Born in the severely un-rock and roll settings of Cleveland, Ohio, Marc Cohn has a backstory that would put steel in anyone’s soul. His mother died when he was two years old and his father passed when he was twelve, so he found solace in music, writing songs while learning to play guitar by the time he was in junior high school. By the time he reached college he’d diversified into playing the piano as well, and after he transferred from the Oberlin College of his native Ohio to the University of California, Los Angeles, he started playing solo shows around the campus’ local coffee houses.
Once he started to pick up a strong reputation in L.A, he moved to New York City to try and make a career out of music. At first he worked as a demo artist, taking songs by everyone from Jerry Webb to Leiber and Stoller and recording them to be shopped around record labels, before taking a job as a backing vocalist. He tooled around behind the scenes of the music industry, appearing as a singer on various records including an album of songs from Starlight Express in 1987, but in 1989 he found a more dignified gig as Tracy Chapman’s backing pianist. It was while performing with her that a demo CD of his piano playing, voice and songs fell into the hands of Atlantic Records, resulting in a contract with them soon afterwards.
No-one could have foreseen just how successful Cohn would become. His debut single “Walking In Memphis”, was released in 1991 and was an absolute smash hit, peaking at number 13 on the Billboard Hot 100. Propelled by the success of “Walking In Memphis”, his self-titled debut album was certified Gold within a year of its release and he netted the Best New Artist award at the following year’s Grammy Awards. In terms of commercial success this arguably set Cohn for life, as he never reached those heights again, but who would? He saw out the rest of the year releasing acclaimed albums to a devoted fanbase, and even had the mighty Cher cover “Walking In Memphis” for a single in 1995.
Cohn’s story turned horrific in 2005 after he was shot in the head during an attempted carjacking, in Denver, Colorado. Astonishingly, the bullet struck him in the temple and didn’t penetrate his skull, so he was hospitalised for a night and released the next day. He’s released two new studio albums since the event and remains the poster boy for the best kind of one hit wonder. He has his one hit that everyone knows and loves, but there is also a lot to love in everything released after his time near the top of the charts. Also, now that he’s in his fourth decade performing, few people can put on a live show of his calibre. For that, Mark Cohn comes highly recommended.
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Charli XCX
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