Band Heritage 

Dave Wagner’s “Evil Woman, Don’t Play Your Games With Me” has truly passed the test of time since its original release in the fall of 1969.  

CROW had a truly unique sound which included aggressive musical interpretations combined with a distinctive blues rock sound. “Evil Woman Don’t Play Your Games With Me” charted nationally and hit the top ten of the national Billboard 500 during the winter of 1969. So diversely influential in the music world this release from the band was that Ozzy Osbourne and Black Sabbath covered the hit on their very first release in 1970, an album which was not at the time released in the United States, but has since been released in the United States on the 2004 Black Sabbath Greatest Hits compilation CD. Also, Ike and Tina Turner covered “Evil Woman Don’t Play Your Games With Me” on their album “Come Together.” 

During its original hay day of the 1960’s and 1970’s, CROW toured nationally and shared the bill with the likes of Janis Joplin, Iron Butterfly, Jefferson Starship, The Steve Miller Band,  Eric Burdon and the Animals, and numerous others. Top honors for a top band. A total of four albums were released including “Crow Music”, “Crow By Crow”, “Mosaic”, and “The Best of Crow”. A fifth album, “Dave Wagner d/b/a CROW”, was released a couple of years later. Additional tracks which were a result of those releases included Cottage Cheese, Slow Down, (Don’t Try To Lay No Boogie Woogie on the) King of Rock N’ Roll, and Gone, Gone, Gone.

Along The Way 

During the 1980’s, Dave Wagner assembled a version of the group, and released the album “Crow On The Run”. The band continued to perform at a variety of key national and regional level venues during this period, with the focus being on continual fine-tuning of their truly unique sound. In the early 1990’s, Dave joined forces with K-Tel International, releasing a CD which was re-mastered from the original recording session tapes, with the final compilation being titled “Evil Woman, The Best of Crow”. Also during the 1980’s and 1990’s, the band co-billed with a “whose who” of rock n’ roll, including Rare Earth, The Georgia Satellites, Atlanta Rhythm Section, April Wine, Robin Trower, Bad Finger, Blue Oyster Cult, Molly Hatchet, and Uriha Heap, to name just a few. A resume of truly exclusive co-bills reserved for a band with an impressive musical heritage. 

Recent Milestones 

Momentum is building for the band as of late. In 2005, the band found itself reveling in the distinct honor of being inducted into the Minnesota Rock and Country Hall of Fame (www.rockcountryhall.com). Renowned music industry personality and promoter Timothy D. Kehr was bestowed with the honor of performing the induction, commenting extensively regarding his pride with having followed the project to this point of well-deserved recognition. Regarding the performance by CROW at the 2005 Rock and Country Hall of Fame induction ceremony, attending music news reporter Steve DeFoe of the Minnesota Street Rod Association publication “The Line chaser” penned the following, which sums it all up so well: “CROW not only blasted through the already blown-off roof, but they soared to their original form, and sounded like they had not missed a beat since their 1969 top hit “Evil Woman Don’t Play Your Games With Me”. My heart about exploded as I closed my eyes and dreamed I was 23 again and beaming with pride that CROW was from my home town. Good stuff, man!” 

The Twin Cities publication City Pages (www.citypages.com) in June of 2005 listed “Evil Woman Don’t Play Your Games With Me” in its list of Minnesota’s Fifty Greatest Hits. 

CROW Biography 

In a recent 2005 interview for a piece with Midwest Quick Throttle magazine, a publication for motorcycle enthusiasts, reporter David Ellis-Miller commented as follows: “I know for Dave, music, motorcycles, and Minnesota are all very much a part of his persona. He has over forty years in the recording business, but he still plays it like it is the Met Center (the leading Twin Cities live music venue of the 1960’s, 1970’s, and 1980’s).” 

CROW memorabilia can frequently be seen on the online auction site EBay, and sellers usually find those items which they offer being met with a myriad of anxious buyers surfing the web with a voracious appetite for anything “CROW”.  

In the fall of 2005, the first new CROW material in nearly twenty years has been released. TItled “Before The Storm”, the release promises to give CROW fans something to truly be excited about.