Emerging from Atlanta, Georgia, The black Crowes are considered by many as the best band in the world, I personally think they are fantastic, the song ‘Remedy’ was the first song I heard, ‘Remedy’ was released in 1992 as a part of their critically acclaimed album, ‘The Southern Harmony and Musical Companion’ Remedy soon became one of the bands signature tracks, it captures the art of Southern Rock with a bluesy RnB vibe.
The early to mid 90s saw The Black Crowes at the height of their powers, with sold out tours worldwide, they channelled the spirit of classic rock, keeping it fresh for the 90s audience, their dynamic live shows would sometimes go off on a tangent, with long solo’s and extended musical arrangements, while they just went with the flow, jam style to the delight of the audiences.
‘We’re just a rock’n’roll band. if we started to think we were a big deal, that’s when we would start sucking - Chris Robinson
The above quote is a testament to the down to earth attitude the band possesses, it’s a statement of authenticity regardless of commercial success.
Rich Robinson (guitar) is Chris Robinsons (singer) brother, he is the driving force behind the music, known for his distinctive style he seems to be influenced by guitarists like, Jimmy Page, Keith Richards and Joe perry, His use of open tunings in particularly open G, gives his riffs a rich, full tone that became central to the sound of The Black Crowes, his rhythm guitar work is tight, his acoustic playing is phenomenal, as you can see I rate this guy very highly. Beyond his technical skill the way he injects feel and soul into his playing is truly remarkable.
As with many great bands there was internal conflicts, particularly between Chris and Rich, the brothers fought about everything, these tensions and differences came from changing musical tastes and internal personal issues, albums like ‘ Amorica’ (1994) and ‘Three Snakes One Charm’ (1996) saw the band exploring new sounds and artistic direction, sometimes internal differences overshadowed their music.
After year apart The Black Crowes had a reunion, and in 2019 announced they would reunite to celebrate their 30th anniversary. Fans rejoiced at the news eager to hear the soulful rock experience of a live performance by The Black Crowes.
Chris and Rich had to put their differences aside and get back to doing what they were born to do, although the success is a tribute to the chemistry of Chris and Rich Robinson, the relationship was marked with a deep-seated conflict, at the heart of the conflict is their contrasting personality’s, Chris is an extrovert while Rich is more of an introvert, Chris wanted to push the band in a more experimental direction while Rich who was the primary song writer wanted to take the band in a more grounded Rock and Blues direction.
Their most notable fall out was in 2015, when a disagreement over the ownership of the band came to a head, financial matters led to a major split, resulting in the bands disbandment.
Their story is filled with trials and tribulations, sibling rivalries, drugs, and internal struggles, this has had a huge effect on The Black Crowes, that being said the music they have created has been excellent, as they continue to tour and work on new material, fans and critics alike are fascinated by this band, and rightly so, long live The Black Crowes!
Regards.
Patrick. M
Watching The Black Crowes on stage is like watching The Rolling Stones! The lead singer has excellent moves, and they have such a presence on stage! Thanks, Pat!!