Chris Robinson
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For the music-video director, see Chris Robinson (director)
Christopher Mark Robinson (born December 20, 1966 in Atlanta, Georgia), better known as Chris Robinson, is the singer of the rock and roll band The Black Crowes and brother of its guitarist Rich Robinson.
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[edit] Early Years (1985-1993)
Chris and brother Rich formed The Black Crowes in 1985. The first incarnation of the band was named Mr. Crowes Garden, playing the club circuit in Atlanta, GA. Although the Crowes have had many members over the years, the driving force behind the band has always been brothers Chris & Rich Robinson. In 1989, Mr. Crowes Garden (who had been heavily influenced by The Rolling Stones, The Faces and various other artists) made a demo cassette tape that got them signed with American Recordings.
The Crowes released their first studio album Shake Your Money Maker, in 1990. On the strength of singles "Hard to Handle," "She Talks to Angels," "Jealous Again," "Twice As Hard" and "Seeing Things," the album sold millions of copies and was certified 5x platinum in 1995. "Hard to Handle" and "She Talks to Angels" both broke the Top 30 on the Billboard charts in 1990, and the crossover appeal of the songs helped catapult The Black Crowes to stardom. It is widely acknowledged that engineer Brendan O'Brien was the creative force behind their first album.
After replacing guitarist Jeff Cease with Marc Ford, the Crowes released their second album, The Southern Harmony and Musical Companion, in 1992. (This album title is a tribute to the shape note anthology of the same name that has been sung annually at The Big Singing in Benton, Kentucky since 1884.) The effort spawned the singles "Remedy," "Thorn In My Pride," "Sting Me," "Sometimes Salvation" and "Hotel Illness," and was certified 2x platinum. Eddie Harsch, who played on the album, became the band's permanent keyboardist beginning on the "High As the Moon" tour. The spelling of his last name is often listed as "Hawrysch."
[edit] Rise to fame (1994-1999)
In 1994, the now six-piece Crowes offered up Amorica after scrapping an almost entirely different full-length album Tall the previous year. Though Amorica failed to produce a true hit single, the album still eventually reached Gold status, selling over 500,000 copies. Controversially, the album cover featured a photo of a woman in an American flag bikini, with her pubic hair protruding over the top. The photo, which originally appeared in Hustler magazine, created enough of a stir to force American Records to issue an alternate cover in which the offensive portion of the image was airbrushed out.
Three Snakes & One Charm, the band's next album, was released in July of 1996 to consistently positive critical reviews. Following a tour that lasted through the winter of the next year, The Black Crowes entered a Nashville, TN studio in the Spring of 1997 to lay down tracks for their next release. The result was dubbed The Band and was slated for a Fall release. The band debuted some of the songs from The Band on the 1997 Deadhead-friendly Further Festival tour, but internal shake-ups prevented the album's scheduled release. Guitarist Marc Ford was dismissed from the line-up, his alleged excessive drug use cited as the reason. Bassist Johnny Colt opted to quit not long after, ending what many fans believe was their Classic Era.
Bass player Sven Pipien (friend of the Robinsons and bassist for Mary My Hope) joined the band 1998, followed by former Cry of Love guitarist Audley Freed. In 1999, after several delays, The Black Crowes released their fifth studio album, By Your Side. The album saw Rich Robinson handling all guitar duties (Audley Freed did not join until the support tour was to begin) and was a much more lean, straightforward affair than their previous two releases. The album suffered generally poor sales and lackluster critical attention, leaving the band in its first slump since its debut.
[edit] Current years (2000-present)
In 2000, The Black Crowes played two impromptu gigs with Led Zeppelin guitarist Jimmy Page, which blossomed into a full-fledged tour not long afterward. After the tour concluded, bassist Sven Pipien was dismissed from the band, citing personal differences. A recording taken from several dates at Los Angeles' Greek Theater was released (initially via the Internet and later through retail outlets) and the band seemed to be working its way out of the By Your Side misstep. The band hired blues bassist Greg Rzab and played a few dates over the summer with him on board before firing him, again citing personal differences.
In May of 2001, after parting ways with American Recordings and signing with Virgin subsidiary V2 Records, The Black Crowes put out their sixth studio effort, Lions. Featuring the singles "Lickin'" and "Soul Singing," the album was noted as being somewhat a return to form for the band and showcased more of their penchant for jam-accessible songwriting. Despite an early sentiment of excitement, tensions ultimately grew between Chris Robinson and the rest of the band during the support tour for the album. Robinson had grown weary of the heavier sound the band had developed, expressing publicly his desire to write and record more folk-based material. After the Lions tour concluded in October of 2001, The Black Crowes announced their decision to take an indefinite hiatus from recording and performing. A live album, pieced together from the band's final two sold-out shows at Boston's Orpheum Theatre, appeared in 2002 just as Chris Robinson began working on his solo venture.
Chris Robinson's first solo recording, "The Red Road," appeared on the soundtrack to the 2002 Goldie Hawn film The Banger Sisters, confirming the singer's turn into softer material. A full-length debut, New Earth Mud, appeared in October and garnered very positive critical reviews. Written and produced with Paul Stacey and featuring collaborations with ex-Crowes Marc Ford and Eddie Harsch, the album allowed Robinson to hit the road as a headlining act. The band itself became known as New Earth Mud and became known for playing remarkably inspired sets across the United States.
New Earth Mud toured well into 2003, not only as a headliner but sharing the bill with such acts as Elvis Costello, Gov't Mule and The String Cheese Incident. During the later portion of the tour, the band introduced several new songs into their set and built up quite an anticipation for their second release. Robinson headed into the studio after the tour concluded, again with Paul Stacey as co-songwriter and producer. The end result was This Magnificent Distance, released in June of 2004. The album was a bigger success than its predecessor and showcased more of a "full band" sound.
Robinson parted ways with Paul Stacey and the rest of his band in early 2004, the reason for which remains unknown. In a very cryptic post on his official message board, Robinson said farewell to his original line-up and welcomed a new one, which featured ex-Crowes member Audley Freed on guitar and studio virtuoso George Reiff on bass. The band toured in support of This Magnificent Distance through the Summer of 2004, again gaining more critical and commercial attention for themselves. Another tour was planned for the Fall of 2004 but was suddenly and inexplicably scrapped. Robinson instead remained out of the public eye for the remainder of the year.
During Robinson's self-imposed exile, rumors began to circulate that he and his brother Rich were planning a Black Crowes reunion. Rich Robinson had finished his solo tour in December of 2004 and had also faded into the background, leaving the possibility of a reunion more open. The rumors were confirmed when the Robinson Brothers appeared unannounced at the CES Convention in Las Vegas, NV and performed a 45-minute acoustic set for attendees. Shortly afterwards, the Robinsons announced that they would be reunited The Black Crowes for a 10-night run at the Hammerstein Ballroom in New York City, with the possibility of more dates to follow. Returning to the fold was former guitarist Marc Ford and axed bassist Sven Pipien. Not returning, however, was original drummer Steve Gorman, who had quit the band over a dispute with Chris Robinson in 2002. Rich Robinson's solo drummer Bill Dobrow was selected to fill the vacancy, but only lasted a handful of dates following the Hammerstein run. On May 5, 2005, Gorman returned to the Crowes' lineup with no prior announcement. The band's fans were delighted.
The band toured for the better part of 2005, performing not only in the United States but in Canada and the United Kingdom as well. Steve Gorman eventually returned to the band in May. In August, during a five-night stand at San Francisco's Fillmore Auditorium, the band filmed an inspired performance for a future DVD release. Freak and Roll...Into the Fog was released in March of 2006, marking the first time the band made a foray into the popular DVD marketplace.
Shortly after the 2006 leg of The Black Crowes tour concluded in Europe, Chris and Rich Robinson opted to perform eleven dates as an acoustic duo. Dubbed the "Brothers of a Feather" tour, the band played many unreleased fan favorites and a handful of new songs, which generated a buzz about a new Black Crowes recording. When the Black Crowes reconvened in April, the new material did not make its way to the setlist immediately, leaving many wondering if there was a new album in the works at all. Several of the songs debuted on the "Brothers of a Feather" run did eventually make it into the band's repertoire, including "Magic Rooster Blues" and "Cold Boy Smile," but rumors of a new LP remained just that. Perhaps as a way to bide the time until a new album comes to pass, The Black Crowes assembled a trip into their vaults for The Lost Crowes, a two-disc compilation featuring sessions from two unreleased Black Crowes albums (1993's Tall and 1997's The Band).
At the moment, the band is currently doing the Fall leg of their on-going tour, with Paul Stacey on guitar and Rob Clores on keyboards. Longtime members Eddie Harsch and Marc Ford left the fold shortly following the band's summer tour with Robert Randolph and the Family Band and Drive-by Truckers, surprising many fans. Harsch's departure was chalked up to "personal reasons," while Ford's exit was due to the guitarist's concerns for his sobriety. Both member's departures were accompanied with press releases from the band, which included information that Chris and Rich Robinson were doing pre-production work in New York and Los Angeles studios for an album of original material. The album is due out sometime in 2007, with no word yet on who will permanently replace Marc Ford.
[edit] Marriage to Kate Hudson
In December of 2000, Chris Robinson married actress Kate Hudson, daughter of actress Goldie Hawn and step-daughter of Kurt Russell.
Some paparazzi photos have surfaced of Robinson with his wife and newborn son (Ryder, born January 7, 2004).
On August 14, 2006, after nearly six years of marriage, Hudson's publicist announced their separation. On November 18, 2006, Robinson filed divorce papers, citing irreconcilable differences.
[edit] Trivia
- Robinson made a cameo appearance (playing an angel) in the final episode of the popular sketch show The Kids in the Hall in 1994.
[edit] Discography
- New Earth Mud (Redline Records, 2002)
- Bootleg (Promotional Release, 2003)
- This Magnificent Distance (Vector Recordings, 2004)
- Live at Bonnaroo (Live Bonnaroo Records, 2004)
[edit] New Earth Mud Band Members
Chris Robinson - vocals, guitar, harmonica (2002-present)
Paul Stacey - lead guitar, piano, vocals (2002-2004)
Jeremy Stacey - drums, percussion (2002-2004)
George Reiff - bass, vocals (2002-present)
George Laks - keyboards, (2002-2004)
Audley Freed - lead guitar, vocals (2004-present)
Steve Distanislal - drums, percussion (2004-present)
Rob Barraco - keyboards (2004-present)
