CURRENT PROJECTS
NEW SOLO ALBUM, FINNISH SESSIONS
Since Covid-19 hit the world, Corky has spent half of his time in Finland. He has worked with Finnish musicians on several projects for a decade, but the pandemic gave him an opportunity to fully concentrate on the tunes that had been brewing in his mind. He has a small demo studio in Finland and together with his trusted studio engineer and multi-instrumentalist, Harri Väyrynen, he was able to give shape to the new material.
The first single, "Whatcha Doin?" features Corky's multi-talented friend, Maria Hänninen (of Mount Mary) on vocals and the wonderful Conny Bloom from Sweden (of Electric Boys) on guitar. Antero Priha's trumpet adds a distinctive flavor to track. Single is available e.g. here.
The album was recorded at E-studio in Finland in April with Petri Majuri in charge of the board. It was released on October 14, 2022 by On-Stage Records / TimeZone Records, Germany. Maria Hänninen (vocals, guitar, violin), John Vihervä (bass) and Harri Väyrynen (guitar, backing vox) joined Corky at the studio for the basic tracks. The album further features Michael Monroe (harmonica) and Ian Hunter (keyboards) as special guests.
CORKY LAING'S MOUNTAIN
Since 2015 Corky has been touring the world celebrating the musical legacy of Mountain.
Sitting in with K2 (Peter Baron, Ken Sidotti & Joe Venti), a band saluting the music of Mountain, for a couple of gigs in 2014 and 2015 reminded Corky how much he loved playing the Mountain repertoire the way to was originally recorded, and the idea for Corky Laing's Mountain was born.
The band members past and present include: Phil Baker (guitar & vocals), Mark Clarke (bass & vocals), Bernt Ek (bass & vocals), Mark Mikel (bass & vocals), Richie Scarlett (guitar), Ken Sidotti (keyboards), Chris Shutters (guitar & vocals), and Joe Venti (bass & vocals).
LETTERS TO SARAH - Corky's autobiography
Letters to Sarah is a rock autobiography with a difference. In addition to the exceptionally honest and endearing voice of Corky chronicling the ups and downs of his life, there are excerpts from dozens of letters (out of the c. 200) that Corky wrote to his mother, Sarah, between the years 1963 and 1997. The letters were a way for Corky, away on the road for years on end, to keep in touch with his roots and also, to make sense of his life. This continues in Letters to Sarah, as Corky relives the first 50 years of his life, up until his mother's passing in 1998.
Letters to Sarah was written together with Tuija Takala, PhD, who started working with Corky on Playing God: The Rock Opera in 2012, gradually became his manager and partner, and with whom Corky has since collaborated on a number of projects.
Letters to Sarah is available on Amazon as an eBook, audiobook (read by Corky himself) and paperback and has received 5-star reviews across the board.
ALBUM - Toledo Sessions
Corky's album, the Toledo Session was released on CD in late 2019 and re-released on vinyl in 2020 (Prudential Records, USA). The album contains nine new original tracks and the excitement brought on by the new repertoire is reminiscent of the classic Mountain albums, Climbing! and Nantucket Sleighride. The album was recorded in Toledo, Ohio with Mark Mikel and Chris Shutters. Chris is an award-winning blues guitarist and singer, and Mark a multi-instrumentalist and a studio wizard who recently contributed to the newest Alan Parsons' album. The album was mixed at the legendary Pearl Sound Studios in Canton, MI by Chuck Alkazian and Jason M Hartless, who was also its executive producer.
“This particular repertoire feels & sounds like a place I’ve always dreamed of visiting. After 50 years of recording, I feel like I have finally arrived.” CL
Album available here.