[Edited Transcript: Abbreviated for length and clarity]
Interview + Article By: Erin Hunter (@erinehunter)
April 15th, 2025 – Cory Marks is a top-charting Country Rock artist from North Bay, Ontario, in Canada. From the day he was encouraged to perform open-mike at a bar, he was destined to sing, and he has become the first Canadian to get a top 10 hit on U.S. Rock Radio. Drawing inspiration from country artists including Merle Haggard and Brad Paisley, along with rock icons like Ozzy Osborne, Metallica, and fellow Canadian Bryan Adams, he is on a mission to make “country music with a rock and roll attitude.”
I caught up with Cory Marks before his U.S. tour, where he will be performing alongside the rock band Dorothy. We discuss the meteoric rise of his 2020 breakout hit “Outlaws and Outsiders,” writing with authenticity, and the problem with our obsession with new music. Marks dives into the challenges of making it in the music industry, his recent album “Sorry for Nothing,” and Bryan Adams.
Erin Hunter: Hi Cory, great to meet you – How has your week been? Are you performing?
Cory Marks: Not this week. I have two weeks off from the European tour, and then we kick off the US tour with Dorothy here, and I think I head out next weekend
Erin Hunter: So I have to tell you, I am fangirling a bit because you are from North Bay, Ontario. That city is very close to Sudbury, which is where the comedy Shoresy takes place. Have you been?
Cory Marks: I have. I had actually been asked to be a background character a couple years ago, and I never did. I’m more of a Trailer Park Boys guy. I never got into Shoresy…but I did get my pilot’s license in Sudbury.
Erin Hunter: Ohhhh, I feel like I need to convince you of Shorey. It’s about hockey, but it is really about the bonds man… the brotherhood, haha. OK, so I am excited to jump into this. I love your sound and that you effortlessly combine country and rock in a way that is not wishy-washy. How did you get started and why do you gravitate toward this genre?
Cory Marks: I’ve always admired the rock and roll energy and the storytelling of country music. When I decided to be a songwriter, I loved the storytelling of someone like Merle Haggard or Brad Paisley (and of course Bryan Adams) and the energy of Bryan Adams, Ozzy Osborne, and Metallica.
I always wanted to make my country rock [no pun intended] and I think it’s something that’s been missing. I think I accepted that as a challenge. But there are a lot of great artists out there that aren’t getting radio play or radio support in a way, and I think there’s quite a few out there that deserve some country music love. I’m hoping that will happen.
Erin Hunter: Who are some of the folks who you feel deserve attention?
Cory Marks: I’ve always been a big fan of Brothers Osborne. They are pretty unique in their song structures and have great sound overall, and I think they have gotten quite a bit [more recognition]. I think another band that was doing it for a while, and you don’t hear much of them on country radio anymore, is The Cadillac 3. They’ve had some interesting vibes and sounds. It’s nice to see them finally starting to get some love in a very big way.
Erin Hunter: So it’s really interesting. You said you don’t hear much of them on country radio anymore–Cadillac three. It’s hard because there’s just so much music today. What do you think it takes to be ‘accepted’ in country music? If you’re not straight country or country pop, is it hard to be accepted (or vice versa with rock music)?
Cory Marks: With the way music’s going now, I don’t really think there’s any rules or regulations. I think most of all–and it’s kind of how it’s always been–it is about how much money you have, how much you are willing to spend, and who’s on your side, who’s backing you? For the most part, it has nothing to do with the art, the music, the artist, or their work ethic and hard work. It’s who you know and the money behind it.
Unfortunately, it’s like lyrics from that old country song, “If you ain’t got the money, honey, you ain’t got the time.”
That’s the cold, hard truth about it. It’s happened for some, [where] hard work is one thing and talent, but you have to have some luck too. I think platforms like Tiktok, which I despise, have given that to some people and I’m happy for them. But it’s a mystery … or you just play the road for 13 or 14 years, and hope you get that break one day.
Erin Hunter: What was that lucky break for you, if there was one? Or what was the progression to you getting where you are now?
Cory Marks: “Outlaws and Outsiders” was a big break for me. It [featured] Travis Tritt–a country music legend–and rock icon Mick Mars. And then I also had Ivan L. Moody from Five Finger Death Punch. Everything was taking off… then COVID happened. It had put a pause on everything. But that was certainly the big break that got my name out there on a global scale, and now I have a new album, Sorry for Nothing.
The song “Make My Country Rock” has Mick on it again, as well as Travis Tritt and now Sully Erna of Godsmack. I’ve also had some other features on other songs from some incredible artists that have made waves around the world. They’ve all certainly helped me get my sound out there. I’m just more grateful than anything that they appreciate what I’m doing and appreciate my sound.
Erin Hunter: It’s incredible, and it really is one in a million. So I’m curious, what was your approach to getting these icons to join you in “Outlaws and Outsiders”?
Cory Marks: Writing a great song that they can connect with is the first thing. But…one of the biggest reasons it actually happened is because of a producer named Kevin Churko. He worked with Ozzy (Ozzy Osborne of Black Sabbath) on one of my favorite records of all time, Black Rain.
Since hearing that, I always wondered, “Wouldn’t it be so cool to have a country record with that kind of rock production and feel?”
Long story short, I’m working with the legend and he brought me to Better Noise, the label for Five Finger Death Punch and Motley Crue at the time. Ivan Moody loved the track, and Allen Kovac (founder of Better Noise) who was also managing Motley Crue at the time, said Mick absolutely loved the song and wanted to be part of it. My then-manager also knew Travis Tritt, and he knew that I’ve been a fan of Travis since I was a little kid. I eventually heard that Travis absolutely loved the song and what it represented, and that he was going to be on the track.
That was a “Holy Shit” moment.
We worked the hell out of it with tours and radio, and I became the first Canadian country act with a top 10 hit in the U.S. Rock Radio and that was really special. The song is still climbing today.
Erin Hunter: Having a U.S. Top 10 hit is incredible. So does being Canadian mean for you when it comes to music? How do you feel about trying to make a name for yourself and represent your country while creating your own?
Cory Marks: There’s quite a few people from my area of Canada (Ontario)…you got
Bryan Adams from Kingston, Ontario. We have Shania Twain from Timmins, Ontario (where I grew up playing tons of hockey). Rush is from my dad’s hometown of Toronto, and there’s a lot of great stuff out there. I’m hoping to put North Bay on the map and represent my country and the great music I grew up on.
[Seeing these artists] gives you a sense of “if they can do it, why can’t I (with hard work)?” Of course you have to have the passion for it, and time and patience, for sure, but it’s about believing in what you’re doing and staying the course as long as you can. That’s what I’ve been doing, and it’s really cool to see it grow.
Erin Hunter: Fantastic. I want to shift gears and talk about your new album, Sorry For Nothing. You released the end of 2024. Can you walk me through stylistically what was going through your head when you wanted to create this album?
Cory Marks: This album is really from 2021, COVID and all the stuff I’ve written in between…probably 80 to 100 songs. These were the first 13 songs that I felt represented who I am and what I’m doing and where I want to go.
“Make My Country Rock” is really a song about who I am, what I do, and what I’ve been doing– direction I’m in, lane that I’m in. There are some songs on there that are anywhere from three to eight years old. The oldest one on there is probably “Late Night of Drinking Again”. It’s a bit of an homage to my favorite in the country music world, which is Merle Haggard.
I’ve always made sure to make my records the way I want to. I’ve always found a way to list the songs like I would in a live show. So take the listeners and fans for a cool ride right out of the gate–get everybody going–then bring it back down a little bit…slow it right down…only to bring it all back up. It gives [the album] a live feel. Hopefully, when you listen to the record, you want to ride the roller coaster all the way to the end.
“Sorry for Nothing” is probably one of my most personal songs–and one of my favorites that I’ve written–because it goes into where I’ve been, what I’ve been through, and where I’m going. And with nothing but love and respect for everybody, if you ain’t feeling it or don’t like the sound, I’m sorry for nothing.
Erin Hunter: There we go. You’re laying it all out there. It’s a little more vulnerable… Cory Marks: I think so. Whether it’s about partying and whiskey or songs about life–the good, the bad and the ugly–there is fun on my records, and there is heartbreak. I always tried to write what I lived through. That’s where, and how, the listener can really feel what I’m saying, or feel certain songs. It comes from a place of [humanity].
As Bryan Adams would say, I try to write “Straight From the Heart.” Everything that I do is something I’ve either lived through, or somebody close to me has. I think that our job as artists and singer songwriters is to let people into our crazy world and know that we’re all spinning in it together.
Erin Hunter: We’re all we’re all on this crazy planet, just drifting through. I love the way you approach making the album, thinking, “Okay, if this were a live show, I would want this to be a journey. It can’t all be up but it can’t all be down and somber.”
Cory Marks: They go grab their beers if there’s too much somber.
Erin Hunter: Oh my gosh. Well, then they’ll go for a late night of drinking again (pun intended). I loved that song and I’m surprised that it’s as old as it is. It’s great that you could go back into the archives and revive it. Do you get inspiration from your past?
Cory Marks: Oh certainly. I can go back to those places when looking for an idea. Even if things are feeling a lot brighter now , it’s still something I’ve been through and something that crosses the mind from time to time… when you’re always looking for new new new, you turn on the radio and you get the same same same. That is a little box that we’re stuck in right now that doesn’t seem to want to change. I think there’s room for newer sounds that are a little more outside the box.
Erin Hunter: Your sound…do you consider it outside the box, even beyond what’s currently country rock?
Cory Marks: I’ve explained my sound as almost ‘country music with a rock and roll attitude.’ I don’t have the big major labels and stuff like that. I definitely do hear some other artists like it, and I’m happy they are kind of doing that thing. I think that mixing 80s rock with country music and even a little bit of metal makes it stand out. Lyrically, I also write more on the honest side.
sounds from the 80s are where I get inspiration from. It’s timeless.I think it’s important to keep that sound alive, but of course make it your own.
Erin Hunter: What music are you listening to right now?
Cory Marks: It depends on what kind of day I’m having and how I’m feeling. But that is a reason why I’ve always looked up to Bryan Adams. His music makes you want to have fun and party, but he makes you want to fall in love too. He can make you want to cry and think about something or or feel nostalgic, or make you want to not only fall in love, but make love too. That’s the magic of his songwriting.
Erin Hunter: I’d love to know what you’re most excited about with this tour. What are you anticipating?
Cory Marks: Hearing that some shows are already sold out–and that more are getting close to the sellout stage–is fantastic. I think Dorothy is great, and I think that the matching is perfect. Having me as a special guest to kick the night off is a cool blend, and I’m really excited to get back across the U.S. I’ve always wanted to play Denver and see the state of Colorado, so hopefully my lungs adjust to the altitude that night, haha.
Erin Hunter: Is there an identity surrounding folks who listen to Corey Marks?
Cory Marks: It’s always throwing their hands up in a rocker gesture. When I have the meet and greets, it could be three-year-olds or 90-year-olds with the rocker hand gesture, and I love that.
Erin Hunter: When it comes to you as an individual artist, what inspires you? What does it mean to be Corey Marks or a part of this community?
Cory Marks: I think being an open book and open to new things. And being different. If you’re a little different or a little weird and outside the box, just be you. Sorry for nothing.
Erin Hunter: Right on, Corey, it was great to talk to you. I wish you the best of luck. The tour is going to be awesome.
