Cory Marks’ new album Who I Am is pretty self-explanatory. The 13-track record, released on Better Noise, fuses his love of country and rock, a blend never more evident than on the track, “Outlaws & Outsiders,” which features Travis Tritt, Mötley Crüe’s Mick Mars and Five Finger Death Punch’s Ivan Moody.
“I’m the first and only country artist signed to Better Noise,” Cory told Everything Nash. “They’re a rock label; their artists consist of Mötley Crüe and Five Finger Death Punch, and many, many more. When we decided that ‘Outlaws’ was going to be the leading single, they decided they wanted to have features on it. So I thought, ‘Well, I don’t want to just have any feature. I want to have features that are going to resonate with the song, and the song to connect with them and mean something to them.'”
It was Cory’s idea to reach out to Travis, since the two artists share the same manager.
“He’s a country outlaw without a doubt, and he did his own thing,” Cory explained. “And ‘Outlaws & Outsiders’ is definitely something outside the box, aside from everything else going on in country music right now. So, we wanted to reach out to artists that were like that. And every single one of these artists I think are outsiders or outlaws in their own life, their own time and own genre. You have the late ’80s and early ’90s country music legend, Travis Tritt. He absolutely loved the song and what it represented, and wanted to be part of it.”
“It’s an honor to have every single one of them on board,” he added. “They love the song and resonated with it. They’re all outlaws and outsiders, just like me.”
Cory didn’t get to be in the studio when the three artists added their parts, but he has been able to hang out with Travis several times, and remains a fan of the country music superstar, both on and off stage.
“When we first met, it was honestly almost like we’d already known each other for a long time,” Cory shared. “He made me feel like part of his team, and really almost like family. He and his wife, and their family, sent us Christmas cards and all that stuff ever since. So it’s pretty sweet. They’re very humble, just a very sweet family. They’re great to be around and work with.”
The video for “Outlaws & Outsiders” has already garnered almost 10 million views on YouTube. But all of the songs on Who I Am walk the line between country and rock, which was an intentional decision for the Canadian.
“There’s nothing like it both in country or rock and roll,” Cory boasted. “If I can describe the sound, I think it’s a mix of Eric Church, Ozzy Osbourne and Merle Haggard. I love all those. I think it’s something different and I hope it creates a different path, a new lane for country music. It’s definitely a perfect mix of rock country and even a little bit of metal.”
Cory might have never even made music a full-time career, if not for one fortuitous night, out at a bar with his friends. After pursuing both professional ice hockey and training to become a pilot, his life took an unexpected turn, when the bar singer performing that night took a break, and called Cory on stage instead.
“We were out at a bar one night. Drinks were flowing and everybody’s feeling good,’ ” Cory remembered. “I played a few songs and after my little three or four song set, people were asking, if I had an album out or whatnot. So I thought maybe there’s something here.”
Who I Am is available for purchase at CoryMarks.com.
Photo Credit: Courtesy of AristoMedia / Ben Guzman