Rich Robinson
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Rich Robinson (born May 24, 1969) is a musician and a founding member of the rock group The Black Crowes. Along with older brother Chris Robinson, Rich formed the band in 1984 (which was originally called Mr. Crowes Garden) while the two brothers were still attending high school (Walton High School in Marietta, Georgia). At age fifteen, Rich first wrote the music to what would become one of the band’s biggest hits, "She Talks to Angels".
Robinson grew up in the East Cobb County / Marietta suburbs of Atlanta, Georgia. He was greatly influenced by the Rolling Stones, the Allman Brothers, Neil Young, and Led Zeppelin. Robinson has also cited folk-guitarist Nick Drake as an influence. Robinson claims it was Drake, and not Keith Richards, that led him to open tunings. The guitarist often employs open G in many of The Black Crowes’ songs and has also used open E, Bb, and Gb. Over the years, Robinson has become one of the premier slide guitarists in rock.
Often overshadowed by his brother and Crowes' front man Chris, Rich has been the steadying influence in the band and the source for all of its music. A natural songwriter (his father Stan Robinson had a minor hit in the fifties), Robinson was still in high school when the band began touring. At first Rich relied heavily on the strength of the songs to make up for his inexperience at playing guitar. However, the massive touring and open-ended jams helped his playing significantly. Soon Young Rich (as his brother often referred to him in concert) was covering Duane Allman's slide solo from the Allman Brothers' "Dreams" demonstrating his emerging mastery of the guitar.
In 1990, The Black Crowes released their debut album Shake Your Moneymaker, followed by the 1992 release of The Southern Harmony and Musical Companion. Although the band’s popularity never again reached the pinnacle of these two albums, The Black Crowes established a loyal and steady following mainly due to their live shows which feature dual guitars and Page-Plant like interplay between Rich and Chris.
Following several albums released thoughout the 1990s the Black Crowes released Lions in 2001. Robinson seemed poised to redirect the band’s music into more progressive ventures, but after more touring, brother Chris decided that he wanted to pursue a solo album.
After the announcement of the band’s hiatus, Rich formed a new outfit called Hookah Brown which broke up not long after its inception. Robinson also composed the soundtrack for the film Highway. Then in 2004 the guitarist released a solo album titled Paper on his own Keyhole label. On the album Robinson plays guitar, bass, and other instruments as well as taking over the lead vocals.
[edit] Recent
In 2005, The Black Crowes reformed and once again began touring. In March of 2006, they released a concert DVD of their performance at The Fillmore in San Francisco. The Black Crowes are expected to begin recording a new album after completing tours later this year.
