BY MELISSA RUGGIERI
The Black Crowes have disbanded.
Rich Robinson, who founded the band with his brother Chris in their hometown of Marietta, released a statement early Thursday evening that said:
"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.
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. 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.”
The band burst onto radio in 1990 with their swampy, yet accessible, blues rock heard on their rousing cover of Otis Redding’s “Hard to Handle.”
Their debut album, “Shake Your Moneymaker,” sold more than 5 million copies on the strength of that hit as well as “She Talks to Angels.”
The Crowes’ follow-up, “The Southern Harmony and Musical Companion,” cemented their popularity thanks to the hits “Remedy” and “Hotel Illness.”
In 2010 The Black Crowes released “Croweology,” which featured acoustic versions of 20 of their songs.
While Rich Robinson’s statement clearly points to a business issue with brother Chris, the dissolution of the band isn’t a tremendous shock.
The site Smashing Interviews posted a conversation with Chris Robinson this week about his solo project, Chris Robinson Brotherhood, during which he said, "The Black Crowes, to be honest, became a very tedious scenario. It was the best of times. It was the worst of times…"
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