The Black Crowes Archives

The Best Cover Songs of April 2026

Posted by Ray Padgett at 12:00 pm No Responses »

May 012026

Arlo Parks — Yukon (Justin Bieber cover)

The talk of Coachella this year was Justin Bieber—specifically, his controversial headlining set that featured, in part, him singing along karaoke-style to videos of himself he pulled up on YouTube. Plus, Geese debuted their old “Baby” cover live (while Sabrina Carpenter watched sidestage no less). But maybe the best Bieber happening this month was this great lo-fi cover by Arlo Parks.

Jamey Johnson – Pretty When It’s New (Merle Haggard)

Merle Haggard’s birthday saw two new covers drop. One’s in the next section. This first one’s even better though. Country singer Jamey Johnson dug deep—and late—for this pick. The song comes off one of Haggard’s final albums, 2010’s I Am What I Am. This is the same album that included “Bad Actor,” which Bob Dylan covered in concert a couple years ago. The album’s seemingly on its way to be the country version of Blackstar or You Want It Darker, a late-in-life masterpiece for the true heads. Continue reading »

The Black Crowes Cover The Stones (Again) in Japan Prior to US Dates

Posted by Luke Poling at 9:20 am No Responses »

Apr 272026

The Black Crowes are on a Stones kick. A few weeks ago, they released a studio recording of “Star Star,” recorded alongside their summer tour partners Whiskey Myers, and now at a Japan gig, they busted out another cover.

This time, the Crowes played something from The Rolling Stones‘ 1971’s Sticky Fingers, though singer Chris Robinson wasn’t above toying with fans before the song. After asking the crowd if they wanted to hear something by The Beatles, the band tore into “Bitch,” which is, of course, not a Beatles song.

The crowd seemed to get the joke and the band tore into the song, with both the audience and band having a great time.

The Black Crowes are playing all across the country this summer alongside Whiskey Myers as part of their “Southern Hospitality” tour.

The Black Crowes & Whiskey Myers Cover the Rolling Stones’ “Star Star”

Posted by Luke Poling at 11:50 am 2 Responses »

Apr 202026

The Black Crowes and country rock band Whiskey Myers will be crossing the US this summer as part of their “Southern Hospitality” tour. Prior to hitting the road on May 17th, the two bands joined together in the studio to cover a pretty infamous Rolling Stones song.

With singers Chris Robinson and Cody Cannon leading the charge, the two groups offer up a loud, rollicking and fun version of the Stones’ 1973 album closer “Star Star.” The new version has the same feeling of singing something inappropriate and absolutely relishing the opportunity. While it will never make a list of the best Stones songs ever, there’s something enjoyable about singing along to this one; even if some of the sentiments have aged terribly. Continue reading »

Darius Rucker Launches Cover Series, Starts with R.E.M.

Posted by Luke Poling at 12:00 pm No Responses »

Oct 022025

Darius Rucker has been a busy guy. He just recently announced his new supergroup, Howl Owl Howl, featuring R.E.M.‘s Mike Mills and the Black Crowes‘ Steve Gorman.

And now, Rucker has announced a new series that he’ll be doing on TikTok. “Songs I Wish I’d Written” is a series where Rucker will play… well, you know. Episode one kicks off with a great choice: R.E.M.’s “Everybody Hurts.” In his post, Rucker said simply, “In honor of announcing my new band… here’s episode 1.” Continue reading »

The 35 Best Velvet Underground Covers Ever

Posted by Staff at 10:30 am 8 Responses »

Oct 272023

‘The Best Covers Ever’ series counts down our favorite covers of great artists.

On October 27, 2013, ten years ago today, Lou Reed died. I happened to be in New York City at the time, and his passing was a lead story on the 11 o’clock news. It was as though a part of the city itself had died. Which, inescapably, it had. Reed embodied NYC, from its seedy back rooms to its secret heart, in a way few other people, let alone musicians, ever did.

While Reed’s solo career is highly and deservingly accoladed, it still got overshadowed by the Velvet Underground. Reed’s first band featured Welsh musician John Cale, guitarist Sterling Morrison, and drummer Maureen Tucker, with Nico singing on the first album and Doug Yule replacing Cale in 1968. The band’s four studio albums started ripples that turned into tsunamis; they went from secret-handshake status to Hall of Fame giants, their influence right up there with the Beatles.

We’re honoring Lou and Company with this collection of covers. Some covers couldn’t hold a candle to the original (you’ll find no “Heroin” here), but many of the originals were receptive to another artist’s distinctive stamp. Whether you prefer the first or what followed, you’ll hear the sound of immortality as it opens yet another path of discovery.

–Patrick Robbins, Features Editor

The Best Cover Songs of April 2022

Posted by Ray Padgett at 12:42 pm 2 Responses »

Apr 292022

Aimee Mann – Brooklyn (Steely Dan cover)

If you missed the whole brouhaha when Steely Dan dropped Aimee Mann as their opening act, it’s too long to recap here. To skip to the end, Mann tweeted, “All is forgiven if Donald [Fagan] just tells me what Brooklyn is about.” And he did! So, at a recent show at City Winery, she covered it. All does indeed appear to be forgiven. Continue reading »