Counting Crows

Counting Crows biography

Counting Crows is an American rock band originating from Berkeley, California. Formed in 1991, the group gained popularity following the release of its debut album in 1993, August and Everything After, which featured the hit single "Mr. Jones". They have sold more than 20 million albums worldwide and received a 2004 Academy Award nomination for their song "Accidentally in Love", which was included in the film Shrek 2.

The band's influences include Van Morrison, R.E.M., Mike + The Mechanics, Nirvana, Bob Dylan, and The Band.

History

Formation

Singer Adam Duritz (former member of the San Francisco Bay Area band The Himalayans) and producer/guitarist David Bryson formed Counting Crows in San Francisco in 1991. Counting Crows began as an acoustic duo, playing gigs in and around Berkeley and San Francisco. Another friend, guitarist David Immerglück, played with them from time to time, though he was not an official member of the group, and experimented with other musicians in the area. As the emerging band recorded some demos, and as other musicians joined the duo to make a full band, Immerglück recorded with the band on some of the songs for their first album. He declined joining the band at the time, because of his membership in two other locally popular bands, Monks of Doom and Camper Van Beethoven. the band, still relatively unknown, filled in for Van Morrison at the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame ceremony, and was introduced by an enthusiastic Robbie Robertson.

Before signing to Geffen, the band recorded demo versions of a number of songs, known as the 'Flying Demos'. These later surfaced among the Counting Crows fanbase. Tracks include "Rain King", "Omaha", "Anna Begins", "Einstein on the Beach (For an Eggman)", "Shallow Days", "Love and Addiction", "Mr. Jones", "Round Here", "40 Years", "Margery Dreams of Horses", "Bulldog", "Lightning", and "We're Only Love". Some songs from the tape later resurfaced (in reworked versions) on the band's debut album August and Everything After.

thumb

Origin of the name

The band took its name from a divination rhyme about the crow, heard by Duritz in the film Signs of Life. The traditional British rhyme begins the third verse (around the 2:07 mark) of the song "A Murder of One" on the album August and Everything After : "Well I dreamt I saw you walking up a hillside in the snow / Casting shadows on the winter sky as you stood there, counting crows / One for sorrow, two for joy / Three for girls and four for boys / Five for silver, six for gold / Seven for a secret never to be told."

August and Everything After

thumb From the beginning, Counting Crows focused on live performances. The band's debut album August and Everything After, produced by T-Bone Burnett, was released in late 1993. The band toured extensively in 1993 and 1994, both as headliners and in supporting roles with other artists, including Cracker, the Cranberries, Suede, Bob Dylan, Los Lobos, Jellyfish, and Midnight Oil. describing the desire of working musicians to make it big and the fantasies they entertain about what this might bring. Duritz sang the song in fun, enjoying the fantasy of making it big. However, he did not realize that just months later, in December 1993, The album sold 7 million copies, but success took a toll on the band; drummer Steve Bowman left, which was not his first.

Biography from , the free encyclopedia.
It may not have been reviewed by a professional editor, and recent changes may not show up straight away. See the latest version of this article. Used under licence. Subject to disclaimers.