Singer Behind the 'Greatest One-Hit Wonder of All Time' Turns 67 Today

When the Grammy Award for Best New Artist was announced in 1992, Marc Cohn wasn't considered the obvious favorite.

Just one year after the infamous Milli Vanilli scandal cast a shadow over the category, the Cleveland-born singer-songwriter walked away with the award thanks largely to one unforgettable song: "Walking in Memphis."

The hit also earned Grammy nominations for Song of the Year and Best Pop Vocal Performance, launching a career that has quietly endured for more than three decades. Decades later, author Brent Mann named "Walking in Memphis" as the greatest one-hit wonder of all time in his book "99 Red Balloons and 100 Other All-Time Great One-Hit Wonders," a testament to the song's remarkable staying power.

As Cohn celebrates his 67th birthday on July 5, it's worth remembering that the man behind one of the most beloved songs of the early 1990s has lived a life every bit as remarkable as the music he created.

Cohn's Heartbreaking Loss

Long before success arrived, Cohn experienced unimaginable tragedy. His mother died when he was just 2 years old. His father died when he was 13.

Growing up in suburban Cleveland, music became both an escape and a source of comfort. He immersed himself in artists like the Beatles, the Rolling Stones, Van Morrison and the Band, eventually learning guitar before teaching himself piano while attending college. The losses he experienced as a child would later become a quiet thread running through many of his most personal songs.

Success didn't come overnight

He played coffeehouses around Los Angeles, worked as a session musician, sang in cover bands and even played piano on Tracy Chapman's 1989 album Crossroads. For years, he wasn't sure he'd written the songs he was capable of writing.

A Trip to Memphis Changed Everything

Inspired by advice he'd read from James Taylor encouraging young songwriters to "do a geographic" by traveling somewhere new, Cohn headed to Tennessee hoping simply to reignite his creativity.

"There was no sense until the very end of the trip that there might be a song in there," he recalled in a 2022 interview with Songwriting Magazine.

During that visit, Cohn attended a church service led by the Reverend Al Green and later spent an unforgettable evening at the Hollywood Cafe, where he met gospel singer and pianist Muriel Davis Wilkins-the famousi Muriel named in "Walking in Memphis."

The two talked for hours about music, faith and Cohn's childhood, including the deaths of his parents. At the end of the evening, after they sang "Amazing Grace" together, Wilkins leaned over and quietly told him:

"Child, you can move on now. Your mom is with you." Those words stayed with him.

Within days of returning to New York, Cohn sat down at the piano and wrote "Walking in Memphis," a song he has described as being about far more than the city itself.

"It's about a kind of spiritual awakening," he once said.

While "Walking in Memphis" became Cohn's signature song, fellow musicians have often pointed to something even more distinctive: his voice.

Producer and guitarist John Leventhal once offered perhaps the greatest compliment a singer could receive when he said, "Marc could be singing the phone book and people would go, 'He's breaking my heart,'" according to Wayne Jancik's "The Billboard Book of One-Hit Wonders."

That emotional honesty helped Cohn stand apart from many of his contemporaries. His debut album went platinum, earned him the Grammy for Best New Artist and launched a career that included acclaimed albums like The Rainy Season, collaborations with artists including David Crosby, Graham Nash, Bonnie Raitt and the Blind Boys of Alabama, and decades of touring.

In 2005, tragedy struck again when Cohn survived an attempted carjacking in Denver after being shot in the head.

Doctors told him he was "the luckiest unlucky guy they had met in a long, long time." Rather than letting the experience define him, Cohn eventually channeled the trauma into songs on his 2007 album Join the Parade.

Then, in January 2025, he revealed he had quietly been living with Parkinson's disease for about five years, another challenge he has faced with characteristic grace while continuing to perform and write music.

"I feel like it's time to tell you, my fans, what many of my colleagues, friends and family already know. About 5 years ago, I was diagnosed with Parkinson's disease," wrote Cohn in a message to his fans on Instagram.

He added, "But the good news is this: I'm doing everything I can to stave off Parkinson's progression, and with those efforts, I have been able to continue playing shows for you all. Some nights have been more difficult than others, but there were moments of healing and deep gratitude for my ability to stand at the microphone and continue to do the job I love so much. ... I plan on continuing to do shows for as long as possible. Come meet us on the road somewhere."

For an artist who once wondered whether he'd ever write the songs he dreamed of writing, that's a fitting legacy. On his 67th birthday, Marc Cohn remains far more than a one-hit wonder. He's a gifted storyteller whose most famous song opened the door to a career defined by resilience, empathy and the rare ability to make listeners feel every word.

Related: 1982 Classic, 'Detested' by the Band, Became a Soft Rock Anthem

Copyright 2026 The Arena Group, Inc. All Rights Reserved

This story was originally published July 5, 2026 at 7:44 AM.