Adam Duritz | |
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 Duritz in 2010 | |
| Background information | |
| Born | Adam Fredric Duritz (1964-08-01)August 1, 1964 (age 61) |
| Genres | Folk rock,alternative rock,pop rock |
| Occupations |
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| Years active | 1990–present |
| Member of |
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| Formerly of | |
| Website | countingcrows |
Adam Fredric Duritz (born August 1, 1964)[1] is an American singer, best known as the frontman for the rock bandCounting Crows,[2] for which he serves as a founding member and main composer.[3] Since its founding in 1991, Counting Crows has sold over 20 million records,[4] released seven studio albums that have been certified gold or platinum, and been nominated for twoGrammy Awards and anAcademy Award.[5][6]
Duritz has recorded solo material of his own and has collaborated with other musical acts. He has also founded two record labels, E Pluribus Unum and Tyrannosaurus Records. His workscoring music for film earned an award fromBMI for co-writing the song "Accidentally in Love" for the movieShrek 2.
Duritz and producer/guitaristDavid Bryson formed Counting Crows inSan Francisco in 1991.[7][8] WhenGary Gersh ofGeffen Records heard the band's demo tape, he was "blown away". A bidding war between nine different record labels broke out in February 1992. In April, the band—which, by that time, included other members—"signed a deal with Gersh and Geffen believed to be so lucrative that industry wags dubbed them Accounting Crows".[9]
The band's first album,August and Everything After, charted within the top five of theBillboard 200,[10] and the single "Mr. Jones" (1993) was a number-one hit in Canada.[11][12] After the band performed as the music guest onSaturday Night Live, "Mr. Jones" jumped 40 spots in the charts.[13] The album has been certified 7× Platinum by theRecording Industry Association of America.[14] Six of the band's albums have charted on theBillboard 200[10] and four have been certified gold or platinum by theRecording Industry Association of America.[14] Counting Crows was nominated for two Grammy Awards in 1994.[15] The band also received a 2004Academy Award nomination for the song "Accidentally in Love", which was included in the filmShrek 2.[5][6][16]
Duritz has collaborated withThe Wallflowers (led byJakob Dylan) on the albumBringing Down the Horse on the track "6th Avenue Heartache"; withRyan Adams onGold and the song "Butterfly in Reverse" fromHard Candy; withPeter Stuart onPropeller andDaisy; withLive onV;,[17] withDashboard Confessional on the track "So Long, So Long" fromDusk and Summer,[18] withMaria Taylor on the song "Waiting In Line",[19] and withNanci Griffith on the song "Going Back to Georgia" on her albumFlyer.[20]
Duritz also contributed the songs "Spin Around", "You Don't See Me", and "You're a Star" to theJosie and the Pussycats soundtrack that was performed by the film's fictional title band. Along with bandmates Dan Vickrey, Bryson, and Immerglück, Duritz co-wrote the song "Accidentally in Love" for the soundtrack of the movieShrek 2, winning them each an award fromBMI in 2005.[21][22]
Duritz's lyrics have been described as "morose" and "tortured"[23] and as "wordy introspection",[24] while his vocals have been called "expressive".[23]
In October 2018, Duritz co-founded the Underwater Sunshine Music Festival.[25]
Duritz co-founded the record label E Pluribus Unum in 1997.[26][27] Before the label was purchased by new ownership,[26][27] Duritz had signedJoe 90,Gigolo Aunts, andNeilson Hubbard.[28] In 2007, Duritz launched a record label called Tyrannosaurus Records.[27] Debut artists on the label included Notar and Blacktop Mourning.[27] As of 2015[update], the label was defunct.[29]
Duritz was executive producer for the filmThe Locusts[30][31] and produced the ensemble comedy filmFreeloaders.[32] He appeared in the 2007 mockumentary filmFarce of the Penguins.[33]
Duritz features prominently in Brian T. Atkinson'sLove at the Five and Dime: The Songwriting Legacy of Nanci Griffith (Texas A&M University Press, 2024).
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Duritz was born in 1964 inBaltimore, Maryland to Gilbert and Linda Duritz, both physicians.[34] He has a younger sister, Nicole.[35] Duritz is Jewish.[36] His family lived nearPimlico. They moved to California when he was a child. He graduated fromHead-Royce School inOakland, California and attended theUniversity of California, Berkeley, majoring in English, although he later dropped out. He credited his college experience with teaching him about writing andepistemology.[37][38] He is a fan of theCalifornia Golden Bears.[39]
Duritz hasdissociative mental health issues.[40][41][42] He disclosed this mental health issue publicly in 2008 and has noted his struggles with his relationships due to it.[43][44] He has also said he stopped taking drugs at age 21 because of the way they interacted with his mental illness.[42]
Duritz briefly dated actressJennifer Aniston in 1995 after mutual friends got them together atThe Viper Room. He has also been linked toCourteney Cox andMary Louise Parker.[45] Duritz worked as a bartender at the venue for a period of time after thesuicide of Kurt Cobain to help keep his head clear.[46][47]
In the summer of 2009, he started datingEmmy Rossum. The pair broke up in 2010.[48]
In August 2019, Duritz—who had "rocked voluminousdreadlocks" since Counting Crows was formed—traveled to London to shave them.[49] He had previously revealed some of the dreadlocks wereextensions.[50]. Adam Duritz and the Counting Crows were highlighted onHBOMusic Box: Counting Crows Have You Seen Me Lately.[51]
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