Little is known about mysterious CATMAN COHEN, but one thing is for certain: the shadow musician has gained a strong cult reputation for writing dark songs that make women, children, and even grown men cry.
In what is the first glimpse into Catman Cohen's childhood, THERE WAS A BOY details the loss of innocence and all the pain that ensues. It is the feature track of Catman Cohen's long awaited third CD....HOW I WANT TO DREAM: the Catman Chronicles 3...slated for a February, 2009 release.
Grammy award winner and producer/arranger James Lum stated, "I have worked for many notable label artists over the years, performing some very intense sad songs, but it's been a long time since I've heard a song with the emotional effect of 'THERE WAS A BOY.' It seems to have a devastating impact upon most people who hear it, since we all can relate to the manner in which life's difficulties steal the child within us all."
THERE WAS A BOY can be sampled at:
http://www.myspace.com/catmancohen
THERE WAS A BOY features special vocal performances by Christopher Spinks and Matthew Lum.
THERE WAS A BOY will be made available for purchase on iTunes and a large variety of similar download sites in late February.
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THERE WAS A BOY
There was a boy
Playing on a swing
Deep in love with life
Loving everything
And he’d speak to God
When all alone
Making deals with God
‘Bout his dreams and hopes
When the night would fall
And he’d lie in bed
Listening to the tunes
Playing in his head
And the boy made a wish,
Prayed to God up high
"Let me write a song
Makes the whole world cry
Let me write a song
So tender, sad, and sweet
The kind of song
Drops men to their knees."
Nowhere near a man
He didn’t understand...
That to write a song
Makes the whole world cry
Have to hold the hand
Of a friend who dies
Hear your brother curse your name
Watch your mother fade away
While crooks steal your gold
Suffer years being alone
Nowhere near a man
He didn’t understand...
That to write a song
Makes the whole world cry
Have to fall in love
Then be denied
Meet hopeless kids
Raised in cruel neglect
Hear animals scream
Tortured half to death
There was a boy
Prayed to God up high
"Let me write a song
Makes the whole world cry
Let me write a song
Tender, sad, and sweet
The kind of song
Drops men to their knees."
If I could reach that boy
Before it gets too late
Warn him there are wishes
You should never make
But that boy was me
And it’s far too late
Wrote this song in tears
Wrote this song in pain
And now I’m a man
And now I understand
So torn up inside
Just want to cry
I want to cry
Cry, oh, cry
Oh, God, I want to cry
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Special Guest Vocalists:
Christopher Spinks
Matthew Lum
Anonymous Friends of The Catman Project
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Electric and Acoustic Guitars by James Lum
Bass Guitar by Sid Johnson
Keyboards by Catman Cohen
Drums by Anthony Heller
Saxophone, Flutes, and Horns by Rastine Calhoun III
Violins by Kristen Kimiko
Cellos by Kwai Bun
----------------------
Executive Producer in Heaven
Henry Iglesias
Produced and Arranged by James Lum
Music and Lyrics by Catman Cohen
(c) Keevay Music 2008-2009
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Catman Cohen is pleased to announce that a portion of proceeds received from ALL sales of HOW I WANT TO DREAM will be donated to the charities created by his two good friends, PATCH ADAMS and MARY LIGHTFINE.
.........
About GESUNDHEIT! INSTITUTE:
The Gesundheit! Institute is a home-based hospital founded by Dr. Hunter "Patch" Adams in 1972, located outside of Hillsboro in rural West Virginia. The Institute states its vision as being dedicated to revolutionizing health care delivery by replacing what the Institute sees as greed and competition with generosity and compassion. Creation of Gesundheit! Institute was a topic of the 1998 movie Patch Adams starring Robin Williams. Since the 1970s, the Gesundheit Institute has treated over 15,000 patients without payment, medical insurance or formal facilities. One of the continued missions of the Gesundheit! Institute involves the concept of Humanitarian clowning. The project uses the theme of laughter as an integral element of effective doctoral care. In the past, the Gesundheit! Institute has taken clowns into the war zones in Bosnia, refugee camps in the Republic of Macedonia, as well as South African AIDS orphanages. In October 2007, Patch Adams and the Gesundheit Board unveiled its campaign to raise $1 million dollars towards building a Teaching Center and Clinic on its land in West Virginia. The Center and Clinic will enable Gesundheit to see patients and teach health care design. The Gesundheit! Institute was recently featured in an interview of Patch Adams, conducted by Greater Good Science Center. Adams has been raising money for the Institute for nearly three decades, and his goal is to open a 40-bed hospital in rural West Virginia that offers free, holistic health care to anyone who wants it.
About VOLUNTEERS WITHOUT BOUNDARIES:
After working as a registered nurse in emergency rooms throughout the United States, Mary Lightfine, a woman who thrives on challenges, decided to join an organization called Doctors Without Borders. That decision has changed her life. Since then she has lived and worked in more than a dozen countries, including some of the most hellish spots on earth. Mary was ambushed and shot at in Somalia and delivered babies in the jungles of Sri Lanka. Mary traveled through perilous Afghani Mountains infested with land mines by jeep, foot and Donkey to reach isolated inhabitants. She brought food to starving refugees by plane in south Sudan, after their villages and crops were destroyed by northern government alliances. She was also one of the first to provide medical aid to Kosovar refugees who had experienced unthinkable horrors. Mary, a seasoned veteran of the Nobel Prize winning organization Doctors Without Borders began sharing her moving stories with students across the United States in 2000. After hearing about her experiences numerous students wanted to spend their time helping others abroad but couldn't find organizations that would accept them into their programs. Most medical volunteer organizations accept only licensed professionals with a minimum of two years prior experience. In collaboration with medical professionals and communities south of the border Mary Lightfine is now able to provide the "opportunity of a lifetime" to others through the founding of Volunteers Without Boundaries Inc., a non profit charity organization.
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Who is Catman Cohen?
Mysterious and controversial CATMAN COHEN is the strange, silhouette artist with the raw bullfrog voice.
Some critics call him the "musical Loch Ness Musician." Others refer to him as "the songwriting Sasquatch." No pictures, no standard biography, and an adamant refusal to perform live, despite various invitations to do so.
Described as "Rock Opera," his songs are based upon social action, notably a cry for the resurrection of neglected heroes (nurses, firemen, teachers, paramedics, universal peace-keepers, environmentalists, human rights activists, etc) and urgent warnings about the imminent fresh water crisis developing in the nation.
The Catman Chronicles feature a variety of guest vocalists, including Goths, she-males, and breathy, sexy sirens. Various music critics have denounced his "out of the box" approach...yet the Catman perseveres down his chosen path, knowing that there is no turning back from doing what must be done, knowing that we must........
MAKE A DIFFERENCE!
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