Black Crowes Singer Leaves Nest, Falls to Earth
Mon Nov 25, 8:15 AM ET


By Dean Goodman

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Chris Robinson had it made.
Not only had he achieved fame and fortune as lead
singer of rock band the Black Crowes, but he also
married a famous actress, Kate Hudson (news).



Not bad for a stringbean from the Atlanta suburbs. But
now he's thrown a wrench in the works by quitting his
band for a the uncertainty of a solo career.

"I'm not looking for the easy life," Robinson, 35,
said in a recent interview to promote "New Earth Mud,"
an album released by independent label Redline
Entertainment.

Indeed, in the 12 years since the Black Crowes
released their multiplatinum debut album, "Shake Your
Money Maker," Robinson has often gone out on a limb.
He has fought music moguls, rock stars and even his
younger brother, Rich, with whom he co-founded the
band in 1984.

These days, he seems a little mellower. The angry
young stoner -- who once appeared with his band on
cover of High Times magazine -- now lives in Malibu
and is looking for a yoga instructor. He still loves
to rant about show biz corruption and his musical
integrity, but he clearly enjoys his first year as a
solo rock star who does what he wants.

Pity Robinson's label. He wants to sell millions of
records, but he refuses to reach out to casual music
fans by promoting the album via appearance on radio
and TV talk shows.

"I'm not appealing to them. I'm not watering down the
things I have to say and who I am just to be that. I'm
not fooling myself into thinking, 'Well, everybody
else does it."'

JOBLESS AND JUBILANT

Robinson began his new career just over a year ago,
when the Black Crowes played what would be their last
concert, a Halloween show in Boston. He and Hudson got
on his tour bus and drove cross-country in a few days.

"And I got to Malibu, and I was standing on the beach,
and I was like, 'No band, no management, no record
deal, no nothing. This is the best feeling ever,"' he
recalled.

Thus ended the Black Crowes, who are officially "on
hiatus." But don't expect a reunion.

"I have an ambition to be an internationally
successful singer, songwriter/performer. My ambition
lies in making the Black Crowes seem a side note to
what I can do."

That would be a pretty big side note. The Black Crowes
sold more than 10 million albums worldwide, flying the
flag for Southern rock. Sales had tapered off in
recent years, but the Crowes were a popular live act,
drawing crowds to see them perform such hits as "Hard
to Handle" and "Remedy."

In 1999, they toured with former Led Zeppelin
guitarist Jimmy Page (news) to perform tunes by the
heavy metal pioneers. Last year, they played with
English rockers Oasis, a band also fraught by sibling
tension.

In the last few years, Robinson had become
disillusioned with the Crowes' direction. He felt it
was losing its fierce independence, though it was
never in danger of doing car commercials. He was not
thrilled when the band included a few potential
singles on their last album, "Lions" (2001), instead
of tracks he said would have made "a more cohesive
statement, and shown people what this band is about."

PARIS IN THE SPRINGTIME

Robinson's disdain for the easy life notwithstanding,
he recorded "New Earth Mud" in Paris in last spring,
soaking up the vibes of Jean Cocteau and Marcel
Duchamp. He worked during the day, and enjoyed
romantic evenings with his wife, who was in town
making a movie.

The album is a stripped-down affair, with little of
the Crowes' bluesy swagger. Many of the songs are
acoustic, Robinson and his guitar, an instrument he
had never played publicly during the Crowes years. The
title, "New Earth Mud," is an abstract representation
of the past, present and future, he says. It is also
the name he has given to his touring band.

He wrote most of the songs himself, and produced the
album with Paul Stacey, who also played guitar,
keyboards and bass on the album. (Stacey's brother,
Jeremy, played drums, and Matt Jones played
keyboards.)

Two songs were written for Hudson, 23, the Academy
Award-nominated star of "Almost Famous," who Robinson
married on New Year's Eve in 2000, "Katie Dear" and
"Could You Really Love Me." But he noted that "Katie
Dear" was also the title of an old Louvin Brothers
death ballad, and he hopes his songs fit in with other
people's lives as well.

"New Earth Mud" spent one week in the top 200 upon its
release late last month. Robinson is going on tour,
but he does not want to spend the rest of his life
stuck in an endless cycle of recording, promoting and
touring. He will tour and record on his own schedule,
and also wants to score films and produce other bands.
All outside the corporate machine.

"To me, ultimately, true success is the freedom to do
what I want to do, which is make music," he said.
"That's it."