Citizen Cope is the alias of American songwriter, producer, and performer Clarence Greenwood. In a career that has now spanned 30 years, his songs have been recorded by a host of major artists, including Sheryl Crow, Pharoah Monch, Dido, Carlos Santana, and Richie Havens. He has released nine solo albums to date, with the most recent being 2021’s The Pull of Niagara Falls. Among his most successful records are The Rainwater LP, Every Waking Moment, and One Lovely Day, all of which made the US Billboard Top 200.
Cope was born in Memphis, Tennessee, in 1968 — a legendary place in American music history — although he mostly grew up further north in Washington, D.C. It was there that he got his first break into the music industry, becoming the DJ for the hip-hop/alternative rock group Basehead during the early 1990s. After being signed as a solo artist to major labels during the late 1990s and early 2000s, he eventually formed his own label, Rainwater, in 2007, ensuring complete creative control over his career.
One of Cope’s first big breaks came in 2002 when he sang his song ‘Sideways’ on Santana’s 2002 album Shaman, which became a worldwide hit and topped the American charts. It has also since been covered by the likes of Sheryl Crow, John Mayer, and Slipknot lead singer Corey Taylor. In 2008, he recorded a duet with multi-million-selling singer Dido for her album Safe Trip Home. His songs have also been used extensively in many films and television series during the past 20 years.