First Fridays at the Forum - Cory Jackson

Featuring Mary Beth Byrd

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 that can be found on all music platforms.

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. This year he received a top five nomination in the category of “County Artist of the Year” for the 2019 ACMAs. He was named 2019 “Best Vocalist” in the “Best of Northeast Arkansas” sponsored by the Jonesboro Radio Group. Recently, Cory made his national debut on Season 17 of NBC’s The Voice.

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.

Cory is very active on the social media platform, with postings on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and Snapchat accounts several times a week. His established fan base of thousands continues to grow as the demand for his performance increases across the State of Arkansas and the surrounding region.

Friday, March 6, 2020

7:30pm