Black Crowes calling it quits, says founding member Rich Robinson

Long-running Georgia rock group the Black Crowes is officially disbanding, according to a statement from the group’s guitarist Rich Robinson, apparently the result of a dispute with his co-founder brother and songwriting partner, Chris Robinson, over control of the group.

“It is with great disappointment and regret that after having the privilege of writing and performing the music of The Black Crowes over the last 24 years, I find myself in the position of saying that the band has broken up,” Robinson’s statement said.

“I hold my time with the Black Crowes with the utmost respect and sincerest appreciation. It is a huge swath of my life’s body of work. I couldn’t be more proud of what we accomplished and deeply moved by the relationships people created and maintained with my music,” said Robinson, who started the band with his brother in Marietta, Ga. “That alone is the greatest honor of being a musician.

“I love my brother and respect his talent but his present demand that I must give up my equal share of the band and that our drummer for 28 years and original partner, Steve Gorman, relinquish 100% of his share, reducing him to a salaried employee, is not something I could agree to,” Robinson said.

“There are so many people who have helped and supported us along the way,” Rich Robinson wrote. “I want to give a heartfelt thank you to all of our fans, our friends behind the scenes, and to everyone who was a part of The Black Crowes.”

The group’s official website made no mention of the news as of Thursday afternoon, and Chris Robinson could not be reached immediately for comment. No concerts by the group are currently scheduled.

The Black Crowes charted a dozen albums on the Billboard 200 Albums chart from 1990 to 2009, with the 1992 album “The Southern Harmony and Musical Companion” reaching No. 1 on that chart and spending 51 weeks in the Top 200.

Its predecessor, “Shake Your Money Maker,” has been certified five times platinum by the Recording Industry Assn. of America for U.S. sales of more than 5 million copies, and the album spent 165 weeks on the Billboard 200 chart.

The group’s 2008 album “Warpaint” brought the band back to the Top 10, peaking at No. 8.

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