Marc Cohn

Marc Craig Cohn (Template:IPAc-en;<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}Template:Cbignore</ref> born July 5, 1959) is an American singer-songwriter. He is best known for the song "Walking in Memphis", which was a Top 40 hit from his 1991 album Marc Cohn and was nominated for Song of the Year and Best Pop Vocal at the 34th Annual Grammy Awards. Cohn won the Grammy Award for Best New Artist in 1992. His other charting singles include "Silver Thunderbird" (1991), "True Companion" (1991), and "Walk Through the World" (1993).

In 2019, the Observer-Dispatch wrote the following about Cohn: "Deeply rooted in American rhythm and blues, soul and gospel, gifted with a storyteller’s eye and ear, and possessing one of the most expressive and soulful voices in modern music, Cohn draws from real-life to evoke common human feelings of love, hope, faith, joy and heartbreak".<ref name=auto1 />

Early life

Cohn was born on July 5, 1959 in Cleveland, Ohio.<ref name="auto4">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> He is Jewish,<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> and he has an older brother.<ref name="goldmine" /> Cohn's mother died when he was two years of age,<ref name="mcphate">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> and his father died when he was 12.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> Following the deaths of his parents, Cohn was raised by his stepmother.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

As a child, Cohn became "obsessed" with the Beatles, the Rolling Stones, Van Morrison, and the Band.<ref name="goldmine">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> He 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.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref name=auto>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> In 1977, Cohn graduated from Beachwood High School<ref name="auto4"/> in Beachwood, Ohio,<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> a Cleveland suburb.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> While attending Oberlin College, he taught himself to play the piano.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

Career

Cohn transferred to UCLA and began to perform in Los Angeles-area coffeehouses.<ref name=auto/> His early career featured work as a songwriter,<ref name="auto5">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> as a session musician,<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> and in a cover band called the Supreme Court.<ref name="auto5"/> He played at Caroline Kennedy's wedding in 1986.<ref name="goldmine" /> Cohn played piano on Tracy Chapman's second album, Crossroads,<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> and this experience led to him signing a contract with Atlantic Records.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

Cohn released his debut solo album, Marc Cohn, in February 1991.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> The album was successful due to the hit single "Walking in Memphis".<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> Cohn has said that "Walking in Memphis" is "100 percent autobiographical". He has described it as a song about "a Jewish gospel-music-lover",<ref name="Chicago Tribune">Template:Cite news</ref> and added that "the song is about more than just a place; it's about a kind of spiritual awakening, one of those trips where you're different when you leave."<ref name="Denver Post">Template:Cite news</ref> He was inspired to write "Walking in Memphis" by a 1985 visit to the Memphis, Tennessee area. At the time, he was working as a session singer in New York City while pursuing a recording contract.<ref name="Song Stories">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> "Walking in Memphis" was nominated for Song of the Year and Best Pop Vocal at the 34th Annual Grammy Awards<ref name=auto1>Template:Cite news</ref> and reached number 13 in 1991 on the Billboard Hot 100.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref name=wmc>Template:Cite news</ref> As of 2016, it remains Cohn's only Top 40 hit.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

Marc Cohn was certified gold by the RIAA in February 1992 and was certified platinum in 1996.<ref name=auto1/> The album featured two other charting singles: "Silver Thunderbird" and "True Companion".<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> Cohn won the 1992 Grammy Award for Best New Artist.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref name=auto1/>

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.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> "Walk Through the World" (1993), the first song from that album,<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> reached the Top 30 on Billboard's Adult Contemporary chart.<ref name="auto3">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> Cohn released his third solo effort, Burning the Daze, in 1998.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> The compilation The Very Best of Marc Cohn was released in June 2006.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

Cohn's track "Dance Back from the Grave", from the album Join the Parade (October 2007), relates to the events of Hurricane Katrina and to the post-traumatic stress Cohn suffered after being shot in the head in an attempted carjacking in August 2005.<ref name=people>Template:Cite magazine</ref>

Marc Cohn performing in Saratoga, California in July 2005

In 2010, Cohn returned with Listening Booth: 1970, a collection of covers of 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 featured vocal performances from India.Arie, Jim Lauderdale, Aimee Mann, and Kristina Train.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> As of September 2018, Listening Booth: 1970--which peaked at number 28--was Cohn's highest-charting album.<ref name=auto3/>

Cohn released his first original song in more than seven years, "The Coldest Corner in the World", in 2014. The song was the title track for the documentary Tree Man.<ref name=os>Marc Cohn Retrieved July 21, 2019.</ref>Template:Better source Cohn released the album Careful What You Dream: Lost Songs and Rarities in 2016<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> in celebration of the 25th anniversary of his platinum-selling debut album. Cohn simultaneously released a bonus album, Evolution of a Record, which featured never-before-heard songs and demos. In 2017, Cohn worked with William Bell on his Grammy Award-winning album This Is Where I Live. He co-wrote several tracks on the album, including the opener, "The Three Of Me". Cohn also collaborated with the Blind Boys of Alabama on their Grammy-nominated song "Let My Mother Live".<ref name=os/>Template:Better source

In 2019, Cohn performed at Carnegie Hall at "The Music of Van Morrison" show, which benefited music education programs for the New York City school system. Other performers included Patti Smith, Glen Hansard, Bettye LaVette, Blind Boys of Alabama, and Josh Ritter.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> Cohn performed "Walking in Memphis" alongside Miley Cyrus at the 2019 Memphis in May Festival as part of the "More Together" Facebook campaign.<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref> "Walking in Memphis" was also the center of a national commercial for the "More Together" campaign.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> Cohn released Work to Do, a collaboration with the Blind Boys of Alabama, on August 9, 2019.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

Personal life

Marriages and children

Cohn married designer Jennifer George, granddaughter of the famous cartoonist Rube Goldberg, on May 20, 1988.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> Cohn and George had two children; son Max, born c. 1991, and daughter Emily, born c. 1995. The marriage ended in divorce.<ref name=people/><ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

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. They have two sons, Zachary (born January 31, 2003) and Samuel (born August 16, 2006).<ref name=people/> Cohn and Vargas divorced in 2014, days after Vargas came out of rehabilitation for alcoholism for a third time.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

Cohn's third wife is Lisa Cohn.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

Health

On August 7, 2005, Cohn was shot in the head during an attempted carjacking in Denver, Colorado,<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref name=billboard>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> while on a concert tour with Suzanne Vega.<ref name="AP2005">Template:Cite news</ref> The bullet "barely missed Cohn's eye and lodged near his skull." Cohn survived and was hospitalized for observation, but was released after eight hours. According to Cohn, "Doctors told me I was the luckiest unlucky guy they had met in a long, long time."<ref name=people/> A police spokesperson surmised that the car's windshield may have significantly impeded the bullet's force, and added: "Frankly, I can't tell you how he survived."<ref name="AP2005"/> The shooter was sentenced to 36 years in prison.<ref name=billboard/>

On January 30, 2025, Cohn announced that he'd been diagnosed with Parkinson's disease about five years earlier.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

Awards

• 1991 American Music Awards – Nominated for Favorite New Artist – Adult Contemporary<ref name=auto2>Template:Cite news</ref>
• 1992 Grammy Awards – Winner for Best New Artist<ref name=auto2/>
• 1992 Grammy Awards – Nominated for Pop Male Vocalist for "Walking in Memphis"<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation

|CitationClass=web }}</ref>

• 1992 Grammy Awards – Nominated for Song of the Year for "Walking in Memphis"<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

Discography

Albums

Title	Album details	Peak chart positions					Certifications (sales thresholds)
		US	AUS<ref name="AUS">Template:Cite book</ref><ref >{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>	CAN	GER		UK
Marc Cohn	Release date: February 12, 1991 Label: Atlantic Records	38	31	15	14	27	RIAA: Platinum ARIA: Gold<ref name="AUS"/> BPI: Gold<ref name="BPI">Template:Cite certification</ref> MC: Gold
The Rainy Season	Release date: May 25, 1993 Label: Atlantic Records	63	121	46	60	24
Burning the Daze	Release date: March 17, 1998 Label: Atlantic Records	114	—	—	64	153
Join the Parade	Release date: October 9, 2007 Label: Decca Records	—	—	—	—	—
Listening Booth: 1970	Release date: July 20, 2010 Label: Saguaro Road Records	28	—	81	86	—
"—" denotes releases that did not chart

Live albums

Title	Album details
Marc Cohn Live: Special Limited Edition EP	Release date: 2004 or 2005 Label: Self-released
Marc Cohn Live 04/05	Release date: 2005 Label: United Musicians
Join the Parade: Live EP	Release date: 2008 Label: Miles Away Records
Work to Do	Release date: August 9, 2019 Label: BMG

Compilation albums

Title	Album details
The Very Best of Marc Cohn	Release date: June 20, 2006 Label: Atlantic/WEA
Careful What You Dream: Lost Songs and Rarities	Release date: March 25, 2016 Label: Marc Cohn

Singles

Year	Single	Peak chart positions										Certifications	Album
		US <ref name="whitburn2010">Template:Cite book</ref>	US AC	US Main	US Country	AUS <ref name="AUS" /><ref> "Silver Thunderbird":{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation	CitationClass=web }} "True Companion":{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation	CitationClass=web }} "Ghost Train": {{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>	CAN	CAN AC			GER	IRL <ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>	UK <ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>
1986	"The Heart of the City"<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—		Non-album single, Morning Records 1067
1991	"Walking in Memphis"	13	12	7	74	11	3	5	25	7	66		Marc Cohn
	"Silver Thunderbird"	63	—	22	—	107	31	18	87	28	54
	"Walking in Memphis" (UK re-issue)	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	16	22	BPI: Platinum<ref name="BPI"/>
	"True Companion"	80	24	—	—	117	—	—	—	—	100
	"29 Ways"	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—
1992	"Ghost Train"	—	—	—	—	121	—	—	74	—	—
	"Strangers in a Car"	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—
1993	"Walk Through the World" b/w "Old Soldier" / "One Thing of Beauty" (non-album tracks)	121	28	—	—	129	26	20	51	—	37		The Rainy Season
	"Paper Walls"	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—
	"The Rainy Season"	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—
1995	"Turn on Your Radio"	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—		For Love of Harry: Everybody Sings Nilsson / Burning the Daze
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
2019	"Work to Do"	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—		Work to Do
"—" denotes releases that did not chart

EPs

• Hi-Five: Marc Cohn (2005)

External links

• Official website