Citizen Cope: “Son’s Gonna Rise”
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Clarence Greenwood has been writing songs under the pseudonym Citizen Cope for the better part of fifteen years. Greenwood grew up in Memphis, but made a name for himself in the Washington DC scene of the last decade.
Though nowadays he sells out music halls and festivals regularly, it wasn’t always a picnic for Greenwood. In 1998, after signing with Capitol Records, Citizen Cope’s first LP, Shotguns, was inexplicably shelved and he was dropped from the label shortly thereafter. Citizen Cope was picked up by DreamWorks Records in 2002 and released an eponymous debut in the latter part of that year.
Recognition for Citizen Cope skyrocketed when “Son’s Gonna Rise” was featured in a Pontiac commercial in 2005. This version of the hit was recorded last year during SXSW, at KUT’s official showcase.
Citizen Cope will begin a 4-night stint at the Cactus Cafe on Wednesday. Tickets for each night are sold out.
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