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
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Join the Parade
Greatest Hits