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Chris Robinson (Black Crowes) birthday - TIMH

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December 20, 2015 at 9:00am
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Chris Robinson was born today in Marietta, Georgia in 1966. He became the lead singer for The Black Crowes, the band that Melody Maker magazine dubbed The Most Rock and Roll, Rock and Roll Band in the World. Emerging on the mainstream in 1990 with the release of their debut album, “Shake Your Money Maker”, Chris and the Crowes were quite literally peerless in rock music at the time. A classic rock-style band caught between the dying throes of hair metal and the coming onslaught of grunge, The Black Crowes were forced to forge their own path to stardom.

The Crowes made no attempts to hide their classic rock influences and their first big hit was a cover of Otis Redding’s “Hard to Handle”. The band opened for Aerosmith in 1990 and the album took off, eventually going platinum and selling over 100,000 copies in a single day. In 1991 The Crowes opened for ZZ Top before Chris got them kicked off the tour. The tour was sponsored by Miller Lite and Chris was engaging in anti-corporate chatter between songs. He continued his schtick after being warned to stop and The Black Crowes suddenly found themselves with unexpected time on their hands.

They used this time to craft “The Southern Harmony and Musical Companion” which reached #1 on the album chart in 1992. The album spawned multiple charting singles and solidified the Crowes standing as a major rock band. As grunge had become the genre du jour, this was no easy feat for a band that had more in common with Humble Pie and Faces than Nirvana and Stone Temple Pilots. Now headliners, the Crowes began cementing their reputation as one of the best live acts in the business.

In 1994 the band released their third album, “Amorica”. They generated a bit of controversy with the album’s cover, a picture of the bottom half of a bikini that was originally used on the cover of Penthouse magazine.”Amorica” cracked the Top 20 on the album chart and signaled the band’s move away from barroom blues rock to a more hippie infused hybrid sound. “Amorica” has been recognized as the last album in the Crowes “classic” era and served as a springboard to the trying middle portion of their career.

They released “Three Snakes and One Charm” in 1996 and that album failed to chart. In 1997 the Crowes headlined the Furthur Festival and in January 1999 their album “By Your Side” debuted at #26 on the chart. Later that year the Crowes teamed up with Jimmy Page for a live album and tour that featured a blend of Led Zeppelin and Black Crowes songs along with a few covers. The buzz around the band was back and they released the highly anticipated “Lions” album in 2001. “Lions” contained quite a few solid songs and debuted at #20 but sales petered out quickly. The Crowes headlined the “Brotherly Love” tour with Oasis that year before going on a five year hiatus.

In 2000, Chris married Kate Hudson and for many Black Crowes fans she became their Yoko Ono. The odd direction the band had taken along with the breakup of the Crowes was often blamed on Hudson. Chris began working on a solo project called New Earth Mud and released their self-titled debut in 2002. It was a departure from the Black Crowes sound but the album was generally well-received.

The Crowes reunited in 2005 and played some live shows that resulted in a few live albums. They released the studio album “Warpaint” in 2008, which debuted at #5 on the chart. The album was seen as a return to form for the band and they quickly capitalized on their success with the release of the double album “Before the Frost…Until the Freeze” in 2009. The album was recorded live at Levon Helm’s (The Band) studio in Woodstock, New York. This would be the Crowes final studio album though they would continue to tour and release live material through 2014.

Chris formed a new band, The Chris Robinson Brotherhood, in 2010 and he has made frequent guest appearances with many other bands, including Bob Weir’s Ratdog. While Chris and the Black Crowes often get lost in the musical upheaval of the 1990s, they were one of the finest true rock bands in the world at the time. They are the link between the trashy 70s vibe of the Rolling Stones and the trashy 2000s vibe of the garage band revival led by the White Stripes, The Hives and The Strokes. Chris and the Crowes have sold over 35 million albums and, though they’re not in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, they remain an important piece of rock history.

 

The Black Crowes – “Thick n Thin” off the album “Shake Your Money Maker” 1990:

Chris and Rich Robinson acoustic performance of “Thorn in My Pride”, live on MTV 1991:

Foamfoot – cover of Jerry Garcia’s “Deal”, live at the Troubadour in Los Angeles 1994:

The Black Crowes – “Descending” off the album “Amorica” 1994:

The Black Crowes – “Girl from a Pawnshop” off the album “Three Snakes and One Charm” 1996:

The Black Crowes – “Horsehead” off the album “By Your Side” 1999:

The Black Crowes – “Greasy Grass River” off the album “Lions” 2001:

The Black Crowes – “Evergreen” off the album “Warpaint” 2008:

The Black Crowes – “I Ain’t Hiding” off the album “Before the Frost…” 2009:

The Black Crowes – “Lady of Avenue A” off the album “…Until the Freeze” 2009:

Chris and Bob Weir – “Wake Up Little Susie” 2013:

 

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