Working with producer George Drakoulias, the band learned to shape their sound into a lues-based assault that brought to mind the loose, shambling glory of Exile on Main St.-era Stones. Debuting in 1990, the band's disc Shake Your Money Maker was an enormous success and led to several hit singles. Launched into the mainstream, the band immediately took issue with several of the bands it toured with over corporate sponsorship and became political spokespeople as well as a solid live unit.

Their constant touring also helped the band as their albums began to lose steam commercially. But fans were impressed by their shows and they drew bigger and bigger crowds as the Crows remained on the road for almost all the time between their debut and 2001. In that time they had toured with Jimmy Page and helped usher in the new generation of touring-based ock acts that included other live attractions like Phish and Widespread Panic. But burnout and a career filled with internal struggles put the band on hold, and Robinson started working on more intimate material to combat boredom.

By 2002, he had hooked up with producer/guitarist Paul Stacey and was hammering out his solo debut in the studio. Titled New Earth Mud, the album was a step toward a poppier side of Robinson that was often overshadowed by the technical prowess of his bandmates. Freed from the constraints of the band, Robinson still remained relatively close to the Southern rock sound he was known for. The darker-tinged This Magnificent Distance and the live show Brothers of a Feather featuring his brother Rich Robinson followed in 2004 and 2007, respectively. ~ Bradley Torreano, All Music Guide