Chris Robinson

Chris Robinson

 

Christopher Mark "Chris" Robinson (born December 20, 1966) is the singer of the rock and roll band The Black Crowes and brother of its guitarist Rich Robinson.

In 1989 Mr. Crowe's Garden changed their name to The Black Crowes. They were signed to Rick Rubin's label Def American and released their debut album Shake Your Money Maker. With the success of their album they went out on tour to support it. They played several dates supporting ZZ Top. During this tour Chris was criticized for talking to the audience about his opposition to corporate sponsorship. This led to ZZ Top firing The Black Crowes from the tour.

In May 1991, Chris Robinson spat at or on a female customer at a 7-Eleven convenience store. Robinson was arrested for assault and disturbing the peace, and pled no contest six months later. In the media, Robinson would openly discuss his use of marijuana.

Over the next nine years The Black Crowes went through many lineup changes and released six studio albums. In 1997, The Black Crowes headlined the second Furthur Festival, which had been spawned in the summer of 1996 by the remaining members of the Grateful Dead following Jerry Garcia's death in August 1995. In early 2002 it was announced that drummer Steve Gorman would be leaving the band and that The Black Crowes would be taking a break.

lthough his band may have slowly disappeared from the mainstream after making a grand splash, Chris Robinson and the Black Crowes cultivated a dedicated audience that ensured they would go down as one of the most respected and well-liked roots rockers of the '90s. By going back to a classic sound in the mold of Humble Pie and the Faces, the Black Crowes were one of the few truly popular bands to continue making rock music that wasn't rooted in a particular decade during the era of hair metal and (later) grunge. Furthermore, Robinson's celebrity status afforded him a platform to support political causes and fiercely champion bands like the Jayhawks before the mainstream took notice of their efforts.