman, recruited drummer Bill Dobrow, from Rich's solo band. Dobrow's tenure was short-lived, however, as Gorman rejoined the band during a four-night stand at The Tabernacle in Atlanta. The reinvigorated band continued to tour throughout 2005, including a summer tour opening for
Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers were an American rock band from Gainesville, Florida. Formed in 1976, the band originally comprised lead singer and rhythm guitarist Tom Petty, lead guitarist Mike Campbell, keyboardist Benmont Tench, drummer S ...
and five nights at The Fillmore in San Francisco. The second show at The Fillmore was filmed in high definition and released later in 2006 as ''
Freak 'n' Roll into the Fog ''Freak 'n' Roll ...Into the Fog: The Black Crowes All Join Hands, The Fillmore, San Francisco'' is a live concert album released on DVD, CD and Blu-ray by American southern rock band The Black Crowes in 2006. Filmed at The Fillmore in August 20 ...
'' on DVD, Blu-ray and audio CD.


Changing lineup and renewed success: 2006–2009

In fall 2006, Eddie Harsch and Marc Ford left the band. Replacing Harsch and Ford were
Rob Clores Rob Clores is an American, New York-based keyboard player and composer who has toured and recorded with Jesse Malin, The Black Crowes, Tom Jones, Men at Work frontman Colin Hay, Marius Muller Westernhagen, Enrique Iglesias, Blues Travele ...
and Paul Stacey, respectively. In August 2007, the band replaced Clores with Adam MacDougall. Stacey's tenure was never intended to be permanent and when the band invited guitar player Luther Dickinson from North Mississippi Allstars to perform on their upcoming record, entitled '' Warpaint'' Dickinson officially replaced Stacey as guitarist. Stacey continued to work with the band, however, as producer of ''Warpaint''. A live album entitled ''Live at the Roxy'', culled from the 2006 Brothers of a Feather performances (featuring Chris and Rich Robinson performing mostly acoustic sets) was released on July 10, 2007. The album featured performances of old and new Black Crowes material mixed with covers, taken from a three-night run at The Roxy in Los Angeles in early 2006. The Black Crowes' first album since reforming, '' Warpaint'' was released on March 3, 2008. ''Warpaint'' was critically acclaimed and the album landed at number 5 on the ''Billboard'' 200, the band's best debut since '' The Southern Harmony and Musical Companion'' topped the charts. The band launched an international tour March 24 when they played the
East Coast Blues & Roots Music Festival The Byron Bay Bluesfest, formerly the East Coast International Blues & Roots Music Festival, is an annual Australian music festival that has been held over the Easter long weekend in the Byron Bay, New South Wales, area since 1990. The festiva ...
in Australia. The band continued its Australia and New Zealand tour—the first since 1992—through April 5, before departing for a European trek. A US tour began in May and concluded in December with another five-night stand at The Fillmore in San Francisco. Also that year, the Black Crowes filed a
lawsuit - A lawsuit is a proceeding by a party or parties against another in the civil court of law. The archaic term "suit in law" is found in only a small number of laws still in effect today. The term "lawsuit" is used in reference to a civil actio ...
against country singer
Gretchen Wilson Gretchen Frances Wilson (born June 26, 1973) is an American country music singer and songwriter. She made her debut in March 2004 with the Grammy Awards, Grammy Award-winning single "Redneck Woman", a number-one hit on the ''Billboard (magazine) ...
, claiming that she infringed upon their copyright for the song "Jealous Again". In April 2009, the band released a two-disc live album entitled ''
Warpaint Live ''Warpaint Live'' is a live album by American southern rock band The Black Crowes, released on April 28, 2009. This is the first Black Crowes live album since ''Freak 'n' Roll...Into the Fog: The Black Crowes All Join Hands, The Fillmore, San Fra ...
''. The first disc consists of the ''Warpaint'' album played in its entirety, while the second disc is made up of catalog classics and cover selections. The entire performance contained on the set was recorded on March 20, 2008, at the Wiltern Theater in Los Angeles. A DVD of the same performance was released on June 30, 2009. The band released its eighth studio album, '' Before the Frost...Until the Freeze'', later that year. A CD purchase of the album is accompanied with a download code to receive the album's companion release, ''...Until the Freeze''. The vinyl version is a double album that includes all of the songs but in a different running order. These albums resulted from five days of recording at
Levon Helm Mark Lavon "Levon" Helm (May 26, 1940 – April 19, 2012) was an American musician who achieved fame as the drummer and one of the three lead vocalists for the Band, for which he was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1994. H ...
s Studio in Woodstock, and present a combination of new material and a few new cover songs recorded live in front of an audience. Continuing the trend set with ''Warpaint'', the Crowes incorporated more of their country and bluegrass
roots A root is the part of a plant, generally underground, that anchors the plant body, and absorbs and stores water and nutrients. Root or roots may also refer to: Art, entertainment, and media * ''The Root'' (magazine), an online magazine focusing ...
in these recordings as well as venturing into new avenues such as disco in the song "I Ain't Hidin'". A DVD of these sessions, including some interview and backstage segments, was released named '' Cabin Fever''.


"Final" years: 2010–2015

On April 21, 2010, the Black Crowes announced an August 3 release date for a double, all-acoustic album ''
Croweology ''Croweology'' is an acoustic-based album by American rock band The Black Crowes, released on August 3, 2010. The set includes newly recorded versions of nineteen songs from the band's career, covering their albums from '' Shake Your Money Maker'' ...
'', as well as tour dates for the "Say Goodnight to the Bad Guys" tour, which featured two 90-minute sets at the majority of shows: one acoustic and one electric. After the tour, the band went on another "indefinite" hiatus. On November 26, 2010, the Black Crowes released a special edition ''Record Store Day Black Friday'' 10" vinyl picture disc with download card, called ''Say Goodnight to The Bad Guys/Remedy'' (acoustic live) for independent record stores. The band was also inducted into the Georgia Music Hall of Fame, performing Georgia on My Mind with Chuck Leavell at the 2010 ceremony. After ending the U.S. tour at The Fillmore in December 2010, the Crowes played nine ''Goodnight to the Bad Guys'' shows in Europe in July 2011. These included festivals in Italy, Spain, the Netherlands and Belgium, as well as a few headlining shows where, comparable to the U.S. tour, they played a 90-minute acoustic and 90-minute electric set. The final four shows included two in London (the second of which featured a
Jimmy Page James Patrick Page (born 9 January 1944) is an English musician who achieved international success as the guitarist and founder of the rock band Led Zeppelin. Page is prolific in creating guitar riffs. His style involves various alternative ...
-led encore), followed by two that saw them return to Amsterdam's Paradiso. On December 25, 2012, it was announced that the Crowes would embark on a five-show UK trek in March 2013, followed by a 21-date U.S. tour from April to early May. Instead of Luther Dickinson,
Jackie Greene Jackie Greene (born November 27, 1980) is an American singer-songwriter and musician. He has a solo career and became a member of The Black Crowes in 2013, though the band broke up in 2015 before he could contribute any studio work. Early life ...
would play guitar and provide backup vocals. On March 19, 2013, the band released its fourth live album, ''Wiser for the Time''. It was released as a digital download and as a four-record vinyl set. The album was recorded during the band's 2010 series of concerts in New York City. On April 23, 2013, the Black Crowes returned to Atlanta and played at The Tabernacle in front of a capacity crowd. In July 2013, the band kicked off a tour with the Tedeschi Trucks Band. They returned to hiatus in December that year, but played a show in Boston the following February (a benefit event for the Big Brothers association). On January 15, 2015, Rich Robinson announced the final breakup of the band due to a disagreement with his brother Chris Robinson over an alleged proposal regarding ownership of the band. In an interview, drummer Steve Gorman indicated that prior to the breakup, the Black Crowes had been discussing a tour.


Post breakup: 2015–2018

Following the Crowes' most recent breakup, band members moved on to other musical projects, some of which were active prior to the band's disbandment. Chris Robinson has continued performing with the
Chris Robinson Brotherhood Chris Robinson Brotherhood was an American blues rock band formed in 2011 by Black Crowes singer Chris Robinson while the Crowes were on hiatus. The original lineup consisted of Robinson (vocals, guitar), Neal Casal (lead guitar, backing vocal ...
, a band he formed in 2011 which also includes Adam MacDougall. He released his third studio album with them, ''Any Way You Love, We Know How You Feel'', in 2016, followed by the EP ''If You Lived Here, You Would Be Home By Now'' later the same year. In 2017, the CRB released ''Barefoot in the Head''. The CRB has also released four live albums: ''Betty's Blends Volumes 1, 2, 3'', and ''Betty's Midwestern Magic Blends''. Chris Robinson has performed a few solo acoustic shows during which he played several Black Crowes songs, including "Hotel Illness" and "Bad Luck, Blue Eyes Goodbye". In 2018, Chris Robinson formed the band As the Crow Flies, which performs songs from the Black Crowes catalogue. Robinson noted, "I'm not out to redo the Black Crowes or outdo the Black Crowes or anything like that. I just want to sing the music." The band includes former Crowes Audley Freed and Adam MacDougall and Andy Hess as well as Marcus King and Tony Leone. Rich Robinson has continued his solo career, recording his fourth solo album, ''
Flux Flux describes any effect that appears to pass or travel (whether it actually moves or not) through a surface or substance. Flux is a concept in applied mathematics and vector calculus which has many applications to physics. For transport ph ...
'', in 2016. In late 2016, he announced the formation of The Magpie Salute which also includes former Black Crowes members Marc Ford and Sven Pipien. The band performs original songs, Black Crowes songs, covers, and selections from Robinson and Ford's solo careers. The band released a live album, ''The Magpie Salute'', in 2017, and their debut studio album, ''
High Water I ''High Water I'' is the debut studio album by American rock band The Magpie Salute, released August 10, 2018 on Eagle Records. Produced by leader and guitarist Rich Robinson, it served as the follow up to their self-titled live album released one ...
'', was released on August 10, 2018, and ''High Water II'' was released in 2019. Steve Gorman continues to perform with
Trigger Hippy Trigger Hippy is an American rock music, rock band composed of former Black Crowes drummer Steve Gorman, bassist Nick Govrik, guitarist/singer Ed Jurdi, and singer Amber Woodhouse. History The group was initially formed as a casual collaboration ...
, a band he co-founded in 2009 (which also featured Jackie Greene until late 2015 when he left to focus on his solo career). His memoir of his time in the band, ''Hard to Handle'', was published on September 24, 2019. Former keyboardist
Eddie Harsch Eddie Harsch (born Edward Hawrysch; May 27, 1957 – November 4, 2016) was a Canadian keyboardist and member of Detroit-based jam band Bulldog. Previous to that he was The Black Crowes' keyboardist from 1991 to 2006. Harsch was replaced on k ...
died November 4, 2016, at the age of 59.


Third reunion: 2019–present

In late 2019, during an interview on '' The Howard Stern Show'', Chris and Rich Robinson announced that they had resolved their differences (the brothers had not spoken in the years since the band's 2015 split) and were planning a 2020 tour to commemorate the 30th anniversary of ''Shake Your Money Maker''. The reunion was greeted with mixed reaction from fans, as the 46-date tour featured no former band members apart from the brothers and, instead, was to feature an entirely new backing band, including guitarist Isaiah Mitchell (from the bands Earthless and
Golden Void Golden Void is a psychedelic rock band from the San Francisco Bay Area. The band consists of guitarist/vocalist Isaiah Mitchell, bassist Aaron Morgan, drummer Justin Pinkerton and keyboardist/vocalist Camilla Saufley-Mitchell. The band's first ...
), bassist Tim Lefebvre (formerly of the Tedeschi Trucks Band), keyboardist Joel Robinow, and drummer Raj Ojha. This line-up premiered at
The Bowery Ballroom The Bowery Ballroom is a New York City live-music venue located at 6 Delancey Street in the neighborhood of Bowery in Manhattan. The Bowery Ballroom holds something of a cult status among musicians as well as audiences. ''Rolling Stone'' magazi ...
in New York City on November 11, 2019, where they played the entire ''Shake Your Money Maker'' album. Chris had tested out several of the new members with his As the Crow Flies project. Ultimately, the tour was disrupted by the COVID-19 pandemic. The dates were eventually rescheduled for summer and fall of 2021. In May 2021, the Crowes announced their rescheduled tour dates and revealed that Sven Pipien would be returning on bass. In June 2021, it was announced that the band had already written at least 20 songs for an upcoming album but had no plans to record them until after the tour. It was also announced that Brian Griffin is the new drummer. He has toured with Brandi Carlile, Richard Marx, Patti Smith and others. On January 8, 2021, The Black Crowes announced a 30th Anniversary multi-format re-issue of ''Shake Your Money Maker'', releasing a previously unheard track "Charming Mess" in conjunction. In May 2022, the band released their first newly recorded material since the reunion, ''1972 (The Black Crowes EP), 1972'', an EP consisting of covers of famous tracks released in 1972. On March 17, 2023, the band released a double live album on CD and vinyl called ''Shake Your Money Maker Live'', a live album with the first disc being their first album played in its entirety in concert and a second disk consisting of live Black Crowes classics plus a cover of the Rolling Stones', "It's Only Rock 'n Roll (But I Like It)". The band released '' Happiness Bastards'' on March 15, 2024.


Band members

Current members *Chris Robinson (singer), Chris Robinson – lead vocals, harmonica, acoustic guitar, percussion (1984–2002, 2005–2015, 2019–present) * Rich Robinson – guitar, backing vocals (1984–2002, 2005–2015, 2019–present) *
Sven Pipien Sven Pipien (born 30 May 1967, in Hanover, Germany) is a musician best known as the bassist of the southern rock band The Black Crowes. Biography Sven Pipien began his musical career playing bass with Atlanta-based rock outfit Mary, My Hope. The ...
– bass, backing vocals (1997–2000, 2005–2015, 2021–present) Current touring musicians * Erik Deutsch – keyboards (2022–present) *Nico Bereciartua – guitars (2023–present) *Cully Symington – drums (2023–present) *Mackenzie Adams – backing vocals (2021–present) *Lesley Grant – backing vocals (2021–present)


Discography

Studio albums * '' Shake Your Money Maker'' (1990) * '' The Southern Harmony and Musical Companion'' (1992) * '' Amorica'' (1994) * ''
Three Snakes and One Charm ''Three Snakes and One Charm'' is the fourth studio album by American rock band The Black Crowes. It was released on July 23, 1996. Background During the "Amorica or Bust" tour of 1995, many of the relationships within The Black Crowes had so ...
'' (1996) * '' By Your Side'' (1999) * '' Lions'' (2001) * '' Warpaint'' (2008) * '' Before the Frost...Until the Freeze'' (2009) * ''
Croweology ''Croweology'' is an acoustic-based album by American rock band The Black Crowes, released on August 3, 2010. The set includes newly recorded versions of nineteen songs from the band's career, covering their albums from '' Shake Your Money Maker'' ...
'' (2010) * '' Happiness Bastards'' (2024)


References


External links

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Crowes Base
{{DEFAULTSORT:Black Crowes, The The Black Crowes, American blues rock musical groups American hard rock musical groups American musical sextets Rock music groups from Georgia (U.S. state) Jam bands Musical groups established in 1989 Musical groups disestablished in 2002 Musical groups reestablished in 2005 Musical groups disestablished in 2011 Musical groups reestablished in 2013 Musical groups disestablished in 2015 Musical groups reestablished in 2019 Southern rock musical groups from Atlanta Articles which contain graphical timelines