Representative Albums: "Marc Cohn," "The Very Best of Marc Cohn," "Join the Parade"
Representative Songs: "Walking in Memphis," "The Things We've Handed Down," "True Companion"
Biography
One Sunday morning in the early '70s, a youngster in Cleveland caught an earful of Van Morrison's Astral Weeks and his life was never to be the same. That kid was Marc Cohn and soon after that morning, he bought everything Morrison had released to date, along with works by Joni Mitchell and Jackson Browne. Not long after an older brother taught him a Ray Charles tune on the piano, he joined a cover band, Doanbrook Hotel. He sang with them from junior high school until he left home for Oberlin College. All the while, Cohn learned to play guitar and was dabbling with the craft of songwriting since the cover band played everything but the kind of songs he loved so dearly. At Oberlin, Cohn taught himself to play the piano and a lasting bond formed. Soon enough, he transferred to U.C.L.A. and hit the Los Angeles coffeehouse and steakhouse circuit. Cohn made yet another move -- this time to New York to be with his fiancée and he then formed the Supreme Court, a 14-piece band complete with horn section. Putting the unusual spins on popular tunes, the band gained a following which included Carly Simon, who recommended they play Caroline Kennedy's wedding. That gig seemed like a good stopping point, as Cohn left the band to once again focus on his own songs. He sent a piano/vocal demo to Atlantic Records and landed himself a deal and from there he co-produced his debut with Ben Wisch with some assistance from John Leventhal. What emerged was a beautifully tasteful and intelligent album that included the hit "Walking in Memphis" and won Cohn a Grammy Award for Best New Artist. The Rainy Season followed in 1993 and was a thematic complement to Cohn's debut. Folks like David Crosby and Graham Nash stepped up to the mic to lend their vocal support to this soulful new talent. Cohn was quiet for several years, returning in 1998 with the release of Burning the Daze. Another studio hiatus followed, during which Cohn released an independent live compilation and, during an attempted car jacking, was shot in the head. The musician recovered, however, and released Join the Parade, perhaps his strongest effort to date, in 2007. ~ Kelly McCartney, All Music Guide
Marc Craig Cohn (born July 5, 1959) is an Americansinger-songwriter and musician. He is best known for his song "Walking in Memphis" from his eponymous 1991 album Marc Cohn. He has issued three other studio albums to date: The Rainy Season (1993), Burning the Daze (1998), and Join The Parade[1] (2007).
Cohn wrote the song "My Great Escape" for the 1995 Peter Horton film The Cure. However, the song, which was played during the opening sequence, was not released on the film's Dave Grusinsoundtrack album.
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.[2]
Cohn is married to ABC News journalist Elizabeth Vargas whom he met at the 1999 U.S. Open after being introduced by Andre Agassi.[3] They have two sons: Zachary Raphael, who was born on January 31, 2003, and Samuel Wyatt, who was born on August 16, 2006. Cohn has two other children from a previous marriage, a son named Max and a daughter named Emily.
On August 7, 2005, Cohn was shot in the head during an attempted carjacking in Denver, Colorado, following a concert with Suzanne Vega. The bullet struck him in the temple but it did not penetrate his skull. Cohn was hospitalized and released the next day. His remaining concerts on the tour were cancelled.[4]