The Black Crowes (with Sam Bush) in 2013


Another reunion for The Black Crowes, led by the often contentious brotherhood of Chris and Rich Robinson, appears to be on the horizon. The Wall Street Journal published an article today citing several sources close to the band that hint at a 2020 tour, without fully confirming the news.

WSJ notes that former Black Crowes drummer Steve Gorman has heard of the reunion, though he was not invited to participate. Former manager Pete Angelus adds, “I’m aware of the deal that the brothers made with Live Nation for a 2020 tour.” A source that is “familiar with the matter” only said, “There might be something in the works.”

The Black Crowes first formed in the mid-’80s and gained popularity in the ’90s with their debut album, Shake Your Money Maker, and the follow-up, The Southern Harmony and Musical Companion, before breaking up in 2002. Reconvening in 2005, the group released two more albums before again calling it quits in 2015.

The final Crowes lineup comprised the Robinson brothers plus Gorman, bassist Sven Pipien, keyboardist Adam MacDougall and guitarist Jackie Greene. Late keyboardist Eddie Harsch and guitarists Marc Ford, Audley Freed and Luther Dickinson, among others, also logged multi-year stints with the band.

In a new interview in the current October/November 2019 issue of Relix, Gorman speaks on both the dissolution of The Black Crowes as well as a potential reunion, noting how Chris’ growing Grateful Dead influences didn’t sit well with much of the band (“I kept thinking, ‘Why are we doing these things that don’t suit who we are as a band?’ I used to say, ‘We are a basketball team. Why are we trying to play rugby?'”) and confirming that he would not be a part of any tours:

“I think there’s a chance that the brothers will play together again. I would be astounded if they don’t, and I would imagine that it will happen sooner rather than later,” Gorman says. “However, I’m not gonna play with them for a variety of reasons. Number one: They’re never gonna ask me because I’m not coming back unless I get my equal share. Even if they were to ask me back, though, the chances of me saying yes are infinitesimal. It’s funny because I have heard people say, ‘Man, this book [Gorman’s new memoir, Hard to Handle: The Life and Death of the Black Crowes] is like a stick of dynamite,’ and I’m like, ‘No, the stick of dynamite was Chris blowing the band up.'”