Marc Wallace Jordan (born March 6, 1948) is an American-born Canadian singer-songwriter, record producer, session musician, and actor. Covering a wide variety of genres, he has written songs for a number of well-known artists, including

Diana Ross Diana Ross (born Diane Ernestine Earle Ross March 26, 1944) is an American singer and actress. Known as the "Queen of Motown Records", she was the lead singer of the vocal group the Supremes, who became Motown#Major divisions, Motown's most suc ...

Rod Stewart Sir Roderick David Stewart (born 10 January 1945) is a British singer and songwriter. Known for his distinctive raspy singing voice, Stewart is among the List of best-selling music artists, best-selling music artists of all time, having sold ...

Cher Cher ( ; born Cheryl Sarkisian, May 20, 1946) is an American singer, actress and television personality. Dubbed the "Honorific nicknames in popular music, Goddess of Pop", she is known for her Androgyny, androgynous contralto voice, Music an ...

Bette Midler Bette Midler ( ;''Inside the Actors Studio'', 2004 born December 1, 1945) is an American actress, comedian, singer, and author. Throughout her five-decade career Midler has received List of awards and nominations received by Bette Midler, numero ...

, Chicago, and

Josh Groban Joshua Winslow Groban (born February 27, 1981) is an American singer, songwriter, and actor. His first four solo albums have been certified multi-platinum, and he was charted in 2007 as the number-one best selling artist in the United States, ...

. He was named best producer with Steven MacKinnon at the

Juno Awards The Juno Awards (stylized as JUNOS), or simply known as the Junos, are awards presented by the Canadian Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences to recognize outstanding achievements in Canada's music industry. The Grammy Awards are the United S ...

in 1994 for "Waiting for a Miracle" from ''Reckless Valentine''. In early 2014, Jordan was named Chair of Slaight Family Music Lab at Norman Jewison's

Canadian Film Centre The Canadian Film Centre (CFC) is a charitable organization founded in 1988 by filmmaker Norman Jewison in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Originally launched as a film school, today it provides training, development and advancement opportunities for ...

Biography

Born in

Brooklyn Brooklyn is a Boroughs of New York City, borough of New York City located at the westernmost end of Long Island in the New York (state), State of New York. Formerly an independent city, the borough is coextensive with Kings County, one of twelv ...

, New York, the son of

Canadian Canadians () are people identified with the country of Canada. This connection may be residential, legal, historical or cultural. For most Canadians, many (or all) of these connections exist and are collectively the source of their being ''C ...

singer Charles Jordan, Marc Jordan grew up in a musical household in Toronto after his father returned to Canada. He studied film at

Brock University Brock University is a public university, public research university in St. Catharines, Ontario, Canada. It is the only university in Canada in a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve, at the centre of Canada's Niagara Peninsula on the Niagara Escarpment. The ...

but soon turned to music, coming to public attention as a guitarist for Bobby Vee. With the Canadian division of CBS Records, Jordan released some singles in 1974, which included "It's a Fine Line", "New York Kids", "Original Sin"). They were not very successful themselves, but they impressed American music producer Gary Katz, and in 1977 Jordan reached a U.S. deal with Warner Bros. Records. This period with Warner spawned the Canadian hit songs "Marina del Rey" and "Survival" from the record ''Mannequin''; a second record produced by Jay Graydon called ''Blue Desert'' was released in 1979, and is regarded as a classic of the West Coast Sound of the period. In the 1980s, Jordan was signed to RCA for two records. Paul De Villiers produced the first, ''Talking Through Pictures'', and Kim Bullard the second, called ''C.O.W.''. In 1988, Jordan sang and co-wrote the theme song to the hit Australian movie ''Boulevard of Broken Dreams'' which was nominated for an AFI Award for Best Film. In 1989, he and Jay Gruska received a

Genie Award The Genie Awards were given out annually by the Academy of Canadian Cinema and Television to recognize the best of Canadian cinema from 1980–2012. They succeeded the Canadian Film Awards (1949–1978), known as the "Etrog Awards" for sculptor ...

nomination for Best Original Song for "Shadow Dance", a song they wrote for the film '' Shadow Dancing''. In 1994, Jordan won a

Juno Award The Juno Awards (stylized as JUNOS), or simply known as the Junos, are awards presented by Canadian Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences, the Canadian Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences to recognize outstanding achievements in Canada's mu ...

for " Producer of the Year" (along with co-producer Steven MacKinnon) for "Waiting for a Miracle" from his ''Reckless Valentine'' album. After independently releasing the critically acclaimed recordings ''Reckless Valentine'' and ''Cool Jam Black Earth'', he was signed to Blue Note/EMI Canada in 1999, and followed up with two more

jazz Jazz is a music genre that originated in the African-American communities of New Orleans, Louisiana, in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Its roots are in blues, ragtime, European harmony, African rhythmic rituals, spirituals, h ...

-oriented CDs, ''This Is How Men Cry'' and ''Make Believe Ballroom''. In 2014 the

appointed Jordan as the Musical Director of its Slaight Family Music Lab. During the summer of 2016, Jordan was performing with singers

Murray McLauchlan Murray Edward McLauchlan, (born 30 June 1948) is a Canadian singer, songwriter, guitarist, pianist, and harmonica player. He is best known for his Canadian hits "The Farmer's Song," "Whispering Rain," and "Down by the Henry Moore". Early life ...

, Cindy Church and Ian Thomas in the group Lunch At Allen's, in a number of towns and small cities in Ontario, Canada. He is married to fellow singer-songwriter Amy Sky. They live in Toronto and have a cottage in Muskoka with their two children, Ezra and Zoe. Jordan and Sky are both national

UNICEF UNICEF ( ), originally the United Nations International Children's Emergency Fund, officially United Nations Children's Fund since 1953, is an agency of the United Nations responsible for providing Humanitarianism, humanitarian and Development a ...

Goodwill Ambassadors for Canada. Jordan made his acting debut in Michael McGowan's 2010 sports musical '' Score: A Hockey Musical'', where he plays Edgar Gordon, a pacifist father who along with his wife (

Olivia Newton-John Dame Olivia Newton-John (26 September 1948 – 8 August 2022) was a British and Australian singer and actress. With over 100 million records sold, Newton-John was one of the List of best-selling music artists#100 million to 119 million record ...

) have a 17-year-old son who has a talent for hockey. Jordan's fifteenth and latest studio album, ''Waiting for the Sun to Rise'', was released on April 21, 2023 through Linus Entertainment. It is Jordan's first album of original material since ''On a Perfect Day'' (2013). In October 2023, Jordan and his long-time collaborator John Capek were announced as new inductees into the

Canadian Songwriters Hall of Fame The Canadian Songwriters Hall of Fame () is a Canadian non-profit organization, founded in 1998 by Frank Davies, that inducts Canadians into their ''Hall of Fame'' within three different categories: songwriters, songs, and those others who have m ...

''This is How Men Cry''

First released in Canada by Blue Note/EMI on October 25, 1999, ''This is How Men Cry'' contains six tracks written by Jordan: "This Is How Men Cry," "Charlie Parker Loves Me" (covered by Rod Stewart on his album ''Human'', released February 6, 2001), "Slow Bombing the World," "I Must Have Left My Heart," "Let's Get Lost," and "London in the Rain". There are an additional three covers: Willie Nelson's '"Crazy," Elvis Costello's "Almost Blue," and Manny Curtis' " Let It Be Me". The lead track, "This is How Men Cry," is a poem about how men communicate, or more often how they don't.

Personal life

Marc Jordan is married to Amy Sky and they have two children together, a son, Ezra and a daughter, Zoe. Jordan is

Jewish Jews (, , ), or the Jewish people, are an ethnoreligious group and nation, originating from the Israelites of History of ancient Israel and Judah, ancient Israel and Judah. They also traditionally adhere to Judaism. Jewish ethnicity, rel ...

. His father was a

cantor A cantor or chanter is a person who leads people in singing or sometimes in prayer. Cantor as a profession generally refers to those leading a Jewish congregation, although it also applies to the lead singer or choir director in Christian contexts. ...

. Jordan is a member of the Canadian charity Artists Against Racism.

Discography

Studio albums

Albums

Live albums

* ''Live'' (1980) * ''Live: Now and Then'' (1999)

Compilation albums

* ''Living in Marina del Rey and Other Stories'' (2002) * ''Norm Amadio and Friends'' (2009)

Singles

Writing credits

A list of artists who have performed songs written by Jordan include the following: * Alfie Zappacosta – Tears of Hercules * Susan Aglukark * Jim Brickman *

Chicago Chicago is the List of municipalities in Illinois, most populous city in the U.S. state of Illinois and in the Midwestern United States. With a population of 2,746,388, as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is the List of Unite ...

Joe Cocker John Robert "Joe" Cocker (20 May 1944 – 22 December 2014) was an English singer known for his gritty, bluesy voice and dynamic stage performances featuring expressive body movements. Most of his best-known singles, such as "Feelin' Alright ...

* Holly Cole *

Natalie Cole Natalie Maria Cole (February 6, 1950 – December 31, 2015) was an American singer, songwriter, and actress. She was the daughter of singer and jazz pianist Nat King Cole. She rose to prominence in the mid-1970s, with the release of her debut ...

Shawn Colvin Shawn Colvin (born Shawna Lee Colvin, January 10, 1956) is an American singer-songwriter. She is best known for her 1997 Grammy Award-winning song "Sunny Came Home". Early life Colvin was born Shawna Lee Colvin in Vermillion, South Dakota, and ...

* Renée Geyer *

Molly Johnson Margaret Leslie "Molly" Johnson, Order of Canada, OC is a Canadian singer of pop and jazz. Biography Johnson began as a child performer, receiving formal training from the National Ballet School and the Banff School of Fine Arts. Johnson's b ...

* David Hasselhoff *

Jeff Healey Norman Jeffrey Healey (March 25, 1966 – March 2, 2008) was a Canadian blues, rock and jazz guitarist, singer and songwriter who attained popularity in the 1980s and 1990s. He reached No. 5 on the U.S. ''Billboard'' Hot 100 chart with " Ang ...

Don Johnson Don Wayne Johnson (born December 15, 1949) is an American actor and singer-songwriter. He played the role of James "Sonny" Crockett in the 1980s television series '' Miami Vice'', for which he won a Golden Globe, and received a Primetime Emm ...

Kansas Kansas ( ) is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. It borders Nebraska to the north; Missouri to the east; Oklahoma to the south; and Colorado to the west. Kansas is named a ...

Kenny Loggins Kenneth Clark "Kenny" Loggins (born January 7, 1948) is an American singer, songwriter, and guitarist. His early songs were recorded with the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band in 1970, which led to seven albums recorded with Jim Messina (musician), Jim Mess ...

* The Manhattan Transfer * Amanda Marshall * Iain Matthews *

* The Nylons *

Robert Priest Robert Priest (born 10 July 1951, in Walton-on-Thames, England) is a Canadian poet, children's literature, children's author and singer-songwriter. He has written eighteen books of poetry, four children's novels, four children's albums, and six ...

Bonnie Raitt Bonnie Lynn Raitt (; born November 8, 1949) is an American singer, guitarist, and songwriter. In 1971, Raitt released her Bonnie Raitt (album), self-titled debut album. Following this, she released a series of critically acclaimed Americana (mu ...

Runrig Runrig were a Scottish Celtic rock band formed on the Isle of Skye in 1973. From its inception, the band's line-up included brothers and songwriters Rory MacDonald (musician), Rory MacDonald (bass, vocals) and Calum MacDonald (musician), Calum ...

* Sawyer Brown * René Shuman * Amy Sky *

* Tiffany *

Kim Carnes Kim Carnes (; born July 20, 1945) is an American singer and songwriter born and raised in Los Angeles, California, Los Angeles. A veteran writer of many of her own hits, as well as those for numerous other artists, she began her career in 1966 as ...

* Keith Harkin * John Paul Young

References

External links

Official siteLunch at Allen's Official SiteFeatured Member page
( SOCAN) * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Jordan, Marc 1947 births American emigrants to Canada Brock University alumni Canadian country singer-songwriters Canadian pop singers Canadian jazz singers Jack Richardson Producer of the Year Award winners Living people Singers from Toronto 21st-century Canadian guitarists 20th-century African-American male singers 20th-century American male singers 20th-century American singers Canadian jazz guitarists Canadian male guitarists Canadian people of American-Jewish descent American people of Jewish descent Canadian male singer-songwriters Blue Note Records artists CBS Records artists RCA Records artists Warner Records artists Jewish Canadian musicians 21st-century Canadian male singers 21st-century Canadian singer-songwriters