‘Walking in Memphis’ artist has many footsteps in Iowa as well

'Walking in Memphis” is the catchy single that put Marc Cohn on the map in 1991. But could the amiable singer-songwriter have followed up with 'Walking in Cedar Rapids?”

'Perhaps I could have,” Cohn said with a laugh.

Cohn's maternal grandfather was born, raised and worked in Cedar Rapids and his mom was born in the second largest city in Iowa, as well.

'My roots are pretty deep in Cedar Rapids,” Cohn said by phone from Nashville. 'I have a special place in my heart for Cedar Rapids. So maybe I should write a Cedar Rapids song.”

Cohn, 59, is an inveterate songwriter, who will bring his artistry to the other end of the Corridor when he performs Wednesday night (11/7) at the Englert Theatre in Iowa City. Crafting a tune is his favorite part of being a musician.

'I prefer writing a song for another recording artist, since it's an assignment,” Cohn said. 'It has parameters. That's very different from writing a song for me, since when I write on my own, it can be anything.”

The Grammy Award-winning folkie has written four albums worth of original material. However, the last project with Cohn's tunes, 'Join the Parade,” was released in 2007.

'I've been writing a lot for myself and for the Blind Boys of Alabama,” Cohn said. 'I'm writing for their next album. I foresee a Blind Boys of Alabama EP next year and finally a full Marc Cohn album by next summer or fall. But I do have plenty of songs to draw from.”

Cohn has no problem playing 'Walking in Memphis,” which he has played thousands of times.

'I have no issues with the song,” he said. 'It's great to have a hit. I don't understand those who have issues with playing their hits. Fans enjoy ‘Walking in Memphis,' so I'll play it,” he said.

An array of prominent recording artists like 'Walking in Memphis,” enjoy it too. Cher, James Taylor and Sugarland have covered his signature song.

'I love when people cover my songs even if I don't love their version of the song,” he said. 'If you're covering a song, you should turn it into something else. Why bother if you're just going to replicate the song? I love what John Mayer and Cher and Sugarland did with ‘Walking in Memphis.'”

When pressed about who delivers his favorite version of the song, he chuckled.

'It's a guy from Australia,” Cohn said. 'He is absolutely amazing. I saw what he did on YouTube. I don't remember his name, but he's a total unknown. Not only is his version of ‘Walking in Memphis' great, he does some nice versions of about eight other songs I've written.”

Cohn always is in constant motion, writing, producing, recording or touring.

'I'm still alive in this business, which is a feat,” he said. 'I'm almost 60 and I'm a survivor in a crazy industry.”

He's a survivor in another manner. While on tour with Suzanne Vega in 2005, he lived through an attempted carjacking. He was shot in the head. The bullet nearly missed his eye.

'I couldn't have been more lucky,” he said. 'My life could have been very different or it could have ended. My doctors told me that I was the luckiest unlucky man in the world. It was true. It was an ordeal, but I'm resilient. I've bounced back from so much. I'm thrilled to be here and still creating. I get to tour and come back to Cedar Rapids.

'The last time I was in Cedar Rapids, I announced from the stage that I have a local connection and some people from Cedar Rapids were trying to trace my lineage,” Cohn said. 'I never lived in Cedar Rapids, but I've been around the town and I'm thrilled to have a lovely connection with that city. It feels like home when I come back there.”

Get Out!

WHAT: Marc Cohn

WHERE: Englert Theatre, 221 E. Washington St., Iowa City

WHEN: 8 p.m. Wednesday

TICKETS: $36.50 and $56.50, Englert Box Office, (319) 688-2653 or Englert.org

ARTIST'S WEBSITE: Marccohnmusic.com/home/