Counting Crows | |
|---|---|
 Counting Crows in Brussels, 2008. Left to right: Bogios, Duritz, Immerglück, and Gillingham. Vickrey is cut off at the left, Powers is behind Duritz; Bryson is out of frame. | |
| Background information | |
| Origin | San Francisco Bay Area, California, United States |
| Genres | |
| Years active | 1991 (1991)–present |
| Labels | |
| Members | Adam Duritz David Bryson Charlie Gillingham Dan Vickrey David Immerglück Jim Bogios Millard Powers |
| Past members | Steve Bowman Ben Mize Matt Malley |
| Website | countingcrows |
Counting Crows is an Americanrock band from theSan Francisco Bay Area, California. Formed in 1991, the band consists of rhythm guitarist David Bryson, drummer Jim Bogios, vocalistAdam Duritz, keyboardistCharlie Gillingham,multi-instrumentalistDavid Immerglück, bassistMillard Powers, and lead guitaristDan Vickrey.[4] Past members include the drummersSteve Bowman (1991–1994) and Ben Mize (1994–2002), and bassist Matt Malley (1991–2005).
Counting Crows gained popularity following the release of their first album,August and Everything After (1993). With the breakthrough hit single "Mr. Jones" (1993), the album sold more than seven million copies in the United States. The band received two Grammy Awards nominations in 1994, one for "Best Rock Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal" (for "Round Here") and one for "Best New Artist". The follow-up album,Recovering the Satellites, reached number one on the USBillboard 200 album chart and reached number one in several other countries. All but one of their subsequent albums reached the top 10 on theBillboard 200 list.
Their hit singles include the aforementioned "Mr. Jones" as well as "Rain King", "A Long December", "Hanginaround", and a cover version ofJoni Mitchell's "Big Yellow Taxi".[5] Counting Crows received a 2004Academy Award nomination for the single "Accidentally in Love", which was included in the filmShrek 2. The band has sold more than 20 million albums and is known for its dynamic live performances.Billboard has also ranked the band as the 8th greatest Adult Alternative Artist of all time.[6]
The band released the albumSomewhere Under Wonderland in 2014. They released a four-songEP in 2021 titledButter Miracle, Suite One. This was expanded intoButter Miracle, The Complete Sweets!, a full length album with five additional songs at the start, in May 2025.
The band name is derived from "One for Sorrow", a Britishdivinationnursery rhyme about thesuperstitious counting ofmagpies, which are members of the crow family. Singer Adam Duritz heard the rhyme in the filmSigns of Life, which starred his close friend, actressMary-Louise Parker.[7]
Here is one modern version of the rhyme:
One for sorrow,
Two for joy,
Three for a girl,
Four for a boy,
Five for silver,
Six for gold,
Seven for a secret,
Never to be told.
Eight for a wish,
Nine for a kiss,
Ten for a bird,
You must not miss.[8]
The rhyme is featured in the song "A Murder of One" on the band's debut album,August and Everything After.[7]
Adam Duritz, former member of theSan Francisco Bay Area bandthe Himalayans, and producer/guitarist David Bryson formed Counting Crows in San Francisco in 1991.[9] They began as anacoustic duo, playing gigs in and around Berkeley and San Francisco. Another friend, guitaristDavid Immerglück, played with them from time to time, though he was not an official member of the group, and experimented with other musicians in the area. As the emerging band recorded somedemos, and as other musicians joined the duo to make a full band, Immerglück recorded with the band on some of the songs for its first album. He declined to join the band at the time, because of his membership in two other locally popular bands,Monks of Doom andCamper Van Beethoven.[10][11] By 1993, the band had grown to a stable lineup of Duritz asvocalist, occasionalpianist, and primarysongwriter, Bryson on guitar,Matt Malley playingbass guitar,Charlie Gillingham onkeyboards, andSteve Bowman asdrummer, and the band was a regular in the Bay Area scene.[citation needed]
When Gary 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".[12] On January 16, 1993,[13][better source needed] the band, still relatively unknown, filled in forVan Morrison at theRock & Roll Hall of Fame ceremony, and was introduced by an enthusiasticRobbie Robertson.[14] At the ceremony, they played a cover of Van Morrison's "Caravan".[15]
Before signing to Geffen, the band recorded demo versions of a number of songs, known as the 'Flying Demos'. These later surfaced among the Counting Crows fanbase. Tracks include "Rain King", "Omaha", "Anna Begins", "Einstein on the Beach (For an Eggman)", "Shallow Days", "Love and Addiction", "Mr. Jones", "Round Here", "40 Years", "Margery Dreams of Horses", "Bulldog", "Lightning", and "We're Only Love".[16][better source needed]
The band's debut album,August and Everything After, was released in September 1993.[7] The album's first single, "Mr. Jones", refers to Marty Jones (Himalayansbassist, and Duritz's childhood friend) and Kenney Dale Johnson (the drummer of Silvertone,Chris Isaak's band).[17] It describes the desire of working musicians to make it big and the fantasies they entertain about what fame might bring.[18] Duritz sang the song in fun, enjoying the fantasy; he did not realize that just months later, in December 1993,[7]MTV would begin playing the video for the song. "Mr. Jones" was a breakthrough hit,[19] drawing massive radio play and launching the band into stardom. In 2018, theChicago Sun-Times describedAugust and Everything After as follows:
"August And Everything After" [launched] the Bay Area septet with its hippie-inspired, roots-rock-infiltrating hits "Mr. Jones", "Round Here", and "Rain King", (ironically, at a time when grunge dominated the charts). Counting Crows eschewed the trend, happily wearing their time-stamped influences like Van Morrison and The Band on their patchwork sleeves, and found an audience who agreed with them. That first album went on to become a seven-times-platinum success in the U.S. alone, at the time the fastest-selling record since Nirvana'sNevermind.[20]
With "Mr. Jones" propelling the band forward, and with positive reviews fromRolling Stone and other publications, it was decided that the band could use a second guitarist, and Dan Vickrey, another Bay Area musician was offered the role aslead guitarist, singingbacking vocals. The band toured extensively in 1993 and 1994, both as headliners and in supporting roles with other artists, includingthe Rolling Stones,Cracker,the Cranberries,Suede,Bob Dylan,Los Lobos,Jellyfish, andMidnight Oil.[7] In 1994, the band appeared onSaturday Night Live[7] andLate Show with David Letterman.[7] The album sold seven million copies in the U.S.[5] The band received two Grammy nominations in 1994; one for Best Rock Performance By A Duo Or Group With Vocal (for "Round Here") and one for Best New Artist.[21]
Success took a toll on Counting Crows; Duritz suffered a widely reportednervous breakdown,[22] which was not his first.[23] Towards the end of 1994, Bowman was fired from the band. He was replaced on drums by Ben Mize.[24]
The band played only two gigs in 1995.[13] This allowed Duritz to write a set of songs that became the band's second album,Recovering the Satellites.[22] Released October 15, 1996, it was heavier thanAugust and Everything After. A response to the sudden fame that "Mr. Jones" had brought, it contains lyrics such as "These days I feel like I'm fading away / Like sometimes when I hear myself on the radio" (from "Have You Seen Me Lately?") and "Gonna get back to basics / Guess I'll start it up again" (from "Recovering the Satellites"). Dealing with the theme of Duritz's unease with his newfound fame, the album was described as "a concept album of sorts about trying to pick up the pieces of a family, a social life and a psyche shattered by fame".[22] This album contained the single "A Long December", which was a number one hit in Canada[25] and a Top 10 hit in the United States.[26]
On July 2, 1997, Counting Crows started off a co-headlining tour withthe Wallflowers that continued to September. The tour included opening acts byBettie Serveert,Engine 88,Gigolo Aunts andThat Dog, with each opening band touring for three-weeks.[27] After nine months of near-constant touring in support of the album, Duritz developednodules on his vocal cords in July 1997, leading to the cancellation of a number of gigs.[28][29] After taking time off to recover, the band toured for the rest of 1997, concluding with aMTV show at theHammerstein Ballroom in New York City. This concert was released as half of a double live album,Across a Wire: Live in New York City. The other disc was a recording of a predominantly acoustic set from the band's appearance on theVH1 Storytellers show.[30]
In 1999, Counting Crows performed atWoodstock 99.[31] Later that same year, the band releasedThis Desert Life, sales of which were propelled by the success of "Hanginaround" and "Colorblind", which was also featured in the movieCruel Intentions. Supporting the album, the band embarked on a co-headlining tour with alternative rock bandLive. Counting Crows closed nearly every show. Before this album and subsequent tour, the band invitedsession player and long-time friend David Immerglück to join the band as a permanent member. Immerglück had played on every Counting Crows album as asideman, but early on had declined a permanent position.[10] This time, however, Immerglück agreed. He plays a variety of instruments with the band, including acoustic, electric andpedal steel guitars,slide guitar andmandolin, as well asbacking vocals.[10]
On July 9, 2002, the band released its fourth studio album,Hard Candy. The album included acover ofJoni Mitchell's song "Big Yellow Taxi".Vanessa Carlton contributed backing vocals to thesingle edit of the track, which appeared on thesoundtrack forTwo Weeks Notice and was re-released on futureHard Candy albums.[32] The original version, without vocals by Carlton, appeared on the first album release as a hidden track.Hard Candy received better reviews than the previous efforts, with "radio friendly" songs, like "American Girls" (which featuredSheryl Crow on backing vocals), and contains a more upbeat feel and tempo. The band toured with theDutch band,Bløf. A song, "Holiday in Spain", came together as a result of the camaraderie between the two groups: it is sung partly as a dual language duet, and partly as a musical "round", with bothlead singers singing in differing languages at the end of the song.[33]
Midway through the Hard Candy tour, drummer Mize amicably left the band to spend more time with his family and pursue his own musical interests. After Mize completed the American leg of the tour, he was replaced by Jim Bogios, formerly a drummer withBen Folds and Sheryl Crow.[34] Jim attributes leaving Sheryl Crow for Counting Crows to becoming a band member and having more creative input.[35] Following the Hard Candy tour, longtimebassist Malley left the band after growing weary of touring, and to attend to his duties as a new father.[36] He was replaced byMillard Powers.
Counting Crows released the greatest hits albumFilms About Ghosts in November 2003.[37]
In 2004, the band's "Accidentally in Love" song appeared on thesoundtrack of the animated filmShrek 2. At the77th Academy Awards, the song was nominated forBest Original Song, but lost to "Al otro lado del río" fromThe Motorcycle Diaries.[38]
In June 2006, the band releasedNew Amsterdam: Live at Heineken Music Hall album.[39]
Duritz hinted in a 2006 interview[40] that Counting Crows' next studio record would be released in late 2007. He indicated that the band had spent three weeks working in a recording studio withGil Norton, the producer behindRecovering the Satellites, and revealed the working title of the album to beSaturday Nights & Sunday Mornings. Duritz explained that, "Saturday night is when you sin and Sunday is when you regret. Sinning is often done very loudly, angrily, bitterly, violently."[41] Vickrey stated that "the idea at the moment is to have kind of a rocking side and then an acoustic-y, maybe country-ish side. We got the first half done in May in New York, so half of it is pretty strong and done. And now we're going to work on the second half, the country tunes, during the tour."[40]
Amidst touring in the summer of 2007, the band performed live before theHome Run Derby at the2007 MLB All-Star Game on July 9, 2007.[42] On July 22 they previewed two new songs at Daniel S. Frawley Stadium inWilmington, Delaware, a new ballad titled "Washington Square" and a hard rocking track called "Cowboys". On August 8, 2007, VH1 filmed a live performance of "Mr. Jones", clips of which were shown on the miniseries100 Greatest Songs of the 90s. The song ranked No. 27 on the list.[43]
In September 2007, Counting Crows played a unique show at Town Hall in New York City, during which it performed all the tracks fromAugust and Everything After in album order. The show was recorded for a planned DVD release, and also featured several songs from the new album. On September 27, Duritz announced on his blog that the band had asked its record label to postpone the release ofSaturday Nights & Sunday Mornings until early 2008, citing the time pressures involved in preparing both the new album and anAugust and Everything After deluxe edition for release.[44][better source needed]
On January 16, 2008, the band released a digital single on its official website as a free download. It featured "1492" from the "Saturday Nights" half of the new album, and "When I Dream Of Michelangelo" from the "Sunday Mornings" half as its B-side.[45] The album was released on March 25, 2008.[46]
On March 22, 2009, Duritz announced on the band's website that they would be leavingGeffen Records, with whom they had worked for 18 years. He ended the post with a free download of the band's cover ofMadonna's "Borderline", recorded live at theRoyal Albert Hall in 2003.[47]
Following the departure from Geffen, the band has continued to tour. During the summer of 2009, they launched the ambitiousSaturday Night Rebel Rockers Traveling Circus and Medicine Show tour with longtime Bay Area friendMichael Franti, his band Spearhead, and the bandAugustana.[48] Instead of the traditional concert format of a short set by an opening act, followed by a longer set from a main supporting act, and then a long set by the headlining band, the shows featured members of all of the bands joining each other for songs from each bands' catalogs at various points throughout the evening.[49] As Duritz explained in a welcoming message on the official website for the tour, each show "is going to start with EVERYONE onstage together and we're going to all be running on & off stage all night playing one each other's songs all together and basically just playing whenever we feel like playing."[50]
The albumAugust and Everything After: Live at Town Hall was released on August 29, 2011.[51] The release marked the band's third professionally produced live album, and the first concert video of its career. The album used footage from the Town Hall concert, recorded in September 2007.[52][better source needed]
The band released a covers album entitledUnderwater Sunshine (Or What We Did On Our Summer Vacation) on April 10, 2012, with a cover design by a fan chosen in a promotional contest.[53][better source needed] After touring extensively in 2012 and 2013 in support of the album (including headliningThe Outlaw Roadshow, a traveling festival tour presented in conjunction with Ryan Spaulding of the music blog Ryan's Smashing Life, and touring North America in the summer of 2013 withthe Wallflowers), the band began working on material for a new album. Duritz also took time in the summer of 2012 to begin co-writing a play calledBlack Sun, which will also feature some music written by Duritz, including well-known rarity songs "Good Luck" and "Chelsea".[54][55]
A live album,Echoes of the Outlaw Roadshow, was released in North America in November 2013.[56]
The writing of material for a new album,Somewhere Under Wonderland, began early in 2013 and continued during that year's summer tour.[55] The album was released on September 2, 2014.[57]
In 2018, Duritz became an investor in three wineries based inNapa Valley, California—Elyse Winery, Institution Winery, and Addax Winery—managed by winemaker Russell Bevan.[58][59]
Starting in February 2018, Duritz began recording the Underwater Sunshine Podcast, a weekly music podcast with author and music journalistJames Campion.[60] Having parted ways with Spaulding, Duritz and friends began putting on their own twice-annual music festival in New York called the Underwater Sunshine Fest to showcase independent music.[61][62] The first festival, held at theBowery Electric in October 2018, featured 17 bands over two nights. A second in April 2019 showcased 18 bands, and a third held atRockwood Music Hall in November 2019 expanded the lineup to 26. Acts as diverse as Yellow House Orchestra, Seán Barna,Mikaela Davis,Marcy Playground, Matt Sucich,Stephen Kellogg, Stew and the Negro Problem, and Fairhazel have appeared. More bands recorded acoustic sessions at Duritz's loft the weekends of each of the festivals.
In January 2019, Counting Crows released a newly recorded version of "August and Everything After" performed with theLondon Symphony Orchestra atAIR Studios.[63] The song was cut from the band's first album, which had been named after it.[63] Duritz then revealed in late 2019 that he had begun writing new music that past August.[62]
In early February 2020, Duritz described the band's next project as suites of music that may be released on variousEPs. The band began studio sessions in late February and early March on four songs that complete the first suite: "The Tall Grass", "Elevator Boots",[64] "The Angel of 14th Street", and "Bobby and the Rat Kings".[65]Mott the Hoople,Thin Lizzy, and Seán Barna's albumCISSY were cited as influences on demos of the songs.[66]
During theCOVID-19 pandemic, without touring and being unable to work on music in the studio, as well as taking a hiatus from his podcast, Duritz began hosting cooking videos through his Instagram stories.[67] Speaking with chefTyler Florence, Duritz said the type of research he would do regarding music for the podcast he turned into exploring more about food and cooking to share with others.[59] Duritz and Campion would return to producing the Underwater Sunshine Podcast in May 2021.[59]
"Elevator Boots" was released as the first single for the four-track EP in April 2021, described byRolling Stone as "a melodic, wistful ode to life on tour, with a sound that somehow manages to bridge the gap betweenThe Band and Mott the Hoople."[68] The EP, titledButter Miracle, Suite One, was released on May 21, 2021.
At the time, Duritz toldRolling Stone that a second EP,Butter Miracle, Suite Two, would be released and together with the first form a full album. He was writing songs for the second EP, and the band planned to resume touring in the fall of 2021.[68] In February 2022, Duritz appeared as a guest vocalist on two tracks onGang of Youths' third studio albumAngel in Realtime. Later that year, he confirmed that he had completed writing forSuite Two, but that he believed that the initial songwriting was not strong enough. He decided to rewrite the songs and add an additional composition, and that recording for the follow-up could only happen once the band was done with touring.[69]
During the 2022 Butter Miracle Tour, Counting Crows performed live inIsrael for the first time, playing in an amphitheater in the city ofRa'anana.[70] In April 2023, the band returned to Australia and New Zealand for a series of headlining shows, with English musicianFrank Turner supporting them.[71] The following year, the Oneness Tour saw them travel withSantana.[72]
On February 21, 2025, the band put out a new single, "Spaceman in Tulsa", to announce the release date for the upcoming albumButter Miracle, The Complete Sweets!. Forgoing a second EP, the new album, with the four songs from theSuite One EP plus five additional songs, was released on May 9, 2025.[73]
Counting Crows, and Duritz in particular, have become renowned for energetic, passionate live performances.[74][75][76] The band's influences includeVan Morrison,R.E.M., andBob Dylan.[77][14][78][79]
Several Counting Crows songs have been altered during the band's live performances, such as "Round Here", "Goodnight Elisabeth", "Rain King", and "A Murder of One". This can be heard on theAcross a Wire: Live in New York City album on the first disc (on which "Round Here" contains lyrics from "Have You Seen Me Lately?") and the second disc ("Anna Begins" has an extended midsection with new lyrics, and the introduction to "Mr. Jones" includes lyrics from "Miller's Angels" and fromthe Byrds' "So You Wanna Be A Rock & Roll Star").[80][better source needed]
In February 2011, Duritz released an indie album of cover songs he had recorded entitledAll My Bloody Valentines. He allowed Facebook followers to help name and design the cover art for the album.[81]
The band has sold more than 20 million albums worldwide.[82]
TheAmerican Music Awards is an annual awards ceremony created byDick Clark in 1973.[83]
| Year | Nominee / work | Award | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1995 | August and Everything After | Favorite Pop/Rock Album | Nominated |
| 1995 | Counting Crows | Favorite Pop/Rock New Artist | Nominated |
| 1995 | Counting Crows | Favorite Alternative Artist | Won |
TheGrammy Awards are awarded annually by theNational Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences.
| Year | Nominee / work | Award | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1995 | "Round Here" | Best Rock Vocal Performance by a Duo or Group | Nominated |
| 1995 | Counting Crows | Best New Artist | Nominated |
TheJuno Awards, more popularly known as theJUNOS, are awards presented annually toCanadian musical artists and bands to acknowledge their artistic and technical achievements in all aspects of music.
| Year | Nominee / work | Award | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1995 | August and Everything After | Best Selling Album (Foreign or Domestic) | Nominated |
TheMTV Video Music Awards were established in 1984 by MTV to celebrate the top music videos of the year[83]
| Year | Nominee / work | Award | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1994 | "Mr. Jones" | Best New Artist in a Video | Won |
| 1997 | "A Long December" | Best Group Video | Nominated |
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