Country artist Cory Marks has released his highly anticipated debut record, WHO I AM, through Better Noise Music. The 13-track album Billboard calls, “the long-awaited next-generation country rock record” mixes country music with the hard-hitting stomp of rock & roll. Produced by award-winning Kevin Churko (Five Finger Death Punch, Shania Twain, Ozzy Osbourne) and his son, Juno Award-winning producer, songwriter, and engineer Kane Churko (Papa Roach, Skillet), the album consists of songs telling stories of heartbreak, hell-raising, and everything in between. WHO I AM, which dropped on Aug. 7,currently sits at #7 on the Billboard Country Albums Chart, #3 on the Top New Artist Albums chart, #3 on the Canadian Country Albums chart, #6 on the Country Albums chart in the United Kingdom, and #2 on the Country Digital Albums chart in Germany.
Billboard spoke on Marks and his early success, saying, “In a year where rock music struggled to find its footing on the album and song charts, a hard-rock and country crossover from newcomer Cory Marks has been a breakout success.”
The Canadian born star and former hockey player and pilot launched his rise to fame with his crossover success with the track, “Outlaws & Outsiders” (featuring Country music icon Travis Tritt, Ivan Moody of Five Finger Death Punch, and Mick Mars of Mötley Crüe). Shortly after its release, the song became a global hit, with over 15 million streams and over 18 million video views worldwide. It is trending globally on the Shazam discovery charts ranking among the greatest songs of all genres – including songs by Black Eyed Peas, Billy Joe Armstrong and G-Easy – illustrating the appeal of Country-Rock music that transcends beyond genre lines. The song also hit the top 10 at Rock radio in the US, top 12 in Canada, and is currently #4 at Rock radio in Germany.“Outlaws & Outsiders” marked Travis Tritt’s first appearance on the airplay charts since 2002 and his first Mainstream Rock Top 10 appearance ever. Marks spoke about the track, saying “Growing up on country and rock music – being inspired by songs like The Rolling Stones’ “Honky Tonk Woman,” bands like Deep Purple, Rush and the iconic Ozzy Osbourne, the original outlaws & outsiders Merle Haggard and Waylon Jennings – shaped my musical style. It’s a true honor to be working with the country music outlaw of my generation, the great Travis Tritt.”
Leading up to the album’s release, Marks dropped videos for “Outlaws & Outsiders,”“Better Off”,“Blame it on the Double”,“Devil’s Grin” and Country classic “Drive”. The album also had a surprise for fans, as on album release day, a video for album track “Out in the Rain” featuring Lzzy Hale of Halestorm, one of the stand-out tracks on the album, was released.
Full of autobiographical storytelling, guitar-driven anthems, drinking songs, and breakup ballads, Cory Marks’ songs are rooted in the influence of his hometown, where he grew up surrounded by the salt-of-the-earth residents of North Bay, Ontario. Marks spoke about the album, saying, “I’m excited to finally have this record out! ‘WHO I AM’ tells stories of the last five years of my life. The good, the bad, and the ugly. The highs and lows of life, and I think everyone is going to relate to at least one song on this album. It’s a mix of rock, country and a bit of metal. I like to think of it as if Ozzy Osborne, Merle Haggard, and Eric Church created an album it would sound like this.”
The rising star and his new music have already earned placements in film. “Outlaws & Outsiders” is included in the SNO BABIES movie soundtrack, a powerful film that deals with the topic of substance use disorder in the places you would least expect – middle-class suburbia. Marks’ song, “Blame It On The Double,” will appear on another soundtrack, Better Noise Films release, horror spectacular – THE RETALIATORS.
On August 28, 2020, Marks will release a special “Gold Stone Creamery” color melt vinyl.
