Citizen Cope
| Citizen Cope | |
|---|---|
 |
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| Background information | |
| Birth name | Clarence Greenwood |
| Born |
May 20, 1968 Memphis, Tennessee, U.S. |
| Origin | Washington, D.C., U.S. |
| Genres | Alternative rock, soul |
| Occupation(s) | Songwriter, producer |
| Instruments | Guitar, vocals |
| Years active | 1991–present |
| Labels | DreamWorks, Arista, RCA |
| Associated acts | |
| Website | citizencope |
Clarence Greenwood (stage name Citizen Cope) is an American songwriter, producer and performer. His music is commonly described as a mix of blues, soul, folk, and rock. He has been touring professionally for ten years. Citizen Cope’s compositions have been recorded by artists as varied as Carlos Santana, Dido, Pharoahe Monch and Richie Havens. He currently records and produces for his own record label, Rainwater Recordings, which he founded in 2010 after deciding not to work with major labels any longer. He had previously been signed to Capitol, Arista, DreamWorks and RCA.
Born in Memphis, Tennessee, May 20, 1968, Clarence Greenwood spent parts of his childhood in Texas and Mississippi, ultimately ending up in Washington, D.C. where he was primarily raised.
Clarence Greenwood was initially the DJ for Washington DC based hip hop group Basehead. He was signed to Capitol Records in 1997. In 2000, Citizen Cope signed with DreamWorks and released a self-titled album in 2002. Rolling Stone wrote, "...Cope melds hip-hop with folk, soul and blues...and 'feels' this combination deeply....Cope's uncommon chords and harmonies combine delicate dissonance with unexpected flashes of beauty..." And the Washington Post called him "the city’s most soulful export since Marvin Gaye.”
Shortly afterwards, Arista Records pursued the songwriter, prompting Cope to buy his way out of his DreamWorks contract. In 2004 he released The Clarence Greenwood Recordings, which he also produced. Upon hearing it, Vibe magazine called it “flawless throughout,” noting that Cope “makes music that feeds your soul…this is one of those CDs you hear at a friend’s house and rush out to buy.”Every Waking Moment followed in 2006 (also self-produced), and debuted at #69 on the Billboard 200 chart. In 2010, Cope decided to found and run his own record label, Rainwater Recordings. The move allowed him to exert full creative control over his music and career, free from the marketing entreaties of the major record labels he previously had been signed to. He released The Rainwater LP that year, producing the entire album. The Rainwater LP was critically acclaimed and newfound fan Ellen DeGeneres invited him to perform “Healing Hands” in April 2010.
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