page_title: The Black Crowes
section_title: Formation: 1984–1989
hierarchical_section_title: The Black Crowes / History / Formation: 1984–1989
caption_attribution_description: English: Hard Rock Cafe, Atlanta, Fulton County, Georgia
context_page_description: The Black Crowes are an American rock band formed in Marietta, Georgia in 1984. Their discography includes eight studio albums, four live albums and several charting singles. The band was signed to Def American Recordings in 1989 by producer George Drakoulias and released their debut album, Shake Your Money Maker, the following year. Their follow-up, The Southern Harmony and Musical Companion, reached the top of the Billboard 200 in 1992. After a hiatus from 2002 to 2005, the band regrouped and toured for several years before releasing Warpaint in 2008, which reached number 5 on the Billboard chart.
  Following the release of their greatest hits/acoustic double album Croweology in August 2010, the band started a 20th anniversary tour that was followed by a second hiatus. After touring in 2013, the band announced another breakup in 2015, reforming in late 2019 to announce a 2020 tour in support of the 30th anniversary of Shake Your Money Maker. By this point the band had none of its original line-up left except for Chris and Rich Robinson, the only two constant members of the band over its entire history.
context_section_description: The first incarnation of the band, "Mr. Crowe's Garden," named after Leonard Leslie Brookes children's book Johnny Crow's Garden, began in 1984 in Marietta, Georgia. Influenced by contemporary local acts like R.E.M., 1960s psychedelic pop and classic southern rock, they gradually evolved into a revivalist band dedicated to 1970s-era blues rock. Although the band has had a high turnover rate throughout their history, the driving force behind the band has always been brothers Chris and Rich Robinson who initially formed the band while attending Walton High School.
  The first professional demo the Robinson brothers did was for A&M Records in 1987. The band's manager at the time, Dave Macias, got in touch with A&M rep Aaron Jacoves, from Los Angeles, who offered the band a 'demo' deal and arranged the band's first of several demo sessions. It was held at Steve Gronback's studio in Carrboro, North Carolina. They were paid $2,000 by Jacoves to cover production costs. Jeff Sullivan (of Drivin' 'n' Cryin' fame) played drums on the first demo, while subsequent demo recordings featured Steve Gorman on the drums. Steve Gorman played on the subsequent A&M demos in Carrboro, North Carolina during mid and late 1987, although as a guest drummer at first until he officially joined Mr. Crowe's Garden later that year. The band was originally offered a record deal in 1987 under the label "Dog Gone" by Jefferson Holt (of R.E.M. fame) but held out. 
  The band played as a quartet in New York City clubs such as "Drums" and CBGB in 1988. In 1989 the band - which had stabilized as a five-piece including the Robinsons, Gorman, Johnny Colt and Jeff Cease - met George Drakoulias who signed the band at Def American. Drakoulias turned the band on to music it had not heard before like The Faces and Humble Pie. Under Drakoulias' influence, the band began covering Rolling Stones and Rich began playing in open-G tunings for Mr. Crowe's Garden songs. At this point, the band also changed their name, and considered ideas such as "The Heartless Crowes" and the ''Stone Mountain Crowes" before settling on "The Black Crowes".
caption: A tribute to the band in an Atlanta Hard Rock Cafe
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