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At the time of their 1990 debut, the kind of rock &
roll the Black Crowes specialize in was out of style.
Only Guns N' Roses came close to approximating a vintage
Stones-style raunch, but they were too angry and jagged
to pull it off completely. The Black Crowes replicated
that Stonesy swagger and Faces boogie perfectly.
Vocalist Chris Robinson appropriated the sound and style
of vintage Rod Stewart while guitarist Rich Robinson
fused Keith Richards' lean attack with Ron Wood's messy
rhythmic sense. At their best, the Black Crowes echo
classic rock without slavishly imitating their
influences.
The Robinson brothers originally formed the Black
Crowes in Georgia in 1984. By the time of their 1990
debut, Shake Your Money Maker, the group comprised Chris
Robinson (vocals), Rich Robinson (guitar), Johnny Colt
(bass), Jeff Cease (guitar), and Steve Gorman (drums).
"Jealous Again," the first single from Shake Your Money
Maker, was a moderate hit but it was the band's cover of
Otis Redding's "Hard to Handle" that made the group a
multi-platinum success. "Hard to Handle" climbed its way
into the Top 40, propelling the album into the Top Ten.
The acoustic ballad "She Talks to Angels" became the
band's second Top 40 hit in the spring of 1991. Shake
Your Money Maker would eventually sell over three
million copies.
The Black Crowes delivered their second album, The
Southern Harmony and Musical Companion, in the spring of
1992. It entered the charts at number one, but it didn't
have as many hit singles as the debut; none of the
singles cracked the Top 40 and only "Remedy" and "Thorn
in My Pride" made the Top 100. Nevertheless, the band
established themselves as a popular concert attraction
that summer, selling out theaters across America. During
1992, the band added keyboardist Eddie Hersch as a
permanent member. The Black Crowes' third album, Amorica,
arrived in late 1994. Amorica debuted in the Top Ten,
but none of the singles from the album made the charts;
even though the record went gold, it slipped off the
charts in early 1995.
Three Snakes & One Charm, the group's fourth album,
was released in July of 1996. The album entered the
charts at number 15, but it quickly slipped out of the
Top 50. Nevertheless, the album received the best
reviews of any Crowes album since The Southern Harmony
and Musical Companion. Guitarist Marc Ford was fired
from the Black Crowes in August, 1997; two years later,
the group returned with By Your Side. In mid-2000, the
band collaborated with Led Zeppelin guitarist Jimmy Page
on the double-disc Live at the Greek, an eclectic mix of
newly recorded Zeppelin covers and additional classic
blues cuts. A Tribute to a Work in Progress: Greatest
Hits 1990-1999, a 16-track best-of compilation was also
released in mid-2000. The Don Was-produced Lions
appeared in spring 2001, and a summer tour with Oasis --
the Tour of Brotherly Love -- followed in June. But all
was apparently not well with the group, in January of
2002 the band announced that they were on hiatus.
Drummer Steve Gorman was fired from the band, and Chris
Robinson announced his intentions for a solo career. ~
Stephen Thomas Erlewine, All Music Guide |
