Vincent Cross’ The Life & Times of James ‘The Rooster’ Corcoran is scheduled for release on 7 August via Rescue Dog Records. The album is inspired by the life of James “The Rooster” Corcoran, the Irish-American immigrant who led a notorious gang in New York City during his lifetime.
Cross, a descendent of Corcoran, delivers a subtle but powerful portrait with “King Corcoran”. It’s a quiet meditation that speaks to folk’s narrative powers and Cross’s special powers as a songwriter, his ability to cast a vivid portrait of a man he never knew, a place he’s never been.
“It was the first song written for the album and is titled directly after the 13 November 1900, New York Times article, ‘King’ Corcoran Goes to Rest'”, Cross says. “He’s seen as the ‘terror’ of New York’s east side police and the article claims ‘he killed and maimed police for exercise.’ He was an underworld folk hero of a modern dark fairy tale.”