Chris Robinson | |
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 Robinson in 2018 | |
| Born | Christopher Mark Robinson (1966-12-20)December 20, 1966 (age 59) |
| Occupations | Singer, guitarist |
| Years active | 1984-present |
| Spouses | |
| Children | 2 |
| Relatives | Rich Robinson (brother) |
| Musical career | |
| Genres | Rock |
| Instruments |
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| Website | ChrisRobinsonBrotherhood.com |
Musical artist | |
Christopher Mark Robinson (born December 20, 1966) is an American musician. He founded therock bandThe Black Crowes, then known as Mr. Crowe's Garden, with his brotherRich Robinson in 1984. Chris is the lead singer of The Black Crowes, and he and his brother are the only continuous members of the Crowes. He was thevocalist andrhythm guitarist for theChris Robinson Brotherhood, which toured and recorded from 2011 through 2019. The band broke up after the death of guitarist,Neal Casal, and the Crowes’ return from hiatus, respectively. Robinson is noted for his hightenorvocal range and bluesy vocal runs.
Robinson was born inAtlanta, Georgia. He is the son of Nancy Jane (née Bradley) and Stanley "Stan" Robinson, who had a minorBillboard charted record in 1959 called "Boom-A-Dip-Dip" and who died in September 2013.[1] Along with his brother Rich, Robinson formed Mr. Crowe's Garden in the 1980s, having been heavily influenced byThe Faces andThe Rolling Stones.[2] They played a variety of clubs in and around Atlanta.
Robinson attendedWofford College inSpartanburg, South Carolina. As a teenager, Robinson decorated his dorm room with aTom Waits poster and aDream Syndicate poster: "...even at 18, I was into music."[3]
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In 1989, Mr. Crowe's Garden changed their name to The Black Crowes. They were signed toRick Rubin's labelDef American and released their debut albumShake Your Money Maker. With the success of their album they went out on tour to support it. They played one date supportingZZ 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 a7-Eleven convenience store. Robinson was arrested for assault and disturbing the peace, and pleadedno contest six months later.
In the media, Robinson would openly discuss his use ofcannabis.
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 secondFurthur Festival, which had been spawned in the summer of 1996 by the remaining members ofthe Grateful Dead followingJerry Garcia's death in August 1995. In early 2002, it was announced that drummerSteve Gorman would be leaving the band and that The Black Crowes would be taking a break.
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His first solo recording, "The Red Road", appeared on the soundtrack to the 2002 filmThe Banger Sisters, confirming the singer's turn into softer material. A full-length debut,New Earth Mud, appeared in October and garnered positive critical reviews. Written and produced withPaul Stacey and featuring collaborations with ex-CrowesMarc Ford andEddie Harsch, the album allowed Robinson to hit the road as a headlining act. The band itself became known as New Earth Mud and earned a reputation for playing lengthy, jam-oriented sets across the United States.
New Earth Mud toured well into 2003, both headlining and sharing the bill with such acts asElvis Costello,Gov't Mule andThe String Cheese Incident. Robinson headed into the studio after the tour concluded, again with Paul Stacey as co-songwriter and producer. The result wasThis Magnificent Distance, released in June 2004. The album was a bigger commercial 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 George Reiff on bass. The band toured in support ofThis Magnificent Distance through the Summer of 2004. Another tour was planned for the fall of 2004 but was abruptly and inexplicably scrapped. Robinson instead remained out of the public eye aside from three appearances withPhil Lesh and Friends at theWarfield Theatre in San Francisco (December 2004).
Robinson did not perform publicly again until his February 2005 performance with his brother Rich at theConsumer Electronics Show inLas Vegas (a private event for people who work in the field of consumer electronics). He then joined Phil Lesh again for theMardi Gras Spectacular concerts in San Francisco at the end of February, which also featured members ofRailroad Earth,Particle andGalactic as well as former members of theJerry Garcia Band.
In early 2005, it was announced that The Black Crowes would be reuniting for a run at New York'sHammerstein Ballroom. This lineup included former membersSven Pipien andMarc Ford. This quickly turned into a full-fledged tour. Although initially not part of the reunion, Steve Gorman did return to the band in early May. In July 2007, during the Black Crowes Summer Tour, the live albumBrothers of a Feather: Live at the Roxy was released.
The album was composed of tracks culled from Chris and Rich Robinson's three night set at the Roxy, and featured Black Crowes songs (Horsehead, Cursed Diamond, Thorn In My Pride), solo material from both brothers (Someday Past the Sunset, Forgiven Song), covers from some of their favorite artists (Over the Hill, Roll Um Easy, Driving Wheel, Forever Young), and new material (Magic Rooster Blues, Cold Boy Smile). A new album,Warpaint, was released on March 4, 2008.
On August 31, 2009, the Black Crowes released another album of original material, recorded in front of a live audience over several shows atLevon Helm's barn in New York,Before the Frost...Until the Freeze. Each CD purchase ofBefore the Frost... was accompanied by a download code to receive the album's companion release,...Until the Freeze. The vinyl version includes all 20 tracks.
In April 2010, it was announced that in celebration of the band's 20th anniversary, they would releaseCroweology, featuring new acoustic recordings of Black Crowes' favorites. The two-disc set would be sold at the price of one as a thank you to fans. In conjunction with the release, the band would also embark on the "Say Goodnight to the Bad Guys" tour, which would stretch from August 2010 – December 2010. The majority of the shows saw the band perform two 90 minute sets, the first acoustic, and the second electric. At the end of the tour, it was announced the band would begin a new hiatus of undetermined length.[4]
On January 15, 2015, Rich Robinson announced the final breakup of the band due to a disagreement with his brother Chris Robinson over an alleged proposal regarding ownership of the band.[5][6] In an interview, drummer Steve Gorman indicated that prior to the breakup, the Black Crowes had been discussing a tour.[7]
On the November 11, 2019Howard Stern Show Chris and Rich announced that they were reuniting to tour reprising their first studio album,Shake Your Money Maker.[8]
In the fall of 2010, the website for theChris Robinson Band was launched, fueling speculation that this would be Chris' new project with the advent of the Crowes' hiatus. This was confirmed at the final date of theSay Goodnight to the Bad Guys Tour in San Francisco, when stickers advertising the band and the website were passed out promoting April 2011. Eventually, the project was titled theChris Robinson Brotherhood (CRB), and a two-month California tour was launched on March 29, 2011, at Soho inSanta Barbara, California and the group toured California heavily.[9] The Chris Robinson Brotherhood lineup includes Adam MacDougall (ofthe Black Crowes) on keyboards,George Sluppick on drums (George has been replaced by Tony Leone), Mark "Muddy" Dutton (ofBurning Tree) on bass, andNeal Casal on guitar. Casal replacedJonathan Wilson, who was initially announced as a member of the band, but left shortly after.
CRB went intoSunset Studios to record an album in January 2012. Their first album,Big Moon Ritual, was released on June 5, 2012,[10] with the companion albumThe Magic Door released on September 11, 2012.[11] CRB also released a 7" of "Blue Suede Shoes"b/w a live version "Girl, I Love You" forRecord Store Day on April 21, 2012.[12]
In 2018, Chris Robinson formed the bandAs the Crow Flies, which performs songs from the Black Crowes catalogue. Robinson said, "I'm not out to redo the Black Crowes or outdo the Black Crowes or anything like that. I just want to sing the music." The band includes former Crowes Audley Freed, Andy Hess and Adam MacDougall, along withMarcus King, and Tony Leone.[13][14]
Although he dabbled in the field earlier, Robinson began consistently producing other artists' albums in the late-2000s. Although few of the albums produced under his guidance were commercial successes, most received considerable critical acclaim.
Robinson made a cameo appearance (playing anangel) in the final episode of the popular sketch showThe Kids in the Hall in 1994.[15] According toThe Kids in the Hall Season 5 DVD commentary, Robinson met Kate Hudson at a liveThe Kids in the Hall performance during their 2000 reunion tour. In 2007, Chris Robinson playedWavy Gravy's birthday party in San Francisco under the name Chris Robinson's Wooden Family. The show was a benefit to support an international development organization called theSeva Foundation founded by Wavy along withRam Dass.[16]
In 2009, Robinson performed inThe People Speak, a documentary feature film that uses dramatic and musical performances of the letters, diaries, and speeches of everyday Americans, based on historianHoward Zinn'sA People's History of the United States.[17]
On September 8, 1996, he married actressLala Sloatman, niece (by marriage) of musicianFrank Zappa. They were divorced in 1998.
In December 2000, Robinson married actressKate Hudson. Their son, Ryder was born in January 2004. On August 14, 2006, after nearly six years of marriage, Hudson's publicist announced their separation. On November 17, 2006, Robinson filed divorce papers, citing irreconcilable differences and seeking joint custody of their son. Divorce was granted on October 22, 2007, with Robinson being granted joint custody.[18]
In 2009, Robinson married Allison Bridges. Their daughter was born in December 2009.[19] In 2015 he moved to Marin County, California, where he resided over the next five years.[20] He and Bridges divorced in October 2018.
In January 2020, Robinson married Camille Johnson in Marin County. The couple currently lives in Los Angeles.[21][22]
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