Clarence Greenwood (born May 20, 1968), also known by his stage name, Citizen Cope, is an American songwriter, producer and singer. His music is commonly described as a mix of

blues Blues is a music genre and musical form which originated in the Deep South of the United States around the 1860s. Blues incorporated spirituals, work songs, field hollers, shouts, chants, and rhymed simple narrative ballads from the Afr ...

, soul, folk, and

rock Rock most often refers to: * Rock (geology), a naturally occurring solid aggregate of minerals or mineraloids * Rock music, a genre of popular music Rock or Rocks may also refer to: Places United Kingdom * Rock, Caerphilly, a location in Wales ...

. Citizen Cope's compositions have been recorded by

Carlos Santana Carlos Humberto Santana Barragán (; born July 20, 1947) is an American guitarist who rose to fame in the late 1960s and early 1970s with his band Santana, which pioneered a fusion of Rock and roll and Latin American jazz. Its sound featured ...

, Dido, Pharoahe Monch and

Richie Havens Richard Pierce Havens (January 21, 1941 – April 22, 2013) was an American singer-songwriter and guitarist. His music encompassed elements of folk, soul (both of which he frequently covered), and rhythm and blues. He had a rhythmic guitar style ...

. He currently records and produces for his own record label, Rainwater Recordings, which he founded in 2010. He had previously been signed to Capitol,

Arista Arista may refer to: Organizations *Arista Networks, a software defined networking company *Arista Records, an American record label, division of Sony Music **Arista Nashville, a record label specializing in country music *Arista (honor society) ...

DreamWorks DreamWorks may refer to: * DreamWorks Pictures, an American film production company of Amblin ** DreamWorks Television, an American television production company and division of the film studio ** DreamWorks Records, an American record label and f ...

and RCA. On March 1, 2019, he self-released his first album in six years, ''Heroin and Helicopters''.

Early life

Born in Memphis, Tennessee, Greenwood spent parts of his childhood in Texas and Mississippi, ultimately ending up in Washington, D.C., where he was primarily raised. He graduated from Wilson High School and attended

Texas Tech Texas Tech University (Texas Tech, Tech, or TTU) is a public research university in Lubbock, Texas. Established on , and called Texas Technological College until 1969, it is the main institution of the five-institution Texas Tech University Sys ...

Recording career

Greenwood was initially the DJ for Washington, D.C.-based alternative rock band

Basehead Basehead, also known as dc Basehead and Basehead 2.0, is an American alternative rock band formed by Michael Ivey in 1992. Ivey serves as the group's songwriter and leader, performing vocals and various instruments. Basehead's 1992 debut album ...

. He was signed to Capitol Records in 1997. In 2000, Citizen Cope signed with DreamWorks and released a self-titled album in 2002. In 2004, he released ''

The Clarence Greenwood Recordings ''The Clarence Greenwood Recordings'' is the third album by American recording artist Citizen Cope. It was released on September 14, 2004 via RCA Records. Originally, ''The Clarence Greenwood Recordings'' was scheduled to be released under Arista R ...

'', which he also produced. ''

Every Waking Moment ''Every Waking Moment'' is Citizen Cope's third album, and his second with the RCA Records RCA Records is an American record label currently owned by Sony Music Entertainment, a subsidiary of Sony Corporation of America. It is one of Sony ...

'' followed in 2006 (also self-produced), and debuted at #69 on the ''Billboard'' 200 chart. In 2010, Greenwood established his own record label, Rainwater Recordings. The move allowed him full creative control over his music and career. He released ''

The Rainwater LP ''The Rainwater LP'' is Citizen Cope's fourth studio album, released 8 February 2010 on Amazon MP3, and digitally released elsewhere on 9 February 2010, and in-stores on 2 March 2010. The album is produced by Cope (Clarence Greenwood) and it is t ...

'' that year. "Let the Drummer Kick" from his 2002 album ''

Citizen Cope Clarence Greenwood (born May 20, 1968), also known by his stage name, Citizen Cope, is an American songwriter, producer and singer. His music is commonly described as a mix of blues, soul, folk, and rock. Citizen Cope's compositions have been r ...

'' achieved

RIAA The Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) is a trade organization that represents the music recording industry in the United States. Its members consist of record labels and distributors that the RIAA says "create, manufacture, and/o ...

gold disc status. Greenwood released his following album, ''One Lovely Day'' on July 17, 2012. On March 1, 2019, his first album in six years, ''Heroin and Helicopters'' was released. He released his first single from the album, "Justice," on November 30, 2018. Citizen Cope in Seattle WA in 2008

Songwriting and producing

Greenwood's work has been recorded by a number of musicians. In 2002,

Santana Santana may refer to: Transportation * Volkswagen Santana, an automobile * Santana Cycles, manufacturer of tandem bicycles * Santana Motors, a former Spanish automobile manufacturer Boats * Santana 20, an American sailboat design by W. D. Sch ...

recorded Cope's song "Sideways" for their '' Shaman'' album. He performed "Sideways" in concert with Santana on his 2003 European tour. Greenwood sang on and produced the track.

Sheryl Crow Sheryl Suzanne Crow (born February 11, 1962) is an American musician, singer, songwriter and actress. Her music incorporates elements of rock, pop, country, folk, and blues. She has released eleven studio albums, five compilations and three li ...

asked to record the song in 2010 for her ''

100 Miles from Memphis ''100 Miles from Memphis'' is the eighth studio album by American singer-songwriter Sheryl Crow. It is her final release for A&M Records. The album was written and produced by Crow, Doyle Bramhall II and Justin Stanley and features the musicians T ...

'' album, and invited Greenwood to join her in concert on several occasions, including the Crossroads Guitar Festival in Chicago. At the same festival,

Eric Clapton Eric Patrick Clapton (born 1945) is an English rock and blues guitarist, singer, and songwriter. He is often regarded as one of the most successful and influential guitarists in rock music. Clapton ranked second in ''Rolling Stone''s list of ...

brought Greenwood onstage to perform "Hands of the Saints" together.

Corey Taylor Corey Todd Taylor (born December 8, 1973) is an American musician, songwriter and actor. He is the lead vocalist of the heavy metal band Slipknot (band), Slipknot, in which he is designated #8, as well as the lead vocalist and guitarist for the ...

also recorded a version of the song.

Brett Dennen Brett Michael Dennen (born October 28, 1979) is an American folk/pop singer-songwriter from Central California. His seventh studio album, ''See the World'' was released in July 2021. Early life Dennen grew up in Central Valley, California in a s ...

recorded a version of the song "Healing Hands" for ''The Voice Project Presents Home Recordings Volume 1'' in 2012. In 2008, Greenwood wrote and recorded "Burnin' Love" with Dido for her ''

Safe Trip Home ''Safe Trip Home'' is the third studio album by Dido. It was released in the United Kingdom on 17 November 2008.Richie Havens Richard Pierce Havens (January 21, 1941 – April 22, 2013) was an American singer-songwriter and guitarist. His music encompassed elements of folk, soul (both of which he frequently covered), and rhythm and blues. He had a rhythmic guitar style ...

released his version of "Hurricane Waters" and the hip-hop artist

Rhymefest Che Smith (born July 6, 1977), better known by his stage name Rhymefest, is an American rapper from Chicago whose first official album, ''Blue Collar'', was released in 2006. His prominent songwriting credits include co-writing Kanye West's "Je ...

recorded "Bullet," featuring Greenwood. His work appeared in a number of soundtracks to films including ''

Trust the Man ''Trust the Man'' is a 2005 romantic comedy-drama film written and directed by Bart Freundlich. The film is set in New York and centers around two couples as they deal with relationship issues such as intimacy and commitment. Plot The film center ...

'', '' Ghost Town'', ''Coach Carter (2005 film)'', '' Accepted'', '' The Lincoln Lawyer'', ''

Fracture Fracture is the separation of an object or material into two or more pieces under the action of stress. The fracture of a solid usually occurs due to the development of certain displacement discontinuity surfaces within the solid. If a displa ...

'' and Jamesy Boy (2014)

Jamesy Boy ''Jamesy Boy'' is a 2014 American biographical crime drama film directed by Trevor White and written by White and Lane Shadgett. The film stars Spencer Lofranco, Mary-Louise Parker, Taissa Farmiga, Ving Rhames, and James Woods. It tells the true ...

. His song "Bullet and a Target" appeared in 2006's '' The Sentinel'', ''

Alpha Dog ''Alpha Dog'' is a 2006 American crime film written and directed by Nick Cassavetes based on the true story of the kidnapping and murder of Nicholas Markowitz in 2000. The cast includes Emile Hirsch, Justin Timberlake, Ben Foster, Shawn Hato ...

'' as well as in the television show, '' Cold Case''. Greenwood's songs have also been included on ''

Scrubs Scrub(s) may refer to: * Scrub, low shrub and grass characteristic of scrubland * Scrubs (clothing), worn by medical staff * ''Scrubs'' (TV series), an American television program * Scrubs (occupation), also called "scrub tech," "scrub nurse," o ...

'', ''

One Tree Hill One Tree Hill may refer to: * "One Tree Hill" (song), a 1987 song by U2 referencing One Tree Hill, New Zealand volcanic peak * ''One Tree Hill'' (TV series), a 2003–2012 American drama series named for the U2 song ** ''One Tree Hill'' (soundtr ...

'', '' Entourage'', '' So You Think You Can Dance'', and ''

Smallville ''Smallville'' is an American superhero television series developed by writer-producers Alfred Gough and Miles Millar, based on the DC Comics character Superman created by Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster. The series was produced by Millar Gough ...

''. "One Lovely Day" appeared in the film ''

Battleship A battleship is a large armored warship with a main battery consisting of large caliber guns. It dominated naval warfare in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. The term ''battleship'' came into use in the late 1880s to describe a type of ...

.''

Personal life

Greenwood currently lives in Los Angeles and

Fort Greene, Brooklyn Fort Greene is a neighborhood in the northwestern part of the New York City borough of Brooklyn. The neighborhood is bounded by Flushing Avenue and the Brooklyn Navy Yard to the north, Flatbush Avenue Extension and Downtown Brooklyn to the west, ...

. He has one child with singer/songwriter Alice Smith.

Discography

* ''3 Song Demo'' (1990) (Cassette) * ''

Cope Citizen ''Cope Citizen'' is the debut album by American recording artist Citizen Cope Clarence Greenwood (born May 20, 1968), also known by his stage name, Citizen Cope, is an American songwriter, producer and singer. His music is commonly described a ...

'' (1992) (500 copies) * ''Asst. of Shells Remnants Of The Shotgun Trials. CD-R'' (1999) (100-300 copies+/-) * ''

'' (2002) * ''

'' (2004) * ''

'' (2006) #69 U.S. * ''

'' (2010) #111 U.S., #10 U.S. Independent Albums * ''One Lovely Day'' (2012) #39 U.S. * ''Heroin and Helicopters'' (2019) * ''The Pull of Niagara Falls'' (2021)

Other contributions

*'' Live at the World Café: Vol. 15 - Handcrafted'' (2002, World Café) - "If There's Love" *Vocals on " Karma Police" from the

Easy Star All-Stars Easy Star All-Stars is a reggae collective founded in 1997 by Michael Goldwasser, Eric Smith, Lem Oppenheimer and Remy Gerstein of New York City-based Easy Star Records. The band is known for its reinterpretations of classic albums in reggae styl ...

album ''

Radiodread ''Radiodread'' is a 2006 tribute album by the Easy Star All-Stars that covers Radiohead's 1997 album ''OK Computer'' in reggae, ska and dub styles. History ''Radiodread'' producer and arranger Michael Goldwasser said: :''OK Computer'' has ele ...

'', a complete reggae/ dub cover of Radiohead's "OK Computer" *Duet with Dido on "Burnin Love" from her album ''

Safe Trip Home ''Safe Trip Home'' is the third studio album by Dido. It was released in the United Kingdom on 17 November 2008.Tom Waits cover *Guest vocals on "The Grand Illusion (Circa 1973)" for the album ''

W.A.R. (We Are Renegades) ''W.A.R. (We Are Renegades)'' is the third studio album of United States of America, American hip hop artist Pharoahe Monch released on March 22, 2011 under Duck Down Records. Producers include Lion's Share Music Group, Exile (producer), Exile, Ma ...

'' by Pharoahe Monch *Turntablism in "Let The Drummer Kick" by DJ JVC *Vocals for the song "Muse" by G. Love & Special Sauce from the album ''Love Saves the Day'' (2015) * "Let the Drummer Kick it " By Citizen Cope featured on soundtrack of "Coach Carter" film (2005)

References

External links

Official websiteOfficial YouTube
* Citizen Cope Artist Station
Citizen Cope on Slacker.com
{{DEFAULTSORT:Citizen Cope 1968 births Living people American male singers American rock singers American soul singers People from Fort Greene, Brooklyn