Chris Cox Rox!
by Chris Cox
I was born and raised in Oak Cliff, Texas then later in Desoto, Texas. I played in many bands growing up, teaching myself to play guitar, drums and bass by watching others. I hit the club scene around the age of sixteen with my home town rock bands. In my early 20’s I was head lining clubs in Dallas like Club DaDa, Trees and the Greenville Bar and Grill plus many others with my band La La Land. I also traveled outside of Texas with La La Land and got radio play in several markets.
I made a big departure from the popular bohemian style music I had been writing for 10 years to the harder side of Rock. Four well known musicians including me formed Dallas based band Tin Henry. With Tin Henry I continued to play Dallas clubs expanding my resume by hitting the stage with new friends from Sugar Ray. Tin Henry played with several national acts through their 10+ year run, also making a video which aired around the world for Blockbuster VH1 and MTV.
After Tin Henry, I formed Automatic with childhood friends and bike builders Jason and Joe Martin. Playing bike shows in Las Vegas, and local clubs I had a much more relaxed schedule. I had made the musical journey full circle back to the style that first attracted me to music.
On March 15th, 2006 my life changed. I was diagnosed with MS (Multiple Sclerosis). In terrible pain and with damage to my hands and feet, music was the last thought on my mind. With the possibility of being confined to a wheel chair and without full use of my hands, plans started to change. My guitar case didn’t open for nearly a year. Learning to use my hands different than I had been used to was both frustrating and rewarding. I also took small strides in walking.
Balance issues and the constant feeling of broken bones in the bottom of my feet were slowly getting better. The numbness in my hands was the first hurdle when I did go back to my guitar.
It was like learning to play all over again by sight and with the feel. Not knowing the amount of pressure being applied to the strings made playing time limited due to the damage the strings would cause to the skin.
Things improved quite a bit for me until I had a relapse early in 2008. After 5 months I’m almost back to normal with minimal pain and discomfort. I just finished my debut solo CD. I think it is my most accomplished work as a musician. I am doing what I love, making music and having fun doing it. I also opened a café press store with T-shirts and other cool stuff for my CD, ALL of the profits will be donated to the MS Society. I have MS; it does not have me.
You can find me at www.chriscoxrox.com
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