Adam Duritz

Adam Duritz
Duritz in 2010
Duritz in 2010
Background information
Born
Adam Fredric Duritz

(1964-08-01) August 1, 1964 (age 62)
Baltimore, Maryland, U.S.
Genres
Occupations
  • Singer
  • songwriter
  • record producer
Instruments
  • Vocals
  • keyboards
  • harmonica
  • percussion
Years active1990–present
Member of
Formerly of
Websitecountingcrows.com

Adam Fredric Duritz (born August 1, 1964) is an American singer, best known as the frontman for the rock band Counting Crows, for which he serves as a founding member and main composer. Since its founding in 1991, Counting Crows has sold over 20 million records, released seven studio albums that have been certified gold or platinum, and been nominated for two Grammy Awards and an Academy Award.

Duritz has recorded solo material of his own and has collaborated with other musical acts. He has also founded two record labels, E Pluribus Unum and Tyrannosaurus Records. His work scoring music for film earned an award from BMI for co-writing the song "Accidentally in Love" for the movie Shrek 2.

Career

Duritz and producer/guitarist David Bryson formed Counting Crows in San Francisco in 1991. When Gary Gersh of Geffen Records heard the band's demo tape, he was "blown away". A bidding war between nine different record labels broke out in February 1992. In April, the band—which, by that time, included other members—"signed a deal with Gersh and Geffen believed to be so lucrative that industry wags dubbed them Accounting Crows".

The band's first album, August and Everything After, charted within the top five of the Billboard 200, and the single "Mr. Jones" (1993) was a number-one hit in Canada. After the band performed as the music guest on Saturday Night Live, "Mr. Jones" jumped 40 spots in the charts. The album has been certified 7× Platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America. Six of the band's albums have charted on the Billboard 200 and four have been certified gold or platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America. Counting Crows was nominated for two Grammy Awards in 1994. The band also received a 2004 Academy Award nomination for the song "Accidentally in Love", which was included in the film Shrek 2.

Duritz has collaborated with The Wallflowers (led by Jakob Dylan) on the album Bringing Down the Horse on the track "6th Avenue Heartache"; with Ryan Adams on Gold and the song "Butterfly in Reverse" from Hard Candy; with Peter Stuart on Propeller and Daisy; with Live on V;, with Dashboard Confessional on the track "So Long, So Long" from Dusk and Summer, with Maria Taylor on the song "Waiting In Line", and with Nanci Griffith on the song "Going Back to Georgia" on her album Flyer.

Duritz also contributed the songs "Spin Around", "You Don't See Me", and "You're a Star" to the Josie and the Pussycats soundtrack that was performed by the film's fictional title band. Along with bandmates Dan Vickrey, Bryson, and Immerglück, Duritz co-wrote the song "Accidentally in Love" for the soundtrack of the movie Shrek 2, winning them each an award from BMI in 2005.

Duritz's lyrics have been described as "morose" and "tortured" and as "wordy introspection", while his vocals have been called "expressive".

In October 2018, Duritz co-founded the Underwater Sunshine Music Festival.

Duritz co-founded the record label E Pluribus Unum in 1997. Before the label was purchased by new ownership, Duritz had signed Joe 90, Gigolo Aunts, and Neilson Hubbard. In 2007, Duritz launched a record label called Tyrannosaurus Records. Debut artists on the label included Notar and Blacktop Mourning. As of 2015, the label was defunct.

Duritz was executive producer for the film The Locusts and produced the ensemble comedy film Freeloaders. He appeared in the 2007 mockumentary film Farce of the Penguins.

Duritz features prominently in Brian T. Atkinson's Love at the Five and Dime: The Songwriting Legacy of Nanci Griffith (Texas A&M University Press, 2024).

Personal life

Adam Duritz

Duritz was born in 1964 in Baltimore, Maryland to Gilbert and Linda Duritz, both physicians. He has a younger sister, Nicole. Duritz is Jewish. His family lived near Pimlico. They moved to California when he was a child. He graduated from Head-Royce School in Oakland, California and attended the University of California, Berkeley, majoring in English, although he later dropped out. He credited his college experience with teaching him about writing and epistemology. He is a fan of the California Golden Bears.

Duritz has dissociative mental health issues. He disclosed this mental health issue publicly in 2008 and has noted his struggles with relationships. He has also said he stopped taking drugs at age 21 because, as he said, his mental health issues "did not mix well with drugs".

Duritz briefly dated actress Jennifer Aniston in 1995 after mutual friends got them together at The Viper Room. He has also been linked to Courteney Cox and Mary-Louise Parker. Duritz worked as a bartender at The Viper Room for a period of time after the suicide of Kurt Cobain to help keep his head clear.

In the summer of 2009, he started dating Emmy Rossum. The pair broke up in 2010.

In August 2019, Duritz—who had "rocked voluminous dreadlocks" since Counting Crows was formed—traveled to London to shave them. He had previously revealed some of the dreadlocks were extensions.

Duritz and Counting Crows were highlighted on HBO Music Box: Counting Crows Have You Seen Me Lately?

References

  1. ↑ "Famous birthdays for August 1: Sam Mendes, Adam Duritz - UPI.com". UPI. Retrieved June 30, 2025.
  2. ↑ Greene, Andy (January 25, 2019). "Counting Crows Finally Record Title Track to 'August and Everything After'". Rolling Stone.
  3. ↑ "Adam Duritz of Counting Crows readies for band's 25th anniversary tour". Las Vegas Review Journal. July 7, 2018.
  4. ↑ "Counting Crows Sign With Capitol Records for New Album". The Hollywood Reporter. May 19, 2014.
  5. 1 2 "Counting Crows following a logical path in recordings". Canada.com. Archived from the original on September 9, 2014. Retrieved October 5, 2014.
  6. 1 2 "Bio". Official Counting Crows website. Live Grey Bird Foundation. 2008. Retrieved January 14, 2009.
  7. ↑ "When Fame Glows Bright, It's Hard to Be Tortured". The New York Times. December 1, 1996.
  8. ↑ "Toledo Blade – Google News Archive Search". Retrieved October 5, 2014.
  9. ↑ Rubinstein, Julian (May 14, 1994). "CROWS FLY HIGH". The Washington Post.
  10. 1 2 "Counting Crows Chart History". Billboard.
  11. ↑ "Data" (PDF). Collections Canada.
  12. ↑ "Counting Crows – Mr. Jones". Powerpop.blog. August 31, 2018.
  13. ↑ Dan Kening (July 10, 1994). "Counting Crows Concert is short, sweet, bewildering". Chicago Tribune.
  14. 1 2 "Gold & Platinum". RIAA.
  15. ↑ "Counting Crows". Grammys. February 15, 2019.
  16. ↑ Kaufman, Gil. Jamie Foxx Gets Two Oscar Nods, 'Aviator' Leads Pack. MTV.com. January 5, 2005.
  17. ↑ vanHorn, Teri (July 12, 2001). "Tricky, Adam Duritz Guest on Fifth Live Album, V". MTV. Archived from the original on July 15, 2001. Retrieved April 23, 2007.
  18. ↑ Moss, Corey (January 19, 2006). "Dashboard Confessional Singer Records Duet With Adam Duritz". MTV. Archived from the original on January 3, 2007. Retrieved April 23, 2007.
  19. ↑ Dean Brandt (October 24, 2019). "Flood Magazine | PREMIERE: Maria Taylor Enlists Counting Crows' Adam Duritz for "Waiting in Line"". Flood Magazine. Retrieved April 12, 2020.
  20. ↑ Morse, Steve. "Nanci Griffith: Lots of Friends and Some Fun". U2Songs (originally published by The Boston Globe. U2Songs. Retrieved January 14, 2024.
  21. ↑ "2005 BMI Film/TV Awards". BMI. May 18, 2005. Retrieved May 10, 2025.
  22. ↑ "BMI Honors Graeme Revell At Film/TV Awards". Billboard. May 19, 2005. Retrieved May 10, 2025.
  23. 1 2 Erlewine, Stephen Thomas (2005). "Counting Crows biography". VH1. Archived from the original on February 15, 2007. Retrieved 2007-03-01.
  24. ↑ Kot, Greg (2004). "Counting Crows: Biography". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on October 1, 2007. Retrieved March 1, 2007.
  25. ↑ "Adam Duritz's Indie Music Underwater Sunshine Festival Reveals 2019 Line-up". Noise11. April 4, 2019.
  26. 1 2 Graff, Gary (July 5, 2009). "Counting Crows spread their wings". The Oakland Press. Archived from the original on February 14, 2019. Retrieved February 14, 2019.
  27. 1 2 3 4 "Counting Crows' Duritz Sets Up New Record Label". Uncut. February 19, 2007.
  28. ↑ Magazine, Downtown (June 30, 2016). "Adam Duritz talks Counting Crows tour with Rob Thomas, Jul. 31 show in New York, Alex Chilton and more".
  29. ↑ Coplen, Katherine (December 12, 2014). "Counting Crows' Adam Duritz on Bootlegs, Failed Labels, Nana Grizol". NUVO.
  30. ↑ "The Locusts (1997)". IMDb. Retrieved March 26, 2012.[unreliable source?]
  31. ↑ Rooney, David (September 16, 1997). "Review: 'The Locusts'". Variety. Retrieved October 2, 2015.
  32. ↑ Siegle, Tatiana (November 11, 2008). "Adam Duritz, Broken Lizard making film". Variety. Archived from the original on December 26, 2008. Retrieved November 11, 2008.
  33. ↑ "Farce of the Penguins – Cast & Crew". MTV. 2007. Archived from the original on October 21, 2007. Retrieved April 23, 2007.
  34. ↑ "Adam Duritz Talks Counting Crows, Black-Eyed Susan Concert". Baltimore. May 15, 2014. Retrieved June 30, 2025.
  35. ↑ "Rolling Stone Article -June 30, 1994". monmouth.com. June 30, 1994. Archived from the original on February 24, 2008. Retrieved February 18, 2019.
  36. ↑ Brinn, David (July 11, 2022). "Counting Crows coming to the Holy Land". The Jerusalem Post. Retrieved February 16, 2024.
  37. ↑ "Catching Up With Adam Duritz of Counting Crows". Berkeley, Calif., Patch. June 7, 2013. Retrieved June 30, 2025.
  38. ↑ "The Cal 100: No. 87 -- Adam Duritz". California Golden Bears On SI. May 13, 2023. Retrieved June 30, 2025.
  39. ↑ "Adam Duritz is Just Happy to be Anywhere". May 8, 2025.
  40. ↑ Furness, Dyllan (July 28, 2015). "Counting Crows' Adam Duritz Discusses Mental Health and Metaphors". Miami New Times.
  41. ↑ "Counting Crows frontman Adam Duritz struggling with 'severe mental illness' and weaning himself off medication, he says". Entertainment Weekly. June 28, 2011.
  42. 1 2 Hiatt, Brian (May 11, 2025). "Adam Duritz on Surviving the 1990s -- and Counting Crows' Great New Album". Rolling Stone. Retrieved November 29, 2025.
  43. ↑ Duritz, Adam (April 17, 2008). "The Lonely Disease". Men's Health.
  44. ↑ Porter, Christopher (September 2, 2009). "The Disconnected Ringleader: Adam Duritz & Counting Crows". The Washington Post.
  45. ↑ "Counting Crows' Adam Duritz on How He Started Dating Jennifer Aniston: 'I Honestly Had No Idea Who She Was'". People.com. Retrieved June 26, 2026.
  46. ↑ Topel, Fred (July 22, 2021). "Adam Duritz Went Back to Tending Bar at the Viper Room After Counting Crows Hit It Big". Showbiz Cheat Sheet. Retrieved September 27, 2021.
  47. ↑ "A Lesson in Humility from Adam Duritz". Men's Health. September 30, 2014. Retrieved June 30, 2025.
  48. ↑ Lee, Joyce (November 24, 2010). "Emmy Rossum and Adam Duritz Call it Quits - CBS News". CBS News. Retrieved June 30, 2025.
  49. ↑ "Counting Crows Singer Adam Duritz Shaves Off His Signature Dreadlocks". People. Retrieved August 24, 2023.
  50. ↑ "Q&A: Counting crows frontman adam duritz". Irish Independent. April 30, 2009. Retrieved August 24, 2023.
  51. ↑ "Counting Crows: Have You Seen Me Lately?". IMDb.com. Retrieved June 26, 2026.