The Black Crowes Have Officially Broken Up
The highly-influential Southern rock band The Black Crowes has officially broken up according to a statement released today from the band’s long-time guitar player Rich Robinson. The band was founded 24 years ago by Rich and his brother and singer for the band Chris Robinson.
“It is with great disappointment and regret that after having the privilege of writing and performing the music of The Black Crowes over the last 24 years, I find myself in the position of saying that the band has broken up,” the statement from Rich Robinson reads. “I hold my time with the Black Crowes with the utmost respect and sincerest appreciation. It is a huge swath of my life’s body of work. I couldn’t be more proud of what we accomplished and deeply moved by the relationships people created and maintained with my music. That alone is the greatest honor of being a musician.”
The Black Crowes’ debut album Shake Your Money Maker, and the followup The Southern Harmony & Musical Companion were both widely successful releases, both going multi-platinum with multiple charting singles. Subsequently the band became a consistent concert draw despite the lack of big singles or albums, and began to delve more into more experimental music modes and jam band material. The Crowes’ influence can be heard all across country and Southern rock music today. They were arguably the most successful Southern rock band of the subgenre’s second generation, after the high tide of Lynyrd Skynyrd and The Allman Brothers, and before the newer bands of today.
According to Rich Robinson, the issue came down to a spat over money with his brother.
I love my brother and respect his talent but his present demand that I must give up my equal share of the band and that our drummer for 28 years and original partner, Steve Gorman, relinquish 100% of his share, reducing him to a salaried employee, is not something I could agree to. There are so many people who have helped and supported us along the way. I want to give a heartfelt thank you to all of our fans, our friends behind the scenes, and to everyone who was a part of The Black Crowes.”
Both of the Robinson brothers have been focused on side projects in recent years—Chris with the New Earth Mud band, and more recently with the Chris Robinson Brotherhood, and Rich with solo projects such as Hookah Brown and Circle Sound.
The band had already announced a hiatus in the summer of 2014, with Chris Robinson saying, “It might be 18 months, it might be two years, it might be five — I don’t know. We’ll get back together when we feel it’s right. There’s no end or beginning; it’s, ‘Let’s just do some other stuff for a while, and we’ll get back together when we feel it’s right.'” But this new announcement sounds much more permanent.
The sound of The Black Crowes is often imitated in modern country, but is rarely or ever duplicated.
RIP The Black Crowes 1989-2015
January 15, 2015 @ 4:27 pm
NOOOOOOOOOOOOOO! 😱
They will always be remembered
January 15, 2015 @ 4:41 pm
This story doesn’t have a dad-gum thing to do with Country music, and I don’t know why anybody would even care about it…… but hey, a little good news never hurt anybody.
It’s just too bad they ever existed.
January 15, 2015 @ 4:46 pm
Wow
The extent of human ignorance is just surprising
January 15, 2015 @ 5:17 pm
Actually Hawkeye, it’s really not very surprising.
January 15, 2015 @ 7:25 pm
http://www.savingcountryamericanasouthernrockmemphissoulacousticrockwannaberagtimebands.com was already taken
January 16, 2015 @ 5:54 am
You really don’t see their influence on country music? Or even the 70s country influence in alot of their stuff? I assume your only familiar with their radio hits.
January 18, 2015 @ 3:24 pm
If there’s one thing I love about you, Clint, it’s your unwavering positivity. Such a ray of sunshine.
January 15, 2015 @ 5:05 pm
Its a shame, they made a lot of good stuff. I really liked their last studio record, the double album Before The Frost… You definitely hear their influence in most modern Southern Rock bands.
Glad I got to see them in concert. It was a good show. I believe they’ll be back though. The pay day will be too big to turn down.
January 16, 2015 @ 7:18 am
this isnt the first breakup, they will play again
January 15, 2015 @ 5:13 pm
I like them and own most of their music. But their music was built mostly from the ideas of a bunch of more original and talented artists. I’ll miss them but not for too long. And, truth be told, I thought they’d already packed it in. Nobody fights better than brothers.
January 16, 2015 @ 9:36 am
That’s true. Years ago there I remember a pair of brothers who were in a group together – I think it was Ray and Dave Davies of the Kinks – were guests on the John Boy and Billy radio show. They arrived in separate cars and took turns going into the studio because they didn’t get along well enough to do the interview together.
January 15, 2015 @ 5:16 pm
I think several outstanding guitar players had a lot to do with the sound of the band.
They had an amazing sound and feel on some of their tunes.
January 15, 2015 @ 5:34 pm
They had a good run.
January 15, 2015 @ 6:07 pm
Apparently their career was hard to handle.
January 16, 2015 @ 11:37 am
I see what you did there. Well done.
January 15, 2015 @ 6:10 pm
This is a bummer. They are one of my favorite bands. I liked them fine when I was in high school in the early 90’s but I think they got better and better as the years went on. I think Amorica was their best album but I find myself playing Croweology more and more and more. I hope they are able to overcome their differences and get it back together. More importantly, I hope that this does not permanently mar the relationship between two brothers.
January 15, 2015 @ 6:46 pm
This may come off as a bit vindictive, but given Chris Robinson’s lack of class toward other artists, I am shedding no tears on the occasion of this band breaking up.
Good riddance.
January 15, 2015 @ 7:11 pm
It’s news to me they were still together! Wont miss them or their bell bottoms
January 15, 2015 @ 7:16 pm
Southern Harmony Musical Companion is the best hard rock album since Appetite for Destruction.
January 15, 2015 @ 9:53 pm
I’m not the World’s biggest Black Crowes fan by any means but they made some great music and have undoubtedly done huge things for the Southern rock genre as well as the careers for musicians who have played with them; Luther Dickinson’s work with them was especially enjoyable.
January 16, 2015 @ 12:53 am
26 years! All good things must come to an end though I guess. Too bad it was money that did them in. They’re not the first band to fall because of the Almighty Dollar and they surely won’t be the last.
January 18, 2015 @ 12:06 am
Really too bad because TBC is where Chris fits best. The Brotherhood is a jam band and not nearly as country as the crowes. Hope it isn’t permanent.
September 16, 2017 @ 12:32 pm
Magpies Salute will fill in the void.