Editing Counting Crows (section)

==== 1991–1992: Formation and early years ====
Adam Duritz, former member of the [[San Francisco Bay Area]] band [[The Himalayans (American band)|the Himalayans]], and producer/guitarist David Bryson formed Counting Crows in San Francisco in 1991.<ref>{{cite news|author=Rubenstein, Jullian|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1996/12/01/arts/when-fame-glows-bright-it-s-hard-to-be-tortured.html |title=When Fame Glows Bright, It's Hard to Be Tortured|work=[[The New York Times]]|date=December 1, 1996|url-access=subscription}}<br>- {{cite web |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=I0tPAAAAIBAJ&pg=5930,125804 |title=Sounds of success|work=Toledo Blade|date=July 16, 1999 |via=Google News Archive |access-date=October 5, 2014}}</ref> They began as an [[acoustic music|acoustic]] duo, playing gigs in and around Berkeley and San Francisco. Another friend, guitarist [[David Immerglück]], played with them from time to time, though he was not an official member of the group, and experimented with other musicians in the area. As the emerging band recorded some [[demo (music)|demo]]s, and as other musicians joined the duo to make a full band, Immerglück recorded with the band on some of the songs for its first album. He declined to join the band at the time, because of his membership in two other locally popular bands, [[Monks of Doom]] and [[Camper Van Beethoven]].<ref name=Immy1/><ref>{{Cite web |last=Miller |first=Jay N. |date=July 23, 2010 |title=Music Scene: Counting Crows full of surprises |url=https://www.sj-r.com/story/news/2010/07/23/music-scene-counting-crows-full/48400209007/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240326132622/https://www.sj-r.com/story/news/2010/07/23/music-scene-counting-crows-full/48400209007/ |archive-date=March 26, 2024 |access-date=March 26, 2024 |website=The State Journal-Register |language=en-US}}</ref> By 1993, the band had grown to a stable lineup of Duritz as [[vocalist]], occasional [[pianist]], and primary [[songwriter]], Bryson on guitar, [[Matt Malley]] playing [[bass guitar]], [[Charlie Gillingham]] on [[keyboard instrument|keyboard]]s, and [[Steve Bowman]] as [[drum kit|drummer]], and the band was a regular in the Bay Area scene.{{citation needed|date=December 2019}}

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".<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/lifestyle/1994/05/14/crows-fly-high/333c5f9b-490e-42df-9df1-7f4061a2994c/ |title=CROWS FLY HIGH|first=Julian |last=Rubinstein |date=May 14, 1994 |newspaper=The Washington Post}}</ref> On January 16, 1993,<ref name=GigArchive>{{cite news |url=http://www.countingcrows.com/tour/gigs/ |title=CountingCrows.com Gig Archive |publisher=Counting Crows |access-date=March 1, 2007 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070210081252/http://www.countingcrows.com/tour/gigs/ |archive-date=February 10, 2007}}</ref>{{better source needed|date=December 2019}} the band, still relatively unknown, filled in for [[Van Morrison]] at the [[Rock & Roll Hall of Fame]] ceremony, and was introduced by an enthusiastic [[Robbie Robertson]].<ref name=VH1>{{cite news |last=Erlewine |first=Stephen Thomas |url=http://www.vh1.com/artists/az/counting_crows/bio.jhtml |title=Counting Crows biography |website=VH1|year=2005 |access-date=March 1, 2007 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070402233235/http://www.vh1.com/artists/az/counting_crows/bio.jhtml |archive-date=April 2, 2007}}</ref> At the ceremony, they played a cover of Van Morrison's "[[Caravan (Van Morrison song)|Caravan]]".<ref>{{cite web |url=https://amazon.com/music/player/albums/B0078VF9GE |publisher=Amazon | title=Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Volume 2 1992-1994 |access-date=June 27, 2023}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://music.apple.com/us/album/rock-and-roll-hall-of-fame-vol-2-1992-1994-live/477056336 |publisher=Apple | title=Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Volume 2 1992-1994 |access-date=June 27, 2023}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nvwoA-pheJk |publisher=YouTube | title=Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Volume 2 1992-1994 |date=June 2013 |access-date=June 27, 2023}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.countingcrows.com/?em50=727_-1__0_~0_-1_10_2009_0_0&content=adams_blog |publisher= Counting Crows|title=Adams Blog |access-date=October 23, 2009}}</ref>{{excessive citations inline|date=June 2023}}

[[File:Adam Duritz.jpg|thumb|Vocalist Adam Duritz]]
Before signing to Geffen, the band recorded demo versions of a number of songs, known as the 'Flying Demos'. These later surfaced among the Counting Crows fanbase.  Tracks include "[[Rain King (Counting Crows song)|Rain King]]", "Omaha", "Anna Begins", "[[Einstein on the Beach (For an Eggman)]]", "Shallow Days", "Love and Addiction", "[[Mr. Jones (Counting Crows song)|Mr. Jones]]", "[[Round Here]]", "40 Years", "Margery Dreams of Horses", "Bulldog", "Lightning", and "We're Only Love".<ref>{{cite web |url=http://bbchron.blogspot.com/2009/11/counting-crows-1991-flying-demos.html |title=BB Chronicles: Counting Crows – 1991 – Flying Demos |website= Bbchron.blogspot.com |date=November 29, 2009 |access-date=March 29, 2012}}</ref>{{better source needed|date=December 2019}}