The self-titled album from Marc Cohn that resulted in (at least) two significant achievements is celebrating its 25th Anniversary this year and the singer-songwriter isn’t letting the occasion go by without some well-deserved fanfare via live performances.
In addition, the singer has released a collection called Careful What You Dream: Lost Songs And Rarities. Concert attendees can also purchase it on CD at the venue.
Earlier this year, when contemplating the significance of the upcoming anniversary, Marc and his longtime co-producer and engineer Ben Wisch dug through the vaults looking for old demos, specifically the original demo of “Walking in Memphis.” While they did indeed find that, they also found 13 other songs that had been long forgotten. These demos and early recordings capture a time in Marc’s life when almost everything about his career was still undefined.
Back to that earlier point about the two significant achievements. “Walking in Memphis” was promoted by Atlantic Records to album rock, adult contemporary and Top 40 radio. It ultimately reached #13 on the Hot 100 chart, an incredible achievement given the song’s unlikely topic of a man feeling the gospel spirit (“Ma’am I am tonight!”) in the city known for Elvis, Al Green and W.C. Handy, all of whom are name-checked.
The single’s success led to three Grammy Award nominations; Cohn won for Best New Artist. “The timing for Marc’s album couldn’t have been better for us,” says Best Classic Bands‘ founder Greg Brodsky, who oversaw Atlantic’s marketing efforts for the album. “We were hitting on all cylinders with acts like Genesis, INXS, Debbie Gibson, and so on, but Marc filled a very important void for the label at that time: a male singer-songwriter.”
Careful What You Dream: Lost Songs And Rarities contains 13 tracks plus a bonus disc called Evolution of a Record which includes four early demos of “Walking in Memphis” as well as fan favorite “True Companion.” The album begins with “Maestro” and that instantly familiar Cohn piano. “Cohn Heads” will love it.
Check out the new/old song, “Nowhere Fast.” That’s the voice of the 30-ish Marc Cohn and not the latter day 56-year-old.
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Marc Cohn 2016 Concert Dates:
April 21 – Bethlehem, PA – ArtsQuest Musikfest Cafe
April 22 – Alexandria, VA – Birchmere Music Hall
April 23 – Richmond, VA – Tin Pan
May 05 – Bangor, ME – The Gracie Theatre
May 06 – Londonderry, NH – Tupelo Music Hall
May 07 – Brownfield, ME – Stone Mountain Arts Center
July 21 – Layton, UT – Kenley Centennial Amphitheater
July 22 – Denver, CO – Denver Botanical Gardens (with The Blind Boys of Alabama)
July 23 – Boulder, CO – Chautauqua Auditorium (with The Blind Boys of Alabama)
July 24 – Beaver Creek, CO – Vilar PAC
July 25 – Kansas City, MO – Uptown Theater
July 28 – Milwaukee, WI – Pabst Theater
July 29 – Apple Valley, MN – Weesner Family Amphitheater (with The Blind Boys of Alabama)
July 30 – Apple Valley, MN – Weesner Family Amphitheater (with The Blind Boys of Alabama)
U.K., European Tour
June 01 – London, UK – Eventim Apollo (opening for Bonnie Raitt)
June 02 – Bristol, UK – Colston Hall (opening for Bonnie Raitt)
June 03 – Utrecht, NL – TivoliVredenburg
June 04 – Rome, IT – Auditorium Parco Della Musica (special guest of Graham Nash)
June 06 – Brussels, BE – Cirque Royal (opening for Bonnie Raitt)
June 07 – Frankfurt, DE – Alte Oper (opening for Bonnie Raitt)
June 09 – Berlin, DE – Passionskirche
June 10 – Hamburg, DE – Laeiszhalle Hamburg
June 12 – Munich, DE – Gasteig Carl
June 13 – Vienna, AU – Wiener Konzerthaus
June 14 – London, UK – Union Chapel
