Marc Cohn

Biography

Marc Craig Cohn (; born July 5, 1959) is an American singer-songwriter. He is best known for the song "Walking in Memphis×Walking in MemphisStudio albumSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 27 tracks1Walking in Memphis4:162True Companion4:103Far Away Nearby4:414Blow On Chillywind4:405Old Soldier3:566The Days3:387Silver Thunderbird4:398Ghost Train4:139Dig Down Deep5:0810Walk Through the World4:5611Strangers in a Car2:4712The Calling4:2013The Rainy Season4:4714Walk on Water4:0215Rest for the Weary5:0716Healing Hands4:3017Saints Preserve Us4:1118One Thing of Beauty5:4319Olana4:2220Paper Walls4:2421Turn On Your Radio4:0222Lost You in the Canyon4:1723Things We’ve Handed Down4:4124Perfect Love4:2325Mama’s in the Moon2:1726Don’t Talk to Her at Night3:0327Walking in Memphis (live)4:37", 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. His other charting singles include "Silver Thunderbird×Silver Thunderbird1991 · SingleSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 3 tracks1Silver Thunderbird4:392Walking in Memphis (live)4:083Angelsong2:11" (1991), "True Companion×True Companion1991 · SingleSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 4 tracks1True Companion2Miles Away3Strangers in a Car4Walking in Memphis (live)" (1991), and "Walk Through the World×Walk Through the World1993 · SingleSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 4 tracks1Walk Through the World (album version)4:572The Calling4:203Old Soldier3:564Nowhere Fast (live)3:07" (1993). Cohn won the Grammy Award for Best New Artist in 1992.
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".

Early life

Cohn was born on July 5, 1959, in Cleveland, Ohio. He is Jewish. Cohn's mother, Sarane Cohn (née Meisel), died when he was two years old at the age of 44. His father, Harry A. Cohn, died when he was 13 at the age of 72. Following the deaths of his parents, Cohn was raised by his stepmother, Ruth H. Cohn (1914–2009). Cohn's older brothers are Alan, Warren, and Steven Samuel Cohn; Steven Samuel Cohn died in 2014 at the age of 66.
As a child, Cohn became "obsessed" with the Beatles, the Rolling Stones, Van Morrison, and the Band. 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. In 1977, Cohn graduated from Beachwood High School in Beachwood, Ohio, a Cleveland suburb. While attending Oberlin College, he taught himself to play the piano.

Career

Cohn transferred to UCLA and began to perform in Los Angeles-area coffeehouses. His early career featured work as a songwriter, as a session musician, and in a cover band called the Supreme Court. He played at Caroline Kennedy's wedding in 1986. Cohn played piano on Tracy Chapman's second album, Crossroads, and this experience led to him signing a contract with Atlantic Records.
Cohn released his debut solo album, Marc Cohn, in February 1991. The album was successful due to the hit single "Walking in Memphis×Walking in MemphisStudio albumSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 27 tracks1Walking in Memphis4:162True Companion4:103Far Away Nearby4:414Blow On Chillywind4:405Old Soldier3:566The Days3:387Silver Thunderbird4:398Ghost Train4:139Dig Down Deep5:0810Walk Through the World4:5611Strangers in a Car2:4712The Calling4:2013The Rainy Season4:4714Walk on Water4:0215Rest for the Weary5:0716Healing Hands4:3017Saints Preserve Us4:1118One Thing of Beauty5:4319Olana4:2220Paper Walls4:2421Turn On Your Radio4:0222Lost You in the Canyon4:1723Things We’ve Handed Down4:4124Perfect Love4:2325Mama’s in the Moon2:1726Don’t Talk to Her at Night3:0327Walking in Memphis (live)4:37". Cohn has said that "Walking in Memphis" is "100 percent autobiographical" and based on actual events that happened during his vacation to Memphis, Tennessee which he hoped would help overcome a bout of writer's block. He has described it as a song about "a Jewish gospel-music-lover", 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." 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. "Walking in Memphis" was nominated for Song of the Year and Best Pop Vocal at the 34th Annual Grammy Awards and reached number 13 in 1991 on the Billboard Hot 100. As of 2016, it remains Cohn's only Top 40 hit.
Marc Cohn was certified gold by the RIAA in February 1992 and was certified platinum in 1996. The album featured two other charting singles: "Silver Thunderbird×Silver Thunderbird1991 · SingleSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 3 tracks1Silver Thunderbird4:392Walking in Memphis (live)4:083Angelsong2:11" and "True Companion×True Companion1991 · SingleSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 4 tracks1True Companion2Miles Away3Strangers in a Car4Walking in Memphis (live)". Cohn won the 1992 Grammy Award for Best New Artist.
In May 1993, Cohn released his second studio album, The Rainy Season×The Rainy Season25 May 1993 · Studio albumSpotifyYouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 11 tracks1Walk Through the World4:572Rest for the Weary5:083The Rainy Season4:474Mama’s in the Moon2:175Don’t Talk to Her at Night3:036Paper Walls4:247From the Station3:078Medicine Man4:299Baby King3:1010She’s Becoming Gold5:3111The Things We’ve Handed Down4:40, which included notable guest appearances by David Crosby, Graham Nash, and Bonnie Raitt. "Walk Through the World×Walk Through the World1993 · SingleSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 4 tracks1Walk Through the World (album version)4:572The Calling4:203Old Soldier3:564Nowhere Fast (live)3:07" (1993), the first song from that album, reached the Top 30 on Billboard's Adult Contemporary chart. Cohn released his third solo effort, Burning the Daze, in 1998. The compilation The Very Best of Marc Cohn×The Very Best of Marc Cohn20 June 2006 · Album · CompilationSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 18 tracks1Walking in Memphis4:172True Companion4:083Silver Thunderbird4:394Ghost Train4:125Perfect Love4:196Dig Down Deep5:107Walk Through the World4:568The Rainy Season4:459Rest for the Weary5:0610Paper Walls4:2411The Things We’ve Handed Down4:3812Lost You in the Canyon4:1613Saints Preserve Us4:1014Olana4:2315Turn On Your Radio3:5816Fallen Angels2:3817Healing Hands4:3318One Safe Place (live)4:09 was released in June 2006.
Cohn's track "Dance Back from the Grave", from the album Join the Parade×Join the Parade25 September 2007 · Studio albumSpotifyYouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 10 tracks1Listening to Levon4:482The Calling (Charlie Christian’s Tune)4:553Dance Back From the Grave4:444If I Were an Angel5:515Let Me Be Your Witness4:326Live Out the String4:237Giving Up the Ghost3:458Join the Parade4:339My Sanctuary5:5110Life Goes On3:48 (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.

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. As of September 2018, Listening Booth: 1970--which peaked at number 28--was Cohn's highest-charting album.
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. Cohn released the album Careful What You Dream: Lost Songs and Rarities×Careful What You Dream: Lost Songs and Rarities25 March 2016 · Album · CompilationSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 19 tracks · 2 discsDisc 11Maestro2Nowhere Fast3From the Faraway Nearby4Chilly Wind5The Color of Monday6The Good of Everyone7Hold On for Me8Be Here Now9No Love Lost10Streets of Windows11Silent Movie12Careful What You Dream (early version 2 with strings)13Nowhere Fast (version 2 with strings)Disc 21Walking in Memphis (original piano / vocal demo)2Walking in Memphis (early demo with band & alternate outro. version 1)3Walking in Memphis (early demo with band & alternate outro. version 2)4Walking in Memphis (early piano / vocal demo with Meditation intro)5Walk on Water (early demo with band)6True Companion (original piano / vocal demo) in 2016 in celebration of the 25th anniversary of his platinum-selling debut album. Cohn simultaneously released a bonus album, Evolution of a Record×Evolution of a Record25 March 2016 · EPSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 6 tracks1Walking in Memphis (original piano / vocal demo)4:202Walking in Memphis (early demo with band & alternate outro version 1)5:163Walking in Memphis (early demo with band & alternate outro version 2)5:444Walking in Memphis (early piano / vocal demo with Meditation intro)5:575Walk on Water (early demo with band)4:206True Companion (original piano / vocal demo)3:50, 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".
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. Cohn performed "Walking in Memphis" alongside Miley Cyrus at the 2019 Memphis in May Festival as part of the "More Together" Facebook campaign. "Walking in Memphis" was also the center of a national commercial for the "More Together" campaign. Cohn released Work to Do, a collaboration with the Blind Boys of Alabama, on August 9, 2019.

Marriages and children

Cohn married designer Jennifer George on May 20, 1988; she is a granddaughter of cartoonist Rube Goldberg. Cohn and George have two children; son Max, born c. 1991, and daughter Emily, born c. 1995. The marriage ended in divorce.
Cohn married American journalist Elizabeth Vargas 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). Cohn and Vargas divorced in 2014, days after Vargas came out of rehabilitation for alcoholism for a third time.
Cohn married his third wife, Lisa Cohn, in late 2022.

Health

On August 7, 2005, Cohn was shot in the head during an attempted carjacking in Denver, Colorado while on a concert tour with Suzanne Vega. 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." 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." The shooter was sentenced to 36 years in prison after pleading guilty to attempted first-degree murder.
On January 30, 2025, Cohn announced that he had been diagnosed with Parkinson's disease about five years earlier.