Colonel Cobalt & Cobalt Minor
No one's really sure where Colonel Cobalt was born or what year.
Abandoned as an infant, Appalachian lore says he was raised by
coyotes and that his mother was a blacksmith, and his father was
a piano tuner, accordion repairman and a "penny anti" outlaw. No
one knows how he got his name or why he calls himself a
Colonel. He was denied military service as he was deemed
mentally unfit.
The most persistent rumor is he likes the 11 herbs and spices of
another famous Colonel's chicken but most suspect he called
himself that because Colonel Tom Parker allegedly tossed a bottle
beer cap into his guitar case when he was 8 years old busking on
a street corner in Memphis.
As a child he was in and out of foster homes and spent two years
in a detention center in Texas as a teen. Interviews with the foster
parents have revealed that they all thought he was dangerous
and extremely odd. He would spend hours alone in his room,
listening to vinyl rock and roll and country 45s on a Sears,
Roebuck, and Company portable phonograph that had the name
Becky Flanders written inside the lid in black crayon. He grew his
trademark beard when he was eleven years old, oddly enough, it
was white even though the Colonel, as a child, had dark hair.
He roamed the country in his twenties busking on street corners
with a guitar he made from a wooden apricot crate and barbed
wire. He occasionally would land a gig in a beer joint or a child's
birthday party. He was usually asked to leave after the first two
songs, however.
Then, he just disappeared. There were rampant rumors of
Colonel Cobalt sightings all over the world. Blurry photos from
Cairo, Spain, Mississippi, New Zealand and local stories from
hundreds of other locations seemed to be authentic, but one thing
was certain, he was elusive and always moving.
No one knew where he got the money to maintain his lifestyle.
One day he would be in a Ritz Carlton penthouse, the next,
sleeping under newspapers on a park bench. Johnny Cash and
Burl Ives would get postcards from the Colonel and the postmarks
backed up the sighting rumors.
The postcards always had the same message, "Quit stealing my
material! Best, CC"
Then, in the late nineties, he showed up in Nashville, the place
where he said he would never set foot again, even to take a leak.
He released three albums with his band Cobalt Minor (CM) that
went nowhere. The music is available on iTunes. He told a
waitress at Pancake Pantry iTunes had finally paid him and he
was celebrating by blowing it all on a short stack.
He was busking again but always seemed to have a lot of money.
Word was he was being supported by wealthy widows and
divorcees, but he denies this saying he didn't need anybody's
help or sass.
The Colonel never took music lessons and taught himself the only
five chord formations he knows, yet he can't tell you what chords
they are and will physically fight you if you ask him what key the
song is in. The only cover song he ever learned was "Stepping
Stone" because he thought he could sing it harder than Micky
Dolenz of The Monkees.
Asked how the band got its name, the Colonel said the Chapel at
the detention home where he was sentenced had a stained glass
window made of Cobalt Blue glass and he thought it was nice to
look at. He says the best songs are written in minor keys, hence,
Cobalt Minor. Deep blue for the blue souls.
The Colonel writes, arranges and records all his music in his
clandestine personal studio located on Amelia Island, Florida. His
songs range from hillbilly tinged rock to music that can't and
maybe shouldn't, be categorized. Most songs lean into a 70's era
vibe.
CM is made up of The Colonel, who composes the songs and
sings lead vocals and his bought off friends from Nashville,
Tennessee who can actually tell you what key the song is in.
Most songs lean towards the darker side of politics and
relationships gone south. Asked why he doesn't write happy
songs, he says you can always tell if an artist is honest. He says
he won't write a lie.
Colonel Cobalt was always asked why he didn't turn professional
or try to get a major label record deal. He always said he "Weren't
gonna have some SOB A&R pansy telling him to change this or
that."
Remarkably, Colonel Cobalt and his band, CM have released a
vinyl album of peculiar, and not particularly memorable songs,
titled "Sharks Teeth". A video of a live performance in a well
known Nashville dive was recently posted to YouTube and other
media sites titled Cobalt Minor - ATJ "The Movie". The video is for
the song "According To Jesus" which is a protest song against
prosperity preachers. The Colonel says ". . . a preacher ought not
drive a Ferrari if he gets little old ladies to pay for it by telling them
they can live their best life." The critics have not been kind but the
Colonel said "Those who can't do, critique.".
He was recently overheard in a Nashville West side laundromat
saying he had a whole 'nother album ready to release but he
wasn't going to until "Sharks Teeth" had sold tens of dozens.
Someone said his entire fan club rented a 15 passenger van
when they heard he was playing Bonnaroo, only to be crest fallen
after finding out he was just a parking attendant for the festival.
They had already cancelled the van since only three people
committed to going.
Well, the Colonel sold (gave away) tens of dozens of the vinyl
record so CM has been working on finishing up the next album
release titled "Out Of The Blue". The Colonel says it's the best
mess he's ever made.