Cory Marks

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Cory Marks
Also known asLion Man
BornOctober 11, 1989
North Bay, Ontario, Canada
Genres
Occupation(s)Singer-songwriter
InstrumentsDrums, guitar, vocals
Years active2011–present
Labels
Websitecorymarks.com

Cory Marks is a Canadian country rock singer and songwriter. Born Cory Marquardt in North Bay, Ontario,[1] Marks is signed to Better Noise Music.[2] He has released two albums, This Man in 2015 under Big Star Recordings and most recently Who I Am in 2020 under Better Noise. Since the release the album has accumulated over 100 million streams globally with his debut single "Outlaws & Outsiders" being certified gold in Canada and reaching top 10 at US rock radio, making Marks the first to ever do so as a Canadian country act.

Early life[]

Marks was raised in North Bay, Ontario, the younger brother of professional hockey player Matt Marquardt, and learned how to skate at three years old.[3] He cites Merle Haggard, Waylon Jennings, Ozzy Osbourne, and Rush as early musical influences.[4] Marks played university hockey at the Royal Military College of Canada where he also pursued dreams of becoming a fighter pilot.[5][6] He had never performed music publicly until his friends encouraged him to do so while at a bar in college.[7] He has performed using the name "Cory Marks" since the release of his debut album.[1] Marks achieved his private pilot license in 2021.[8]

Career[]

2014-2015: This Man[]

In July 2014, he released his first single to Canadian country radio, "Smartphone".[9] His second single, "21", was released in April 2015.[10] His first album, This Man was released on May 26, 2015 through Big Star Recordings.[11][12] The album included his first two singles, as well as two further singles, "This Man",[13] and "Nowhere With You".[14]

2016-present: Who I Am and Nashville EPs[]

In 2016, Marks signed a deal to work with award-winning producer Kevin Churko, known for work with Ozzy Osbourne, Shania Twain, and Five Finger Death Punch.[15] In 2018, he signed a record deal with Eleven Seven Music (later rebranded as Better Noise Music) as their flagship country artist.[1][16]

In November 2019, Marks released his first single on Better Noise, "Outlaws & Outsiders", featuring Ivan Moody, Travis Tritt, and Mick Mars,[17] which debuted at #1 on iTunes in Canada as well as #1 on the Billboard Rock Digital Songs and Hard Rock Digital Songs charts and #7 on the Country Digital Songs charts.[18][19] The song would later peak inside the top 10 on US Mainstream Rock radio, top 5 on German rock radio, and peaked at #12 on Canada Rock radio.[20][21] It was also certified Gold by Music Canada.[22]

In June 2020, Marks released "Drive",[23][24][25] and announced it as the second single to country radio off his second album, Who I Am, which was released on August 7, 2020 through Better Noise.[26][27][28]

In October 2020, "Blame It on the Double" was released as the second single to rock radio in Germany and the United Kingdom.[29] Marks also released his first Christmas single "Jingle My Bells", a cover of a song by The Tractors, that month.[30][31][32] In April 2021, Marks released a new version of "Blame It on the Double" featuring Tyler Connolly of Theory of a Deadman and Jason Hook.[33][34]

On June 18, 2021, Marks released the extended play Nashville Mornings. It included a cover of Merle Haggard's "If I Could Only Fly", as well as a "Country Mix" of "Blame It on the Double" featuring Tyler Connolly, which was sent to Canadian country radio.[35] He followed that up with the extended play Nashville Nights on August 20, 2021, which included a new track "In Me I Trust",[36] the solo version of "Outlaws & Outsiders", and live versions of "Drive" and "Blame It on the Double".[37][38]

Discography[]

Albums[]

Title Details Peak chart positions
AUS
Country
[39] 		CAN
[40] 		SWI
[41] 		UK
Country
[42] 		US
Heat
[43] 		US
Album
Sales
[44]
This Man[12]
  • Release date: May 26, 2015
  • Label: Big Star Recordings
  • Format: CD, digital download, streaming
 — — — — — —
Who I Am[26] 16 12 98 6 17 74

Extended plays[]

Title Details
Outlaws & Outsiders
  • Release date: June 2020[45]
  • Label: Better Noise Music
  • Format: CD
Nashville Mornings
  • Release date: June 18, 2021[35]
  • Label: Better Noise Music
  • Format: Digital download, streaming
Nashville Nights
  • Release date: August 13, 2021[37]
  • Label: Better Noise Music
  • Format: Digital download, streaming

Singles[]

2010s[]

Year Single Album
2014 "Smartphone"[9] This Man
2015 "21"[10]
"This Man"[46]
2016 "Nowhere With You"[47]

2020s[]

Year Single Peak
positions 		Certifications Album
CAN
Rock
[21] 		US
Country
Digital
[48] 		US
Main
Rock
[49] 		US
Rock
[50]
2020 "Outlaws & Outsiders"[19]
(featuring Ivan Moody, Travis Tritt and Mick Mars) 		12 7 10 14 Who I Am
"Drive"[23] — — — —
"Blame It on the Double"[29]
(solo or featuring Tyler Connolly and Jason Hook) 		— — — —
"—" denotes releases that did not chart or were not released in that territory.

Christmas singles[]

Year Single Album
2020 "Jingle My Bells"[30] Christmas With Better Noise Music

Music videos[]

Year Video Director
2014 "Smartphone"[52] Manee Osman
2015 "21"[53] Blake McWilliam
2016 "Nowhere With You"[14]
"Don't Count Saturday Night"[54]
2019 "Outlaws & Outsiders"[55]
(featuring Ivan Moody, Travis Tritt and Mick Mars)
"Better Off"[56] Blake Judd
2020 "Blame It on the Double"[57]
"Outlaws & Outsiders"[58]
(solo) 		Jaclyn Cataldi
"Drive"[24] Ed Regan
"Out In the Rain"[59]
(featuring Lzzy Hale)
2021 "Blame It on the Double"[60]
(featuring Tyler Connolly and Jason Hook)
"Blame It on the Double" - Country Mix[61]
(featuring Tyler Connolly)
"In Me I Trust" Travis Nesbitt

Awards and nominations[]

Year Association Category Nominated Work Result Ref
2021 2021 Canadian Country Music Awards Alternative Country Album of the Year Who I Am Nominated [62][63]

References[]

  1. ^ a b c "Marquardt signs record deal". North Bay Nugget. Postmedia Network. September 26, 2018.
  2. ^ "Cory Marks - Biography". Invictus Entertainment Group. Retrieved August 14, 2020.
  3. ^ Bowman, Bethany (September 11, 2020). "Cory Marks rise to stardom". Cory Marks rise to stardom.
  4. ^ "Cory Marks - Bio". CoryMarks.com. Retrieved August 15, 2020.
  5. ^ Kenney, Kortney (November 20, 2019). "Cory Marks hits a live wire with "Outlaws and Outsiders"". My North Bay Now.
  6. ^ "INTERVIEW: CORY MARKS – Ontario, CA; 2020". Musicalypse. March 12, 2020.
  7. ^ Corder, Bryan Joe (March 31, 2020). "Interview~ Mixing country music with the hard-hitting stomp of rock & roll, Cory Marks". Ignite Music Magazien.
  8. ^ Lee, Michael (April 29, 2021). "Cory Marks' single certified Gold". North Bay Nugget. Postmedia Network.
  9. ^ a b "Smartphone hits Canadian country radio". CoryMarquardt.com. July 1, 2014.
  10. ^ a b Melanson, Jenna (April 21, 2015). "New single released by Cory Marquardt". Canadian Beats Media.
  11. ^ "Cory Marquardt releases his first album "This Man"". Kiss 100.5 North Bay. May 26, 2016.
  12. ^ a b Dawson, Chris (May 26, 2015). "Marquardt releases first album today". BayToday.ca.
  13. ^ "INTRODUCING, THIS MAN, CORY MARQUARDT". Sound Check Entertainment. Retrieved August 14, 2020.
  14. ^ a b Melanson, Jenna (January 6, 2016). "New video released by Cory Marquardt". Canadian Beats Media.
  15. ^ Dawson, Chris (May 27, 2016). "More good news for local artist Cory Marquardt". BayToday.ca.
  16. ^ "Cory Marks Signs Record Deal with Eleven Seven Music". Invictus Entertainment Group. September 26, 2018.
  17. ^ Gosselin, Jessica (November 26, 2019). "North Bay's Cory Marks' new song is number one on iTunes Canada". CTV News Northern Ontario.
  18. ^ "Cory Marks Throws Down in Single "Outlaws & Outsiders" ft. Travis Tritt, Ivan Moody & Mick Mars". Front Porch Music. January 26, 2020.
  19. ^ a b Brooks, Dave (December 20, 2019). "Cory Marks 'Outlaws and Outsiders' Is the 2019 Hit That Couldn't Be Confined". Billboard.
  20. ^ "Big day for North Bay's Cory Marks". BayToday.ca. August 7, 2020.
  21. ^ a b "Travis Tritt Chart History: Canada Rock Song Sales". Billboard. Retrieved March 15, 2020.
  22. ^ Dawson, Chris (May 1, 2021). "Cory Marks is golden". Timmins Today.
  23. ^ a b Brooks, Dave (June 19, 2020). "Cory Marks New Track 'Drive' Is The Feel Good Country Hit of the Summer". Billboard.
  24. ^ a b Elwood-Hughes, Pip (June 7, 2020). "Cory Marks debuts new track Drive ahead of August album release". Entertainment Focus.
  25. ^ Iahn, Buddy (June 5, 2020). "CORY MARKS ANNOUNCES 'WHO I AM'". The Music Universe.
  26. ^ a b Brooks, Dave (August 11, 2020). "Cory Marks Debuts Long Awaited Next Generation Country Rock Record 'Who I Am'". Billboard.
  27. ^ "Cory Marks, The Critically Acclaimed Next Generation of Country Rock, Releases Debut Album, WHO I AM". The Country Note. August 7, 2020.
  28. ^ Iahn, Buddy (August 11, 2020). "CORY MARKS 'WHO I AM' DEBUTS WORLDWIDE". The Music Universe.
  29. ^ a b "Cory Marks on Twitter: "Very excited to announce that my single #BlameItOnTheDouble is now at UK & [German] rock radio!!