![Cory Branan DC 2](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/4/46/Cory_Branan_DC_2.jpg)
Cory Branan (born December 15, 1974) is an American singer-songwriter from
Mississippi
Mississippi () is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States, bordered to the north by Tennessee; to the east by Alabama; to the south by the Gulf of Mexico; to the southwest by Louisiana; and to the northwest by Arkansas. Miss ...
.
Early life
Branan was born in
Memphis
Memphis most commonly refers to:
* Memphis, Egypt, a former capital of ancient Egypt
* Memphis, Tennessee, a major American city
Memphis may also refer to:
Places United States
* Memphis, Alabama
* Memphis, Florida
* Memphis, Indiana
* Memp ...
, Tennessee,
to parents Dallas Lee Branan, a jet mechanic at
FedEx, and Peggy Branan (née Rhodes).
He grew up in
Southaven, Mississippi, in the northwest corner of
Mississippi
Mississippi () is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States, bordered to the north by Tennessee; to the east by Alabama; to the south by the Gulf of Mexico; to the southwest by Louisiana; and to the northwest by Arkansas. Miss ...
, the third largest city in Mississippi and a suburb of
Memphis
Memphis most commonly refers to:
* Memphis, Egypt, a former capital of ancient Egypt
* Memphis, Tennessee, a major American city
Memphis may also refer to:
Places United States
* Memphis, Alabama
* Memphis, Florida
* Memphis, Indiana
* Memp ...
.
His family comes from
Arkabutla, Mississippi. He grew up with musical influences from church, gospel music his dad listened to, and his family: his father played the drums, his grandfather played guitar and his great-grandfather played the violin.
Branan learned how to play the guitar young, and by his teens, Branan was playing guitar in diverse genres from hard rock, black metal (Black Like Me), to heavy metal in local bands, eventually fronting a
Black Sabbath
Black Sabbath were an English rock music, rock band formed in Birmingham in 1968 by guitarist Tony Iommi, drummer Bill Ward (musician), Bill Ward, bassist Geezer Butler and vocalist Ozzy Osbourne. They are often cited as pioneers of heavy met ...
cover band as well as playing country music.
He credits a creative writing teacher in high school, Evelyn Simms, for suggesting books outside the usual high school curriculum and encouraging his writing.
Branan attended
Delta State University
Delta State University (DSU) is a public university in Cleveland, Mississippi, a city in the Mississippi Delta.
History
The school was established in 1924 by the State of Mississippi, using the facilities of the former Bolivar County Agricult ...
in
Cleveland
Cleveland ( ), officially the City of Cleveland, is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Cuyahoga County. Located in the northeastern part of the state, it is situated along the southern shore of Lake Erie, across the U.S. ...
, Mississippi, community college, as well as
University of Memphis
}
The University of Memphis (UofM) is a public research university in Memphis, Tennessee. Founded in 1912, the university has an enrollment of more than 22,000 students.
The university maintains the Herff College of Engineering, the Center for Ea ...
.
Career
After high school Branan moved to
Memphis
Memphis most commonly refers to:
* Memphis, Egypt, a former capital of ancient Egypt
* Memphis, Tennessee, a major American city
Memphis may also refer to:
Places United States
* Memphis, Alabama
* Memphis, Florida
* Memphis, Indiana
* Memp ...
, where, among other jobs, he worked as a bartender at the
Peabody Hotel
The Peabody Memphis is a historic luxury hotel in Downtown Memphis, Tennessee, opened in 1925. The hotel is known for the "Peabody Ducks" that live on the hotel rooftop and make daily treks to the lobby. The Peabody is a member of Historic Hot ...
.
In his early 20s he began to explore the music of singer-songwriter
John Prine
John Edward Prine (; October 10, 1946 – April 7, 2020) was an American singer-songwriter of country-folk music. He was active as a composer, recording artist, live performer, and occasional actor from the early 1970s until his death. He ...
, which led to Branan writing his own songs, which he began performing at open mic nights at Memphis' Daily Planet.
''The Hell You Say''
Although initially self-released in 2001, Branan re-released his debut full-length album, ''The Hell You Say,'' on MADJACK Records on October 8, 2002. The rejuvenated album replaced three songs from the original issue with newbies "Skateland South" and "American Dream", in an effort to streamline the concept of the album.
Branan produced the record with Kevin Cubbins, guitarist of the band Pawtuckets, who also contributed to the record. It was recorded in Memphis at Memphis Soundworks and Humongous Studios.
Lucero and the River Bluff Clan also appear.
In 2003, Branan made his TV network debut playing the song, "Miss Ferguson" on ''
The David Letterman Show
''The David Letterman Show'' is an American morning talk show that was hosted by David Letterman on NBC. It originally aired from June 23 to October 24, 1980. Originally, the series lasted 90 minutes, then 60 minutes from August 4 onward.
Back ...
.''
''12 Songs''
In 2006, Branan released his sophomore effort, ''12 Songs'' on March 21, 2006, on MADJACK Records. Almost all of ''12 Songs'' were written around the same time as his debut full-length, but were saved for record number two.
The title of the album comes from Branan's concept for the record as more of a collection of 12 songs rather than a cohesive album.
Jody Steven from
Big Star
Big Star was an American rock band formed in Memphis, Tennessee, in 1971 by Alex Chilton (vocals, guiar), Chris Bell (vocals, guitar), Jody Stephens (drums), and Andy Hummel (bass). The group broke up in early 1975, and reorganized with a ne ...
played drums on the record.
"Sweet Janine" is a song loosely based on and inspired by the death of his best friend in elementary school who drowned from an asthma attack at a pool party.
Branan said that he wrote both of his first two records while sitting in the bustling food court of the Oak Court Mall in Memphis.
''Mutt''
In 2011, Branan signed with
Bloodshot Records
Bloodshot Records is an independent record label based in Chicago, Illinois, which specializes in alternative country.
History
Bloodshot Records was founded in 1994 by Nan Warshaw, Rob Miller, and Eric Babcock, who knew each other from jobs i ...
. Six years after his prior record,
he released ''Mutt'' on May 22, 2012.
''
American Songwriter
''American Songwriter'' is a bimonthly magazine covering songwriting. Established in 1984, it features interviews, songwriting tips, news, reviews and lyric contest. The magazine is based in Nashville, Tennessee.
History
The ''American Songwri ...
'' praised his "hushed, dry whiskey voice and his sharp edged, story song lyrics
hich
Ij ( fa, ايج, also Romanized as Īj; also known as Hich and Īch) is a village in Golabar Rural District, in the Central District of Ijrud County, Zanjan Province, Iran
Iran, officially the Islamic Republic of Iran, and also ...
make the appropriately titled Mutt a mongrel that rewards repeated spins with an understanding of Branan’s many influences and an appreciation for his largely impressionistic, thought-provoking words."
The title ''Mutt'' actually comes from his most frequent answer when asked to describe his own music. Originally intended to be titled ''Midtown'' – in reference to the diverse neighborhood in Memphis – Branan said that the theme of each song on the record reminds him of the poem ''
The Oven Bird'' by
Robert Frost "which paints a picture of the fallen petals of post-spring flowers to convey fleeting beauty and ends with the question, 'What to make of a diminished thing.'"
The record received positive reviews.
The album was also notable for its album cover. The photograph by Joshua Black Wilkins features a topless woman wearing a painted
papier-mâché
upright=1.3, Mardi Gras papier-mâché masks, Haiti
upright=1.3, Papier-mâché Catrinas, traditional figures for day of the dead celebrations in Mexico
Papier-mâché (, ; , literally "chewed paper") is a composite material consisting of p ...
mask Branan created, which Branan said he dreamed, that she represents a muse.
In discussing the cover, Branan described her being like a "Mississippi Madonna with a boom box, kind of like a folk art thing."
''The No-Hit Wonder''
![Cory Branan 2015](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/d/d4/Cory_Branan_2015.jpg)
In 2014, Branan released ''The No-Hit Wonder'' on
Bloodshot Records
Bloodshot Records is an independent record label based in Chicago, Illinois, which specializes in alternative country.
History
Bloodshot Records was founded in 1994 by Nan Warshaw, Rob Miller, and Eric Babcock, who knew each other from jobs i ...
on August 19, 2014.
The album, produced by Paul Ebersold and recorded over the period of three days in Nashville at The Sound Kitchen,
features contributions by
Craig Finn
Craig Finn (born August 22, 1971) is an American singer-songwriter and musician. He is best known as the frontman of the American indie rock band The Hold Steady, with whom he has recorded eight studio albums. Prior to forming The Hold Steady, Fi ...
and
Steve Selvidge of
The Hold Steady
The Hold Steady is an American rock band originally from Minneapolis, Minnesota, now based in Brooklyn, New York, formed in 2003. The band consists of Craig Finn (vocals, guitar), Tad Kubler (guitar), Galen Polivka (bass), Bobby Drake (drums), ...
,
Tim Easton,
Caitlin Rose
Caitlin Rose (born June 23, 1987) is a Country music, country singer and songwriter from Nashville, Tennessee. She has released three albums, Own Side Now (2010), The Stand-In (2013) and Cazimi (2022). She also recorded two Arctic Monkeys son ...
,
Austin Lucas
Austin Lucas is an American indie artist best known for his own blend of folk punk.
Early years
Lucas grew up in Bloomington, Indiana, but moved to the Czech Republic in 2003. In 2008, he relocated back to the United States. He is the son of Bo ...
, and
Jason Isbell
Michael Jason Isbell (; born February 1, 1979) is an American singer-songwriter and guitarist. He is known for his solo career, his work with the band The 400 Unit, and as a member of Drive-By Truckers for six years, from 2001 to 2007. Isbell h ...
.
"Slick" Joe Fick from The Dempseys plays upright bass on the song "Sour Mash" – a song about a dry county where a whiskey company makes its liquor – and
Audley Freed also appears. Sadler Vaden (
Drivin N Cryin
Drivin' n' Cryin' is an American Southern rock band from Atlanta, Georgia, United States.
History
The band was formed in 1985 in Atlanta when Kevin Kinney hooked up with Frank French at the latter's recording studio, Dragon Path Music, and beg ...
,
Jason Isbell
Michael Jason Isbell (; born February 1, 1979) is an American singer-songwriter and guitarist. He is known for his solo career, his work with the band The 400 Unit, and as a member of Drive-By Truckers for six years, from 2001 to 2007. Isbell h ...
) is on electric guitar and John Radford on play drums on the record.
The record was listed by ''
Rolling Stone
''Rolling Stone'' is an American monthly magazine that focuses on music, politics, and popular culture. It was founded in San Francisco, California, in 1967 by Jann Wenner, and the music critic Ralph J. Gleason. It was first known for its ...
'' magazine as one of the top 40 country records of 2014.
Branan said that the passing of family members as well as his growing family changed his approach to songwriting. "You Make Me," which Isbell sings on, is a song about his wife, and "All I Got And Gone" is about the passing of his father.
Drummer John Radford (the Dynamites) and pedal steel guitar player
Robby Turner play on the track "No Hit Wonder."
''Adios''
Branan released his fifth album, ''Adios'', on April 7, 2017. Advertised as "Cory Branan’s death record", the record features Robbie Crowell of
Deer Tick on drums and percussion, keys, and horns; and James Haggerty on bass. Guest musicians include
Amanda Shires on fiddle and vocals, plus backing vocals on ''I Only Know'' by
Laura Jane Grace and
Dave Hause.
Pitchfork
A pitchfork (also a hay fork) is an agricultural tool with a long handle and two to five tines used to lift and pitch or throw loose material, such as hay, straw, manure, or leaves.
The term is also applied colloquially, but inaccurately, to ...
described the album as "possibly his best album to date — it’s certainly his most musically imaginative and arguably his wisest", but also criticised its length; "At 14 tracks, it meanders, occasionally lags, and indulges far too many tangents and jarring transitions".
''
Rolling Stone
''Rolling Stone'' is an American monthly magazine that focuses on music, politics, and popular culture. It was founded in San Francisco, California, in 1967 by Jann Wenner, and the music critic Ralph J. Gleason. It was first known for its ...
'' listed it as the 27th Best Country and Americana Album of 2017.
In 2021,
Blue Élan Records
Blue Élan Records is an independent record label based in Los Angeles, California. It was founded by entertainment and insurance lawyer Kirk Pasich, and his son, musician Connor Pasich, in 2014. Stylistically, the label's releases cover Alt ...
announced they had signed Branan to their label, with a new album expected to be released early 2022.
''When I Go I Ghost''
Branan has announced that his sixth album, ''When I Go I Ghost'', will be released on October 14, 2022. It was recorded and produced in Nashville by Grammy award-winning engineer, Jeremy Ferguson. The first single, ''That Look I Lost'' features vocals from
Jason Isbell
Michael Jason Isbell (; born February 1, 1979) is an American singer-songwriter and guitarist. He is known for his solo career, his work with the band The 400 Unit, and as a member of Drive-By Truckers for six years, from 2001 to 2007. Isbell h ...
. Other contributing artists on the album include
Brian Fallon and
Garrison Starr. This was his first release with
Blue Élan Records
Blue Élan Records is an independent record label based in Los Angeles, California. It was founded by entertainment and insurance lawyer Kirk Pasich, and his son, musician Connor Pasich, in 2014. Stylistically, the label's releases cover Alt ...
.
Critical reception
In 2000, the Memphis chapter of
The Recording Academy
The Recording Academy (formally the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences; abbreviated NARAS) is an American learned academy of musicians, producers, recording engineers, and other musical professionals. It is famous for its Grammy A ...
(formerly known as the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences (NARAS)) gave Branan the Phillips Award for Newcomer of the Year. At that time he didn't even have a recording contract yet.
In the fall of 2014, Branan was listed in ''
Rolling Stone
''Rolling Stone'' is an American monthly magazine that focuses on music, politics, and popular culture. It was founded in San Francisco, California, in 1967 by Jann Wenner, and the music critic Ralph J. Gleason. It was first known for its ...
'' magazine's list of 10 New Artists You Need to Know.
Collaborations
In April 2015, Branan was part of a
Record Store Day
Record Store Day is an annual event inaugurated in 2007 and held on one Saturday (typically the third) every April and every Black Friday in November to "celebrate the culture of the independently owned record store". The day brings together fa ...
release with label-mate,
Lydia Loveless. The two artists cover two
Prince
A prince is a male ruler (ranked below a king, grand prince, and grand duke) or a male member of a monarch's or former monarch's family. ''Prince'' is also a title of nobility (often highest), often hereditary, in some European states. T ...
songs: Loveless doing ''
I Would Die 4 U
"I Would Die 4 U" is a song by Prince and the Revolution, the fourth single in the US from their 1984 album, '' Purple Rain''. The up-tempo dance song was a top 10 hit—the final one from the album—in the US, reaching number 8 on the Billbo ...
'' and Branan doing ''
Under The Cherry Moon
''Under the Cherry Moon'' is a 1986 romantic musical comedy-drama film starring Prince and marking his directorial debut. The film also stars former The Time member Jerome Benton, Steven Berkoff, Kristin Scott Thomas (in her feature film debut) ...
.'' The 7" limited edition releases was pressed onto purple vinyl.
Personal life
Branan lives in
Memphis
Memphis most commonly refers to:
* Memphis, Egypt, a former capital of ancient Egypt
* Memphis, Tennessee, a major American city
Memphis may also refer to:
Places United States
* Memphis, Alabama
* Memphis, Florida
* Memphis, Indiana
* Memp ...
, Tennessee,
with his wife and son.
Branan and his wife were married at the Shack Up Inn in
Clarksdale, Mississippi.
Branan also has a daughter from a previous relationship who lives in
Tulsa
Tulsa () is the second-largest city in the state of Oklahoma and 47th-most populous city in the United States. The population was 413,066 as of the 2020 census. It is the principal municipality of the Tulsa Metropolitan Area, a region with ...
.
Discography
;Albums
* 2002: ''The Hell You Say'' (Madjack Records)
* 2006: ''12 Songs'' (Madjack Records)
* 2012: ''Mutt'' (Bloodshot Records)
* 2014: ''The No-Hit Wonder'' (Bloodshot Records)
* 2017: "Adios" (Bloodshot Records)
* 2022: “When I Go I Ghost” (Blue Elan Records)
;EPs
* 2009: ''Jon Snodgrass / Cory Branan'' (Suburban Home)
;Singles
* 2014: ''Under the Cherry Moon:'' "
I Would Die 4 U
"I Would Die 4 U" is a song by Prince and the Revolution, the fourth single in the US from their 1984 album, '' Purple Rain''. The up-tempo dance song was a top 10 hit—the final one from the album—in the US, reaching number 8 on the Billbo ...
" by
Lydia Loveless / "
Under The Cherry Moon
''Under the Cherry Moon'' is a 1986 romantic musical comedy-drama film starring Prince and marking his directorial debut. The film also stars former The Time member Jerome Benton, Steven Berkoff, Kristin Scott Thomas (in her feature film debut) ...
" by Cory Branan (Bloodshot Records)
References
External links
Cory BrananCory Brananat
Bloodshot Records
Bloodshot Records is an independent record label based in Chicago, Illinois, which specializes in alternative country.
History
Bloodshot Records was founded in 1994 by Nan Warshaw, Rob Miller, and Eric Babcock, who knew each other from jobs i ...
Cory Brananat MADJACK Records
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Branan, Cory
American country singer-songwriters
American alternative country singers
People from Southaven, Mississippi
Living people
1974 births
Bloodshot Records artists
Singer-songwriters from Mississippi
21st-century American singers
Country musicians from Mississippi