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Marc Cohn
Marc Cohn performing in Norfolk, Virginia, in August 2016
Marc Cohn performing in Norfolk, Virginia, in August 2016
Background information
Birth nameMarc Craig Cohn
Born (1959-07-05) July 5, 1959 (age 65)
OriginCleveland, Ohio, United States
GenresRock, folk rock, alternative country, soft rock[1]
Instruments
  • Vocals
  • piano
  • keyboards
  • guitar
Years active1986–present
WebsiteMarcCohnMusic.com

Marc Craig Cohn (English pronunciation: ;[2] born July 5, 1959) is a Grammy Award-winning American folk rock singer-songwriter and musician best known for his song "Walking in Memphis" from his eponymous 1991 album.[3]

Biography[]

Early life and education[]

Cohn was born on July 5, 1959, in Cleveland, Ohio. He graduated from Beachwood High School in Beachwood, Ohio, a Cleveland suburb. Cohn learned to play guitar and started writing songs when he was in junior high school, playing and singing with a local band called Doanbrook Hotel. While attending Oberlin College, he taught himself to play the piano. He transferred to UCLA and began to perform in Los Angeles-area coffeehouses.

Career[]

Cohn then moved to New York City and embarked on demoing songs for various writers, including Jimmy Webb, Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller. Working initially as a backup artist in recording sessions, he established secure professional footing after assembling the Supreme Court, a 14-piece cover band, who played at Caroline Kennedy's wedding in 1986. In 1987, Cohn performed two songs ("One Rock and Roll Too Many" and "Pumping Iron") on the Phil Ramone-produced concept album of Andrew Lloyd Webber's Starlight Express, Music and Songs from Starlight Express.

In 1989, Cohn was a backing pianist for singer Tracy Chapman on her second album. The job led to a contract with Atlantic Records in the early 1990s after label executives heard a demo disc featuring Cohn on piano and vocals. Working initially with Chapman producer David Kershenbaum, and collaborating later with engineer Ben Wisch and producer John Leventhal, Cohn released his debut solo album, Marc Cohn, in February 1991.[4] The album was hugely successful, thanks to Cohn's hit song "Walking in Memphis", which was nominated for Song of the Year and Best Pop Vocal at the 34th Annual Grammy Awards. The album was certified Gold by the RIAA in February 1992 and certified Platinum in 1996. Another cornerstone was "True Companion", a popular lovers song, which became the soundtrack to a marriage proposal aired on US television's The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson. Cohn won the Grammy Award for Best New Artist, besting the notable debuts of Boyz II Men and Seal, among others.

In May 1992, English dance music duo Shut Up and Dance released the single "Raving I'm Raving" which reached No. 2 in the UK Singles Chart. Their song borrowed heavily from Cohn's hit "Walking in Memphis". German dance group Scooter reached No. 33 in 1996 when they covered the track as "I'm Raving".

In May 1993, Cohn released his second studio album, The Rainy Season, which included notable guest appearances by David Crosby, Graham Nash and Bonnie Raitt. The album peaked at number 63 on the album charts. He toured extensively in the early 1990s, including a trip to Australia with headliner Bonnie Raitt, and recommitted himself to find poetry in his life and bring it to his art. Cohn wrote the song "My Great Escape" for the 1995 Peter Horton film The Cure. The song can be heard during the film's opening sequence but was not released on the Dave Grusin soundtrack album.

Cohn was quiet for several years, returning in 1998 with the release of his third solo effort Burning the Daze. For that album, Cohn worked largely with his old colleague Leventhal, adding some cuts coordinated with producer Malcolm Burn. He was joined on the album once again by popular artists, including country music's Rosanne Cash. In support of the album Cohn went on spring and summer tours in 1998. The following year he contributed to Kris Kristofferson's highly collaborative Austin Sessions. He has added vocals to recordings by Roseanne Cash, Shawn Colvin, and Rodney Crowell, and in 2002 was heard on Jackson Browne's "Naked Ride Home". Cohn's original tunes have been recorded by many popular singers, including Susan Anton and John Tesh. In 2005, Cohn compiled and self-released a live album, Live 04-05.

File:Marc Cohn in Saratoga.jpg

Marc Cohn performing in Saratoga, New York in July 2005

In August of the same year, Cohn was shot in the head during an attempted carjacking in Denver, Colorado,[5][6][7] while on a concert tour with Suzanne Vega.[8] Amazingly, the bullet "barely missed Cohn's eye and lodged near his skull;" Cohn was hospitalized for observation but released after 8 hours, and is quoted as saying, "doctors told me I was the luckiest unlucky guy they had met in a long, long time."[9] A police spokesperson surmised that the car's windshield may have significantly impeded the bullet's force, but added: "Frankly, I can't tell you how he survived".[8]

Cohn is reported to have experienced post-traumatic stress following the event, and the question "Why did I come that close?" and the events of Hurricane Katrina contributed to the emotion that he introduced in the track "Dance Back from the Grave," in Join the Parade (October 2007),[10] his fourth studio album.[citation needed] In the interim, the compilation The Very Best of Marc Cohn (June 2006) was also released.[citation needed]

In 2010, Cohn returned with Listening Booth: 1970, a collection of cover songs that were originally released during the titular year. The album peaked at number 28 on the Billboard 200 album chart. In addition to crossing genres from rock to soul to folk and pop, it features vocal performances from India.Arie, Jim Lauderdale, Aimee Mann and Kristina Train on a third of the album's 12 tracks.[11][12][13][14]

In 2016, Marc Cohn released the album Careful What You Dream: Lost Songs and Rarities, a collection of demos written and recorded more than 25 years before.

Personal life[]

Cohn and ABC News journalist Elizabeth Vargas married on July 20, 2002. The pair met at the 1999 U.S. Open after Vargas sought an interview with Cohn's friend, Andre Agassi.[9] They have two sons, Zachary (born January 31, 2003) and Samuel (born August 16, 2006).[9][citation needed] Cohn has two children from his first marriage: a son, Max, born 1991, and a daughter, Emily, born 1994.[9][15][better source needed] Cohn and Vargas divorced in 2016.[16][17]

Awards[]

  • 1991 American Music Awards – Nominated for Favorite New Artist – Adult Contemporary[citation needed]
  • 1991 Grammy Awards – Winner for Best New Artist
  • 1991 Grammy Awards – Nominated for Pop Male Vocalist on "Walking in Memphis"[18]
  • 1991 Grammy Awards - Nominated for Song of the Year on "Walking in Memphis"[19]
  • 1991 Löwe von Radio Luxemburg – Winner of the lion in bronze for "Walking in Memphis"[20]

Discography[]

Albums[]

Title Album details Peak chart
positions
Certifications
(sales thresholds)
US CAN GER UK
Marc Cohn 38 15 14 27
  • US: Platinum
  • CAN: Gold
The Rainy Season
  • Release date: May 25, 1993
  • Label: Atlantic Records
63 46 60 24
Burning the Daze
  • Release date: March 17, 1998
  • Label: Atlantic Records
114 64 153
Marc Cohn Live 04/05
  • Release date: 2005
  • Label: United Musicians
The Very Best of Marc Cohn
  • Release date: June 20, 2006
  • Label: Atlantic/WEA
Join the Parade
Listening Booth: 1970
  • Release date: July 20, 2010
  • Label: Saguaro Road Records
28 81 86
Careful What You Dream: Lost Songs and Rarities
  • Release date: March 25, 2016
  • Label: Marc Cohn
"—" denotes releases that did not chart

Singles[]

Year Single Peak chart positions Album
US
[21]
US AC US Main US Country CAN CAN AC GER UK
1986 "The Heart of the City" Non-album single, Morning Records 1067
1991 "Walking in Memphis" 13 12 7 74 3 5 25 22 Marc Cohn
"Silver Thunderbird" 63 22 31 18 87 54
"True Companion" 80 24
"29 Ways"
1992 "Ghost Train" 74
"Strangers in a Car"
1993 "Walk Through the World" 121 28 26 20 51 37 The Rainy Season
"Paper Walls"
"The Rainy Season"
1995 "Turn on Your Radio" For Love of Harry: Everybody Sings Nilsson
1998 "Already Home" Burning the Daze
"Healing Hands"
"Lost You in the Canyon"
2007 "Listening to Levon" Join the Parade
2010 "Look At Me" Listening Booth: 1970
"Wild World"
2014 "The Coldest Corner in the World" Non-album single
"—" denotes releases that did not chart

EPs[]

  • "Marc Cohn Live: Limited Edition EP" (2005)
  • "Rhino Hi-Five: Marc Cohn" (2005)
  • "Join the Parade Live EP" (2008)

References[]

  1. Mark Stock. "Bonnie Raitt, Marc Cohn | Arlene Schnitzer Concert Hall | Portland, Oregon". Wweek.com. Retrieved April 22, 2014.
  2. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PQ50xaQJv5Y
  3. "Marc Cohn". last.fm. Retrieved April 12, 2013.
  4. Kelly McCartney (July 5, 1959). "Marc Cohn | Biography". AllMusic. Retrieved August 1, 2014.
  5. "Marc Cohn shot in head during car jacking – today > entertainment – Music". TODAY.com. August 8, 2005. Retrieved April 22, 2014.
  6. "Marc Cohn Shooter Gets 36 Years in Prison". Billboard. Retrieved April 22, 2014.
  7. "Singer Marc Cohn Shot in Denver Carjack Attempt – 7NEWS Denver". Thedenverchannel.com. August 9, 2005. Retrieved April 22, 2014.
  8. 8.0 8.1 "Police arrest man suspected of shooting Grammy winner". Tyrone Daily Herald. Tyrone, PA. AP. August 9, 2005. Retrieved July 12, 2016 – via Newspapers.com. open access publication – free to read
  9. 9.0 9.1 9.2 9.3 Dyball, Rennie (2007). "Singer's Second Chance". People (online and print, November 12, archived). 68 (20A). Retrieved December 2, 2015. Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |journal= (help)
  10. Marc Cohn: Join the Parade Amazon.com Video (now on YouTube) Video on YouTube
  11. "Marc Cohn Biography". musicianguide.com. Retrieved April 13, 2013.
  12. "Marc Cohn Biography". starpulse.com. Retrieved April 13, 2013.
  13. "Marc Cohn Biography". oldies.com. Retrieved April 13, 2013.
  14. "Marc Cohn Biography". last.fm. Retrieved April 13, 2013.
  15. The birth years offered are based on the ages appearing in the preceding citation.
  16. http://www.dailymail.co.uk/tvshowbiz/article-2581904/Elizabeth-Vargas-husband-Marc-Cohn-reveals-long-standing-issues-marriage-amid-cheating-rumours.html
  17. http://www.people.com/article/elizabeth-vargas-talks-brutal-divorce-marc-cohn
  18. http://www.rockonthenet.com/archive/1992/grammys.htm
  19. http://articles.latimes.com/1992-01-09/entertainment/ca-2224_1_grammy-nominations
  20. https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/L%C3%B6we_von_Radio_Luxemburg
  21. Whitburn, Joel (2011). Top Pop Singles 1955–2010. Record Research, Inc. p. 186. ISBN 0-89820-188-8.

External links[]

Awards and achievements
Preceded by
Mariah Carey
Grammy Award for Best New Artist
1992
Succeeded by
Arrested Development

Template:Marc Cohn

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