Singer-songwriter Marc Cohn certainly knows a little bit about life’s challenges. In 2005, while on tour in Denver, CO, he was shot in the head during an attempted carjacking, and in January, he announced that he has been battling Parkinson’s disease since 2020.
The singer is bringing his band to Newport on Friday, March 28, for a show at the Jane Pickens Film and Event Center. Tickets are almost gone – Click here for tickets.
He talked about his diagnosis in an Instagram post earlier this year. “I’m doing everything I can to stave off Parkinson’s progression, and with those efforts, I have been able to continue playing shows for you all. Some nights have been more difficult than others, but there were moments of healing and deep gratitude for my ability to stand at the microphone and continue to do the job I love so much.”
“I’m going to play as long as I can,” said Cohn, who I spoke to by phone earlier this week. Best known for his hit “Walking in Memphis,” and his recent album with the Blind Boys of Alabama, Cohn is looking forward to playing Newport, and excited about his band, which includes noted guitarist Kevin Barry, who has toured with Jackson Browne, Rosanne Cash, and Ray Lamontagne.
“For the past several months, I’ve had a four-piece including me, and three of my favorite musicians,” Cohn explained. “Kevin Barry owns the guitar chair. I’m having a great time just playing with them, and because they’re so good, they often make suggestions on how to change things, take a couple things off, put a few new things in there.”
Songwriting is at core of Cohn’s creative pursuits. During the pandemic, he began writing songs with Grammy Award-winning Stoughton, MA songwriter Lori McKenna. “She’s fantastic – I reached out to her during the pandemic because I was listening to a lot of her music and thought, we could write together,” continued Cohn. “We did come up with one or two that we both really liked. We’re talking about doing that again.”
Cohn’s most celebrated song “Walking in Memphis,” is a timeless hit, that has become a part of many people’s lives. You’ll hear it at weddings, in birthing rooms, and even at funerals. “It has been covered by people in all different musical genres. I love that about it. I mean, in a way, it feels like it’s my song that has shown up in so many odd places. It’s almost hard to imagine. That’s something pretty special.”
Cohn misses meeting fans after the show, something he had to limit after the pandemic. “The one thing I miss since COVID is talking to people after the show,” he explained. “We want to stay healthy, but slowly but surely, I would love to bring that back. The connection that I feel with the audience after a show is very real and I miss being able to talk to people and find out ‘What is your story?’ What do these songs mean to you?”
His #1 message for fans … “Just trying to make the most out of each day, nobody gets out of here alive, So make the most of it! I mean, it would have been easy to stop playing five years ago when I got the diagnosis, just because it took so much energy to process. And I’m still processing it, but I’m also going out there and playing music, as long as I can do that.”
Very few tickets remain for the show – click here for details.
