Counting Crows Biography

It all began with a determination of one man named Adam Duritz in keeping the existence of music in his life. Moving from his birth town Baltimore to San Francisco, Duritz engaged himself in numerous music projects including The Himalayans that received local acclaims for their studio-like live performances in early '90s. Through the band, Duritz became acquainted with producer David Bryson who agreed to form a brand new band with him. Naming themselves the Counting Crows, Duritz and Bryson started the project as an acoustic duo. Like Himalayans, Crows also nabbed local popularity in Berkeley and San Francisco through their concerts. By 1993 the band had grown to be a five-piece. Bassist Matt Malley, keyboardist Charlie Gillingham and drummer Steve Bowman were invited to join the band that eventually earned a deal from Geffen Records. Crows took their first international flight when they scored a performing slot at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction ceremony for Van Morrison in 1993. All the while, the band have recorded demos that eventually shaped their debut studio album "August and Everything After" which was released in September that year. Surprisingly, "Mr. Jones", the third track from the album brought a huge twist of fate for the band.

"Mr. Jones" was their first commercial single from the band that entered the American Top 10 chart. It propelled the album to go on sale up above 7 million copies and made them a headliner in tours instead of mere supporting acts. For the work, they received two nominations at the 1995 Grammy Awards for Best Rock Vocal Performance by a Duo or Group and Best New Artist. They added one more member in early 1994, guitarist Dan Vickrey who got introduced to the band through Gillingham. Unfortunately by the end of their tour Bowman was worn out and admitted a nervous breakdown due to their sudden fame. The drummer announced his departure in late 1994, just in time the remaining members leaving the calendar empty to start the work of second album. They started recording in 1995 with Ben Mize on drum and finished the set in 1996, releasing it under the title "Recovering the Satellites". The album was deemed "heavier" than its predecessor but after all managed to claim the first spot of Billboard Hot 200 chart and the fourth slot on U.K. albums chart.

In 1999, the band released another album called "This Desert Life" that entered the Hot 200 chart at #8. The single "Hanginround" was even utilized in equally popular flick "Cruel Intentions" (1999). To support the band's ever expanding sound, they made multi-instrumentalist David Immergluck their official band member that year. Now a seven-piece act, they baked another studio album which was released in 2002 under the title "Hard Candy". The album did not do as well as the first two albums but when a cover of Joni Mitchell's "Big Yellow Taxi" was added in the album, they once again secured the place in the industry as one of most consistent rock bands out there. Their version which was done with Vanessa Carlton as back-up singer, was used in the movie "Two Weeks Notice" and became one of the most acknowledged versions of the song. The cycle was repeated, due to enormous commitment required to be put in the band as impact of market demand, drummer Mize left the band in the middle of the tour to spend more time with his family and pursue his other interest. In January 2003, Jim Bogios who had played for Sheryl Crow got a call from the band to fill in the empty drum position. In November that year their greatest hits collection, "Films About Ghost" was released and they toured along with big acts like Maroon 5 and John Mayer after that, but their biggest achievement was yet to come.

In 2004 Duritz and co. penned a song titled "Accidentally in Love" although the vocalist admitted that writing a love song was a challenge to them. The song became very popular especially after it was used as the soundtrack to the second installment of DreamWorks' high-grossing animation, "Shrek 2". The band received Academy Awards nomination for Best Original Song but lost it to Jorge Drexler who penned "Al otro lado del Rio". The single went on being included in their Greatest Hits re-release. The biggest hit for the band came when co-finder Malley announced that he would like to leave the band. He was consequently replaced by Millard Powers. With the new member, the band began working on a fifth studio album in 2007 with producer Gil Norton. "Saturday Nights & Sunday Mornings" was finally released on March 25, 2008, taking the third position of Billboard Hot 200 chart on the first week.