The Black Crowes is an American Southern rock band from Atlanta, Georgia. Originally formed by brothers Chris (lead vocals) and Rich Robinson (guitar) in 1984 as Mr Crowe's Garden, the group went through a series of early personnel changes before settling on a lineup including guitarist Jeff Cease, bassist Johnny Colt and drummer Steve Gorman in 1989. The current lineup of the band, which reformed in November 2019 after breaking up for a third time in 2015, includes the Robinson brothers, longtime bassist Sven Pipien, [1] and new members Nico Bereciartua (guitar), Cully Symington (drums) and Erik Deutsch (keyboards).
Brothers Chris and Rich Robinson formed Mr. Crowe's Garden in 1984, working with a succession of six bassists and three drummers during the band's formative years. [2] Early members included Keith Joyner (bass), [3] Jeff Sullivan (drums), [4] and Ted Selke (bass). [5] By 1989, the group had been renamed the Black Crowes and featured rhythm guitarist Jeff Cease, bassist Johnny Colt and drummer Steve Gorman. [6] [7] After the release of the group's debut album Shake Your Money Maker , Cease was replaced by former Burning Tree guitarist Marc Ford in November 1991. [8] Eddie Harsch was added as the band's first keyboardist the following year. [9] After three more studio albums, Ford was dismissed in August 1997 due to a heroin addiction, before Colt left shortly thereafter in October. [10]
Colt was replaced by Sven Pipien for By Your Side , on which both lead and rhythm guitars were performed by Rich Robinson. [11] Audley Freed joined as a touring guitarist for shows starting in June 1998. [12] In May 2000, Pipien was replaced by Greg Rzab, debuting on a tour with former Led Zeppelin guitarist Jimmy Page following the release of Live at the Greek . [13] Rzab had left by the end of the year, and Rich Robinson played bass on the 2001 release Lions . [14] Andy Hess took over Rzab's vacated position once the album was recorded, debuting in February 2001. [15] After a final tour which spawned a live release simply titled Live , [16] Gorman left the Black Crowes in December 2001 and the remaining members announced the band's "indefinite hiatus" the following month. [17]
After a three-year hiatus, the Black Crowes reformed in March 2005 with a lineup of Chris and Rich Robinson, former members Marc Ford and Sven Pipien, and new drummer Bill Dobrow. [18] Within two months, Gorman had returned as the band's drummer. [19] After a tour which spawned the live release Freak 'n' Roll... Into the Fog , Harsch left in August 2006 due to "health reasons" and was replaced by Rob Clores. [20] Just over a week later, Ford also left the band citing "health reasons", with Paul Stacey taking his place for upcoming tour dates. [21] Clores was dismissed and replaced by Adam MacDougall in July 2007, [22] and in November Luther Dickinson joined as second guitarist, after having performed on Warpaint . [23] After a final tour, the band went on "indefinite hiatus" again in July 2011. [24]
The Black Crowes announced its return again on Christmas Day 2012 with Jackie Greene taking Dickinson's place in the band for tour dates starting the following March. [25] The tour was followed by a period of extended inactivity before Rich Robinson formally announced in January 2015 that the Black Crowes had broken up due to a disagreement between him and brother Chris regarding ownership of the band. [26]
However, in November 2019 after several weeks of rumors, it was announced that the Black Crowes had reunited for a planned 2020 tour in commemoration of the 30th anniversary of Shake Your Money Maker, with a new lineup including the Robinson brothers, rhythm guitarist Isaiah Mitchell, bassist Tim Lefebvre, drummer Raj Ojha and keyboardist Joel Robinow. [27] This lineup would completely change before the tour was completed, except Chris and Rich Robinson who remain the only original members.
As of August 2023, the Black Crowes lineup is:
Image | Name | Years active | Instruments | Release contributions |
---|---|---|---|---|
Chris Robinson |
|
| all Black Crowes releases | |
Rich Robinson |
| |||
Sven Pipien |
|
|
| |
Erik Deutsch | 2022–present (session/touring) |
| none | |
Nico Bereciartua | 2023–present (session/touring) | guitar | ||
Cully Symington |
|
Image | Name | Years active | Instruments | Release contributions |
---|---|---|---|---|
Steve Gorman |
|
| all Black Crowes releases to date except 1972 (2022) and Happiness Bastards | |
Johnny Colt (Charles Brandt) | 1989–1997 | bass |
| |
Jeff Cease | 1989–1991 | guitar | Shake Your Money Maker (1990) | |
Marc Ford |
|
|
| |
Eddie Harsch (Edward Hawrysch) |
|
| all Black Crowes releases from The Southern Harmony and Musical Companion (1992) to The Lost Crowes (2006) | |
Audley Freed | 1998–2002 (initially a touring member only) | guitar | ||
Greg Rzab | 2000 | bass | Live at Jones Beach (EP/2000) w/Jimmy Page | |
Andy Hess | 2001–2002 | Live (2002) | ||
Bill Dobrow | 2005 | drums | none – live performances only | |
Rob Clores | 2006–2007 | keyboards | ||
Paul Stacey | 2006–2007 (touring only) | guitar | ||
Adam MacDougall |
|
| all Black Crowes releases from Warpaint (2008) to Wiser for the Time (2013) | |
Luther Dickinson | 2007–2011 |
| ||
Jackie Greene | 2012–2015 |
| none – live performances only | |
Raj Kumar Ojha | 2019–2020 (touring only) | drums | ||
Tim Lefebvre | bass | |||
Isaiah Mitchell | 2019–2023 (session/touring) | guitar |
| |
Joel Robinow | 2019–2022 (session/touring) |
| ||
Brian Griffin | 2021–2023 (session/touring) | drums |
Period | Members | Releases |
---|---|---|
Late 1989 – November 1991 |
|
|
November 1991 – August 1997 |
|
|
August – October 1997 |
| none |
December 1997 – June 1998 |
|
|
June 1998 – May 2000 |
|
|
May – December 2000 |
| none |
January – February 2001 |
|
|
February – December 2001 |
|
|
December 2001 – January 2002 |
| none |
Band inactive January 2002 – March 2005 | ||
March – May 2005 |
| none |
May 2005 – August 2006 |
| |
August – September 2006 |
| none |
September 2006 – July 2007 |
| |
July – November 2007 |
| |
November 2007 – July 2011 |
|
|
Band inactive July 2011 – December 2012 | ||
December 2012 – January 2015 |
| none |
Band inactive January 2015 – November 2019 | ||
November 2019 – 2021 |
| none |
2021–2022 |
|
|
2022–2023 |
| |
2023 |
| |
2023-Present |
|
The Black Crowes are an American rock 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 (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.
Christopher Mark Robinson is an American musician. He founded the rock band The Black Crowes, then known as Mr. Crowe's Garden, with his brother Rich Robinson in 1984. Chris is the lead singer of The Black Crowes, and he and his brother are the only continuous members of the Crowes. He was the vocalist and rhythm guitarist for the Chris Robinson Brotherhood, which toured and recorded from 2011 through 2019. The band broke up after the death of guitarist, Neal Casal, and the Crowes’ return from hiatus, respectively. Robinson is noted for his high tenor vocal range and bluesy vocal runs.
Live at the Greek: Excess All Areas is a double live album by Jimmy Page and the Black Crowes, released by musicmaker.com on 29 February 2000 and reissued by TVT Records on 4 July 2000.
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Lions is the sixth studio album by American rock band The Black Crowes. It was released in 2001 as their first album on V2 Records following their departure from Columbia, and is their only studio album to feature guitarist Audley Freed. Lions was recorded in New York City in January and February of that year, and was produced by Don Was. Bass guitar duties were shared by Rich Robinson and Was, as Greg Rzab had left the band and was not replaced until the tour that followed the release of the album.
By Your Side is the fifth studio album by American rock band The Black Crowes. It was released in early 1999 on Columbia Records, following the band's move from American Recordings, after second guitarist Marc Ford and bassist Johnny Colt had left the band in 1997. Audley Freed and Sven Pipien were hired as the new guitarist and bassist, respectively, although Rich Robinson played all the guitar parts on the album. By Your Side was recorded in New York City during the second quarter of 1998 and produced by Kevin Shirley. It comprised songs written in the studio, revised songs from pre-production and re-recorded songs from the abandoned 1997 album Band.
Richard Spencer Robinson is an American musician and founding member of the rock and roll band the Black Crowes. Along with older brother Chris Robinson, Rich formed the band in 1984 while the two were attending Walton High School in Marietta, Georgia. At age 15, Rich wrote the music for "She Talks to Angels", which became one of the band's biggest hits.
Marc Ford is an American blues-rock guitarist. He is a former guitarist of the rock and roll band The Black Crowes, the former lead guitarist of The Magpie Salute and the leader of his own bands: Burning Tree, Marc Ford & The Neptune Blues Club, Jefferson Steelflex, Fuzz Machine and Marc Ford & The Sinners.
Sven Pipien is a musician best known as the bassist of the southern rock band The Black Crowes.
Steve Gorman is an American musician and 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 Stereophonics. He also hosted his own radio show Steve Gorman Sports! on Fox Sports Radio. He is now the host of Steve Gorman Rocks! on Westwood One radio station affiliates and the morning-show co-host at KQRS-FM in Minneapolis. Also co-host 101.5 WQUT
Greatest Hits 1990–1999: A Tribute to a Work in Progress... is a compilation album by American rock band The Black Crowes, released June 20, 2000, by American Recordings & Columbia Records. It features material from all of their studio albums up to that point, and reached #143 on the Billboard 200.
The Magpie Salute was an American rock band formed in 2016 by the Black Crowes guitarist Rich Robinson. The band also includes former Black Crowes members Marc Ford and Sven Pipien and Moke singer/songwriter John Hogg, as well as Rich Robinson band members Matt Slocum and Joe Magistro.