History Music / TheBlackCrowes

* {{Genre Roulette}}: While they're most easily classified as {{hard rock}}, their specific sound/sub-genre shifts with each album.

* ''By Your Side'' (1999): [[HistoryRepeatsItself First they recorded an album called "Band," but decided against releasing it]]. An attempt to recapture the commercial success of their first two albums. This record has a more {{soul}}/R&B influenced sound, with a polished, radio-friendly production (produced by Kevin Shirley, comparisons were made to {{Aerosmith}}'s Nine Lives). Critical reaction was mixed, but sales did pick up slightly from their last two records. This record was supported by a co-headlining tour with {{Lenny Kravitz}}.

* {{I Have Many Names}}: From '84 to '89 they were known as Mr. Crowe's Garden. Since hitting the big times, they've done secret, one-off gigs under such names as O-D Jubilee (now the name of a Black Crowes tribute band), Blessed Chloroform, and The Thunderbolt Grease Slappers.

The Black Crowes are a {{hard rock}}/{{blues rock}}/{{southern rock}} band active from 1989 to 2002, from 2005 to 2015 and 2019 onwards. Formed by brothers Chris (lead singer) and Rich Robinson (rhythm guitar), in Atlanta, GA, their sound is a deliberate throwback to the hard rock of the pre-punk era. They take influences from, and are often compared to, Music/{{Faces}}, {{Music/Led Zeppelin}}, and especially Music/{{The Rolling Stones|Band}} (Entertainment Weekly went so far as to say, in a review of their first album, "The Black Crowes are to the early [[Music/TheRollingStonesBand Rolling Stones]] what Creator/ChristianSlater is to the young Creator/JackNicholson : a self-conscious imitation, but fine enough in its own right.").

* ''Shake Your Money Maker'' (1990): Debut album, contains some of their most popular hits. This album was a surprise success; in the era of {{heavy metal}} and the rise of {{alternative rock}}, nobody expected a blues-based album to reach number four on the Billboard 200. This is their only album with original guitarist Jeff Cease, and is named after a blues song by Elmore James (a track the Crowes had been playing for years, but which is not present on the record). The album brought them many comparisons to Music/{{The Rolling Stones}}.

The Black Crowes are a {{hard rock}}/{{blues rock}}/{{southern rock}} band active from 1989 to 2002, from 2005 to 2015 and 2019 onwards. Formed by brothers Chris (lead singer) and Rich Robinson (rhythm guitar), in Atlanta, GA, their sound is a deliberate throwback to the hard rock of the pre-punk era. They take influences from, and are often compared to, Music/{{Faces}}, {{Music/Led Zeppelin}}, and especially Music/{{The Rolling Stones}} (Entertainment Weekly went so far as to say, in a review of their first album, "The Black Crowes are to the early [[Music/TheRollingStonesBand Rolling Stones]] what Creator/ChristianSlater is to the young Creator/JackNicholson : a self-conscious imitation, but fine enough in its own right.").

The Black Crowes are a {{hard rock}}/{{blues rock}}/{{southern rock}} band active from 1989 to 2002, from 2005 to 2015 and 2019 onwards. Formed by brothers Chris (lead singer) and Rich Robinson (rhythm guitar), in Atlanta, GA, their sound is a deliberate throwback to the hard rock of the pre-punk era. They take influences from, and are often compared to, Music/{{Faces}}, {{Music/Led Zeppelin}}, and especially Music/{{The Rolling Stones}} (Entertainment Weekly went so far as to say, in a review of their first album, "The Black Crowes are to the early [[Music/TheRollingStones Rolling Stones]] what Creator/ChristianSlater is to the young Creator/JackNicholson : a self-conscious imitation, but fine enough in its own right.").

* {{Contemptible Cover}}: To the general public, the only memorable thing about ''Amorica'' was it's cover, which itself was the cover of Hustler's bicentennial issue: a close-up of a woman's crotch, wearing an American-flag thong, with some pubic hair sticking out of the sides. To the band's shock and confusion, nobody batted an eye to the American flag imagery, but the minor bits of hair caused {{Moral Guardians}} to protest, and after major retailers refused to carry the album, an alternate cover was created. The alt. cover has everything except the thong blacked out. Re-issues use the original cover, however.

Regardless of whether you consider them as carrying the torch of roots rock, or plainly ripping off the past, one can not argue with album sales. The Black Crowes were one of the best-selling rock bands of TheNineties, having sold over 30 million records. As everyone else went forward with electronic experimentation, The Crowes seemed to challenge themselves to go in reverse. While their first two albums are pure hard rock, their third (''Amorica'', [[ContemptibleCover the one with the female pubic hair on the cover]]) had a rougher, more {{garage rock}} sound. Their next album went for {{psychedelic rock}}, which was followed by a record of {{soul}}-influenced rock, then {{blues rock}} before going "on hiatus" (really, an unannounced breakup).

* ''Amorica'' (1994): [[ContemptibleCover The one with the woman's crotch on the cover]]. First, they recorded an album named "Tall," but decided against releasing it. Some of those tracks would be reworked and rerecorded for this record. This was their first stylistic change. While still definitely a hard rock record, this record saw much studio experimentation, with significant overdubs being used to create each track (in contrast, their first two records were almost "live in the studio" affairs). The record sees a more hard-edged, {{garage rock}} sound. Critics appreciated the growth, the general public was... less enthusiastic. Some accused them of attempting to jump on the {{grunge}} bandwagon that they had originally scorned (not knowing that the sound they were aiming for is the sound [[OlderThanTheyThink grunge evolved from]]).

" LooksLikeJesus: Chris in more recent years, as seen [[https://encrypted-tbn0.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcS6hKZZDVNJ9a5nklJGZ5jeHJ7jTSZpaRk_Iw&usqp=CAU here]].

* {{Mascot}}: Kinda. They don't have a named character, but a pair of cartoon crows show up on a lot of their posters and merchandise. Early on, they were drawn like stoned versions of ''WesternAnimation/HeckleAndJeckle'', but in later years, perhaps in an effort to avoid lawsuits, they've changed into a more unique design. Nowadays, they usually appear to be tired blues musicians.

* {{The Stoner}}: The band made the cover of the July, 1992 issue of ''High Times'' magazine. They smoke. Well, except for Rich (maybe), who is famously...
* {{The Teetotaler}}: Rich Robinson, standing in stark contrast to his older brother, Chris. At least initially. In a ''Magazine/RollingStone'' interview given in 1990, Chris said he worried for his brother, since he didn't drink or do drugs, and he wanted to make sure he could unwind. In later years, Chris would call the whole band "dedicated stoners." Yet, after breaking up, Rich was said to have been the only one sober throughout all the band's history. It is unknown if Rich still abstains from substances, but if he does imbibe, he's certainly never had any problems because of it.
** In Steve Gorman's book, ''Hard to Handle: The Life and Death of the Black Crowes,'' he recalls Rich occasionally drinking, but that doesn't change how Rich is often seen as the most sober member of the classic lineup.

** Their drummer Steve Gorman is as of 2017 well-known as the host of his own sports talk show on Fox Sports Radio.

* {{Revolving door band}}: Chris and Rich Robinson were the only members to last through every incarnation of the band. Drummer Steve Gorman is a close second, having joined them a year after Mr. Crowe's Garden formed, and only briefly being absent for a few months after their 2005 reformation.

The Black Crowes were a {{hard rock}}/{{blues rock}}/{{southern rock}} band active from 1989 to 2002, and again from 2005 to 2015. Formed by brothers Chris (lead singer) and Rich Robinson (rhythm guitar), in Atlanta, GA, their sound was a deliberate throwback to the hard rock of the pre-punk era. They took influence from, and were often compared to, Music/{{Faces}}, {{Music/Led Zeppelin}}, and especially Music/{{The Rolling Stones}} (Entertainment Weekly went so far as to say, in a review of their first album, "The Black Crowes are to the early [[Music/TheRollingStones Rolling Stones]] what Creator/ChristianSlater is to the young Creator/JackNicholson : a self-conscious imitation, but fine enough in its own right.").

Regardless of whether you considered them as carrying the torch of roots rock, or plainly ripping off the past, one can not argue with album sales. The Black Crowes were one of the best-selling rock bands of TheNineties, having sold over 30 million records. As everyone else went forward with electronic experimentation, The Crowes seemed to challenge themselves to go in reverse. While their first two albums are pure hard rock, their third (''Amorica'', [[ContemptibleCover the one with the female pubic hair on the cover]]) had a rougher, more {{garage rock}} sound. Their next album went for {{psychedelic rock}}, which was followed by a record of {{soul}}-influenced rock, then {{blues rock}} before going "on hiatus" (really, an unannounced breakup).

They reformed in 2005, putting out an album of {{southern rock}}, and finally a double album of live, acoustic [[FolkMusic folk]]/[[CountryMusic country rock]] songs. They've since broken up again.

* Chris Robinson – lead vocals (1989–2002, 2005–2015)
* Rich Robinson - guitar (1989–2002, 2005–2015)

Regardless of whether you considered them as carrying the torch of roots rock, or plainly ripping off the past, one can not argue with album sales. The Black Crowes were one of the best-selling rock bands of TheNineties, having sold over 30 million records. As everyone else went forward with electronic experimentation, The Crowes seemed to challenge themselves to go in reverse. While their first two albums are pure hard rock, their third (''Amorica'', [[ContemptibleCover the one with the female pubic hair on the cover]]) had a rougher, more {{garage rock}} sound. Their next album went for {{psychedelic rock}}, which was followed by a record of [[SoulMusic soul]]-influenced rock, then {{blues rock}} before going "on hiatus" (really, an unannounced breakup).

The Black Crowes were a {{hard rock}}/{{blues rock}}/{{southern rock}} band active from 1989 to 2002, and again from 2005 to 2015. Formed by brothers Chris (lead singer) and Rich Robinson (rhythm guitar), in Atlanta, GA, their sound was a deliberate throwback to the hard rock of the pre-punk era. They took influence from, and were often compared to, Music/{{Faces}}, {{Music/Led Zeppelin}}, and especially Music/{{The Rolling Stones}} (Entertainment Weekly went so far as to say, in a review of their first album, "The Black Crowes are to the early Music/RollingStones what [[Creator/ChristianSlater Christian Slater]] is to the young Creator/JackNicholson : a self-conscious imitation, but fine enough in its own right.").

* ''Warpaint'' (2008): The comeback album. After reuniting in 2005, they'd worked out a several new songs through live jamming. When it came time to record, they decided not to record these road-tested songs, feeling that the material wasn't representative of where they were now. So they made ''Warpaint''. Being from Atlanta, they've always had a bit of a southern edge to them, but this was their first album that could explicitly be called {{Southern rock}}. The most controversial thing surrounding the album, however, had nothing to do with The Crowes: Maxim magazine ran a negative, pre-release review. The Crowes then pointed out that, since the album hadn't been released, and they hadn't sent an advanced copy to the magazine, [[CaptainObvious that there was no way Maxim could have heard the album]]. Maxim was forced to admit that their review was based on hearing a few excerpts of select songs, and that they hadn't actually heard the record. The brothers Robinson, having disliked journalists since the band's earliest days, seemed more bemused than anything.

* Adam MacDougall – keyboards (2007–2015)

* {{Vitriolic Best Buds}}: while never as public with their fights as their British pals {{Oasis}}, the Robinson brothers have never gotten along well. Stories circulate of rehearsals often degenerating into brawls between the pair. They did go on record as saying that they'd never fight onstage, as they find it unprofessional and unfair to the fans. The matter was likely not helped by Rich being the only member who was sober through their entire career, while Chris has gone through multiple phases of using multiple substances.

* ''The Lost Crowes'' (2006): Double-CD of tracks from the unreleased ''Tall' and ''Band'' sessions. Some tracks are early versions of tracks that would be rewritten for ''Amorica'' and ''By Your Side'', while others were abandoned altogether. Still, these are not the complete sessions, as fan bootlegs contain [[KeepCirculatingTheTapes several more tracks from both albums that were not included]]. It does provide a great insight into how albums take shape, {{what could have been}}, and gives official release to some heavily bootlegged material.

* ''Before the Frost...Until the Freeze'' (2009): Double album of new material, recording live and acoustically in front of an audience in Woodstock, NY. Their most folk/country rock album by far. They took influence from, and got positively compared to, [[Music/TheByrds Gram Parsons]]. Only the first disc, ''Before the frost...'' was physically released; it came with a download code to get the second half, ''...Until the Freeze''. A double disc vinyl set was also released, featuring the the full album, but with a different running order.

* ''The Lost Crowes'' (2006): Double-CD of tracks from the unreleased "Tall" and "Band" sessions. Some tracks are early versions of tracks that would be rewritten for Amorica and By Your Side, while others were abandoned altogether. Still, these are not the complete sessions, as fan bootlegs contain [[KeepCirculatingTheTapes several more tracks from both albums that were not included]]. It does provide a great insight into how albums take shape, {{what could have been}}, and gives official release to some heavily bootlegged material.

* ''Before The Frost...Until the Freeze'' (2009): Double album of new material, recording live and acoustically in front of an audience in Woodstock, NY. Their most folk/country rock album by far. They took influence from, and got positively compared to, [[Music/TheByrds Gram Parsons]]. Only the first disc, Before the frost... was physically released; it came with a download code to get the second half, ...Until the freeze. A double disc vinyl set was also released, featuring the the full album, but with a different running order.