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BLACK CROWES’ RICH ROBINSON TAKES SOLO FLIGHT:

January 7, 2004

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) – After stalling with his first project following the demise of the Black Crowes, Rich Robinson will try to kick-start his solo career with a six-date tour set to begin Jan. 15 in Trenton, N.J.

The singer-guitarist will be accompanied by a three-piece band that includes Bill Dobrow, who played drums in Hookah Brown, the short-lived combo that Robinson formed soon after the Black Crowes broke up in early 2002.

Hookah Brown, which toured extensively but never released any music, broke up last May because of “personal and business issues,” Robinson said at the time. The set list on the upcoming tour will include six songs from the Hookah Brown era, including “Know Me” — described by his publicist as a “rhythmic powerhouse” — and the soulful “Hold You.”

Connecticut-based Robinson, 35, will be accompanied on stage by bass player Tony Shanahan (Patti Smith) and keyboardist Jack Petruzelli (Fab Faux).

After Trenton, Robinson will play New York City’s Knitting Factory on Jan. 16 and Harper’s Ferry, near Boston on Jan. 17. He will then play three California shows, at the Roadhouse in Sacramento on Jan. 20, the Avalon in Santa Clara on Jan. 21 and the Viper Room in Los Angeles on Jan. 22.

The Black Crowes, which Robinson co-founded with older brother and singer Chris in their Atlanta hometown, sold some 15 million records since making waves in 1990 with their multi-platinum debut album “Shake Your Moneymaker.”

With a musical debt to the early 1970s sounds of the Rolling Stones and the Faces, the Black Crowes were something of an anomaly during a decade when grunge and alternative rock held sway. Occasionally controversial and rarely predictable, they were a popular touring attraction, especially when they hit the road in 1999-2000 with Jimmy Page.

But sibling rivalry and diminishing sales over the course of six studio albums took their toll, and the band played its final gig in Boston on Oct. 31, 2001.

Chris Robinson, who became a father for the first time Wednesday when wife Kate Hudson delivered a son, released his solo debut, “New Earth Mud,” in 2002.

Courtesy of Reuters