What happened to rock? Not metal so much, but just straightforward rock and roll, the kind of which one might find on AOR in the 1970s. The songs weren't all great, but they at least yearned to be heard and had some sneaky creativity.
At its best, though, the bands would make rock, then could fill an album with fantastic tunes, and then follow that album with another of the same quality. The best of those bands made an entire career of that excellence, and that is what the Black Crowes, a 2026 nominee for the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, have done.
No, Chris Robinson and his brother, Rich, haven't been making records since the '70s, but if someone was new to their music and you had them listen to the songs, you might get them to believe that the Black Crowes once opened for the Sticky Fingers-era Rolling Stones. Or maybe the Who in their last best days.
The Black Crowes deserve to be inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame
What is odd is that while the Black Crowes sound fairly different than most of the rock made currently, their sound completely skips the 1980s, when the band began, and pulls out the best of the 1970s. Had the band existed then, they wouldn't have only sounded similar to other groups at the time; they would have still been better. Their consistent quality is exceedingly impressive.
Their debut album, Shake Your Money Maker, was released in 1990 and gave birth to five great singles. The band became first known to many for its cover of Otis Redding's "Hard to Handle." That song delivered the truth about the band.
While originally from Georgia, the Black Crowes didn't fit the Southern Rock mold. Chris Robinson had far too much of a hippie vibe for him. Rich could play anything, but he was more Keith Richards than Gregg Allman. But the band was not derivative of any one style or decade. They borrow from R&B and hard rock, just as many of the best bands in the 1960s did.
But the group's run of brilliance didn't stop after its debut album. Their second, The Southern Harmony and Musical Companion, was even more mature and excellent, and their third record, Amorica, might be their most well-received.
Album sales began to dip after Amorica, but not because the band suddenly stopped making good music. The world changed. Grunge bands became kings, and Britpop was huge in the UK. The Black Crowes never fit those subgenres. Each album the band made was worthy of multiple listens.
Then came a break after 2010's Croweology. The Robinson brothers couldn't get along. They didn't talk, let alone make music. It was a story too often told in the history of rock.
2024 changed everything, though. After working out their issues, the band produced Happiness Bastards, a Grammy-nominated work for Best Rock Album. The band sounded as good as ever, and the real issue was that fans missed out on what might have been possible in the decade and a half the band took off.
Fans don't have to wait as long for the next record, either, and the group has been touring extensively since 2024. In March, the Black Crowes will release A Pound of Feathers.
The Rock & Roll Hall of Fame announced 17 nominees for the 2026 class. The Black Crowes were part of the group after initially being nominated in 2024. The band deserves to get inducted for the breadth of their fantastic catalog, their impactful live shows, the influence of the roots of grunge, and that they do something that is happening less over the years: They create elite rock music.