Cory Jackson is an independent singer, songwriter, musician, and all-around entertainer that is making the quest to bridge the gap between today’s modern country and the classic sounds of the past with his compositions and performance, both in the studio and on stage.
Cory was born in Jonesboro, Arkansas, and grew up in a small rural farm community just outside of Jonesboro, where he attended Westside school district. In his early teen years, he began living his big dream of performing for his fans on a big stage, even though he had yet to pen his first song. He had a guitar that his grandpa had given him, had played around with it, but not yet gained a real desire to learn all that was needed to fulfill his dream.
Entering his high school years, his grandpa urged him to begin to take music a little more seriously, to play more, and write songs. That encouragement has rendered many songs bearing Cory’s name as writer or co-writer, and many of those songs have been recorded on his own album collections. To date, he has released two albums, and is currently working on a third. The first, his self-titled EP “Cory Jackson”, was released in February of 2015. This collection contained five songs, four of which Cory had writer credits on. His second EP “Let’s Get It Right” was released in May of 2016. This album also contained five songs and contained three songs that Cory had writer credits on. A third project is currently in production and will include a number of his recent material. One single off of the new project was released last summer. “Row by Row” is a song about the hard working Americans that make our country run, with focus on the life of a farmer. The song was written by Cory and Matt Thomas, a member of Cory’s band. His second single, of which he has writer credit on, was recently released on July 21st, 2018. “Feel Good Happenin’” is a about a man seeing a beautiful girl, that is “playing hard to get”, and dreaming she would be part of his destiny which creates the perfect fantasy, in his mind.
Cory is no stranger to the live stage. He is right at home in front of a crowd, and has a natural ability for connecting with the audience, both young and old alike. With wide spectrum of song choices filling the set list that include George Strait, Charlie Pride, Ronnie Milsap, Merle Haggard, Eddie Rabbit, Don Williams, Alabama, Brett Eldredge, David Nail, Chris Young, and Keith Urban…just to name a few…every member of the audience will walk away having heard something that they are familiar with, and a few of Cory’s originals, regardless of their age.
Cory has achieved many accomplishments. From his 2015 top five self-produced video achievement with a Snag-a-Job online promotion, to his back-to-back winnings of independent artist competitions in 2016 and 2017 that were sponsored by the world renowned and legendary country radio station, WSM-650AM in Nashville, Tennessee. On June 4th, 2018 the Arkansas Country Music Association (ACMA) awarded Cory with “Country Artist of the Year”. He also received a top five nomination for Entertainer of the Year, and his video for “Row by Row” was nominated for ACMA Video of the Year. He has again received a top five nomination in the category of “County Artist of the Year” which the winner will be announced at the live awards show on June 3rd. And just recently, Cory was named 2019 “Best Vocalist” in the “Best of Northeast Arkansas” sponsored by the Jonesboro Radio Group.
Being an “entertainer” requires more than just being able to sing or play a guitar. The artist has to be able to use their talent to create a connection to their audience every time they are in the spotlight on the stage. Cory has the ability to connect to his audience no matter what the venue setting. Whether it’s a laid back acoustic performance, or his high energy stage show, he makes the transition for each performance with ease.
