Another influence was made obvious by the stirring cover version of Otis Redding's "Hard To Handle". The record's highlight was "She Talks To Angels", an emotive acoustic ballad about the frailties of a drug addict, featuring a superb vocal and highly accomplished lyric from Chris Robinson. The album was released to critical acclaim, and the band went on the road, supporting first Steve Stevens' Atomic Playboys, and then Junkyard in the USA, plus a handful of UK dates as headliners or opening for the Dogs D'Amour. Their live performances drew further Stones comparisons, the band's image being very much rooted in the 70s, and with Chris Robinson's thin frame dominating the stage like a young Mick Jagger. With heavy radio and MTV airplay exposing the Crowes to a wider audience, the first single, "Jealous Again", reached number 75 in the Billboard charts, and the band were invited to fill the prestigious support slot for the final leg of Aerosmith's "Pump" tour on their return to the USA. Canadian keyboard player Ed Harsch, recommended by former Green On Red member Chuck Leavell, who had played on the album, joined the band in early 1991. The band was invited on another high-profile tour as guests of ZZ Top, but their uncompromising attitude led to ZZ Top's management demanding that the Crowes leave the tour following a home-town show in Atlanta, owing to Chris Robinson's persistent, if oblique, criticism of the corporate sponsorship of the tour. Somewhat ironically, the band fired the support act for their subsequent headline shows after discovering that they had made advertisements for a similar major company.

By this stage, the band had achieved a considerable level of chart success, and they joined the European Monsters Of Rock tour, opening at the prestigious Donington Festival in England and culminating in a massive free show in Moscow. Prior to these dates, the band were forced to take a five-week break (their longest in 22 months of touring) when Chris Robinson collapsed, suffering from exhaustion, following an acoustic showcase at Ronnie Scott's club in London. The singer recovered to undertake the tour, plus a UK trek to complete the band's world tour. This ended with further controversy, with Colt and vocalist Robinson becoming embroiled in a fight with a member of the crowd at the Edinburgh Playhouse. Almost immediately after the tour, the band parted company with Jeff Cease, replacing him with former Burning Tree guitarist/vocalist Marc Ford. Rather than rest on their laurels, the band went straight into pre-production for their second album, completing basic tracks in only eight days. Borrowing from the title of an old hymn book, The Southern Harmony And Musical Companion was released in the spring of 1992, again to positive reviews. The musical progression of the band, and of the brothers as songwriters, was obvious, with more complex arrangements than the debut, a much greater expanse of sound and the use of female backing singers. New recruit Ford provided superb guitar solos, with one particularly notable lead on "Sometimes Salvation". With both the album and opening single "Remedy" (US number 48, UK number 24) a success, the Black Crowes returned to the road for the High As The Moon tour - a free show in Toronto's G Rose Lord Park drew a 75,000 crowd, with people entering the park at a rate of 1,000 per minute at one point. In 1994, Amorica was finally released.

A previously completed album ( Tall ) had been scrapped, with only five songs retained, and producer Jack Puig had been brought in to rectify matters. Live shows saw the debut of percussionist Chris Trujillo, and the band achieved another UK success with "High Head Blues/A Conspiracy" reaching number 25 in February 1995. Three Snakes And One Charm was hampered by the numerous personnel changes which interrupted the recording process. Marc Ford left the band in August 1997, and was soon followed by Johnny Colt; the latter was replaced in early 1998 by Sven Pipien (ex-Mary My Hope). By Your Side marked a welcome return to the sleazy rock 'n' roll style of their earlier albums. In 2000, the band teamed up with Jimmy Page for a series of highly-praised US concerts. The two final shows at the L.A. Amphitheater were captured for posterity on Live At The Greek. The band's sixth studio album, released in May 2001, was generally regarded as their best since The Southern Harmony And Musical Companion. When Aerosmith finally retire, Black Crowes may be still around to rightfully pick up their mantle..