Rich Robinson

Rich Robinson (born May 24, 1969) is a musician and founding member of the rock and roll band 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 were in high school (Walton High School in Marietta, Georgia). At age 15, 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 Band, Neil Young, and Led Zeppelin. Robinson has also cited folk guitarist Nick Drake as an influence. Robinson claims it was Drake, 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, B♭, and G♭.

Often overshadowed by his brother, Rich has been the steadying influence in the band and the source for nearly all of its music. A natural songwriter (their father Stan Robinson had a minor hit in the 1950s), Robinson was still in high school when an early incarnation of the band began performing. At first, Rich relied heavily on the strength of the songs to make up for his limitations playing guitar. However, the massive touring and open-ended jams helped his playing significantly. Soon, he was covering Duane Allman's slide solo from The Allman Brothers Band's "Dreams" demonstrating his emerging mastery of the guitar.

In 1990, The Black Crowes released their debut album Shake Your Money Maker, 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 throughout the 1990s the Black Crowes released Lions in 2001.

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