Song:Hard To Handle
Album:Greatest Hits 1990-1999: A Tribute To A Work In Progress...
The Southern rock group The Black Crowes had success in the early 90s with hits like Hard To Handle. They were a very successful album and touring act. Lead singer Chris Robinson and guitarist brother Rich Robinson are from Marietta, GA. Their dad Stan Robinson had a minor hit with Boom-A-Dip-Dip in 1959. They formed the band Mr. Crowe's Garden in 1984 while still in high school. The band name was from the children's book Johnny Crowe's Garden. They were discovered in 1988 by producer George Drakoulias and he signed them to Def American Recordings. He probably was responsible for the band name change to The Black Crowes. When they released their debut CD Shake Your Money Maker in 1990, the other band members were Jeff Cease on guitar, Johnny Colt on bass and Steve Gorman on drums. Chuck Leavell of The Allman Brothers Band played keyboards on the album and The Black Crowes soon added a permanent keyboard player. The Robinson brothers wrote most of the songs on the album, their biggest hit single was a cover of the 1968 Otis Redding classic Hard To Handle which reached #26 on the Billboard Hot 100. Shake Your Money Maker was certified 5XPlatinum so that's where their real success lied. The Black Crowes had success with their next couple of albums and faded in the late 90s. You can get all of their 90s hits on this budget comp. The Black Crowes toured with Jimmy Page in 1999. Chris Robinson married actress Kate Hudson in 2000. They moved to V2 Records in 2001 and released one album. Then they went on hiatus. Chris Robinson released an album with his new band New Earth Mud. Rich Robinson formed Hookah Brown but the band split up before they could record. The Black Crowes reformed in 2005. Except for the Robinson brothers, it was an all new band including guitarist Luther Dickinson of the North Mississippi All Stars. He was on the 2008 CD Warpaint. They went on hiatus again in 2010 and reformed in 2012 mostly to tour. They did release a live CD in 2013. Another tour was planned for 2015 but the Robinson brothers got into an argument over ownership of the band and The Black Crowes split up for good in Jan. 2015. Chris Robinson has plans to record and tour with his band Chris Robinson Brotherhood. Rich Robinson is working on a solo album. Here's the video for Hard To Handle by The Black Crowes.
I listened to and liked the Black Crowes and liked their music. One of the few 90's bands I liked and respected. Glad to see they are still around and playing.
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