Journeyman vocalist John Corabi had already been cutting histeeth in the hard rock world for nearly a decade when he landed the high-profile gig of replacing Mötley Crüe front man VinceNeil in 1992. Although his tenure with the group proved to be a brief one, Corabi earned a reputation as a go-to front man and collaborator, amassing a solid résumé as a singer and guitarist with acts like The Scream, The Eric Singer Project (ESP), Union, and The Dead Daisies. Born on April 26, 1959, in Philadelphia, Corabi, like many musicians from his generation, was drawn into music by seeing The Beatles on television as a child. After graduating high school, Corabi worked various odd jobs while singing lead for hisband, Angora. A visit to Los Angeles during the height of the ’80’s metal scene convinced him to relocate there in 1986, and soon Angora had joined him. The band managed to attract a following but, aside from some interest from Gene Simmons, internal dissension wrecked the group before it could land a recording deal. With guitarist Bruce Bouillet and bass player Juan Alderete, both from the recently defunct Racer X, Corabi formed The Scream in 1989. They released Let It Scream through Hollywood Records two years later and managed to garner airplay on rock radio with the track “Man in the Moon." In early 1992, Corabi accepted an invitation to replace the fired Vince Neil in the platinum-selling Mötley Crüe. With Corabi on vocals, Mötley Crüe released the eagerly awaited follow-up to their career-making Dr. Feelgood; however, in the wake of grunge and with Corabi not embraced by the band’s faithful, Mötley Crüe was an unmitigated bust despite a Top Tenplacement on the album charts. When Neil returned to the fold, Corabi was left on his owna nd formed the band Union with ex-Kiss guitarist Bruce Kulick. Although not a major commercial success, the pedigrees of the band’s members ensured a following in the hard rock world, and their self-titled 1998 release did well with its limited audience. Corabi would unite with drummer Eric Singer (Kiss) and guitarist Karl Cochran (Kiss, Ace Frehley) to release an eponymous album under the moniker ESP in 1999 and would also tour with an incarnation of Ratt in the following years. Throughout the remainde rof the decade, Corabi largely split his time between playing with Ratt, Union, and ESP, releasing live albums with the latter two in 2005 and 2007, respectively. Corabi made his solo recording debut in 2012 with the acoustic set Unplugged. In 2015, he joined Australian musician David Lowy’s hard rock supergroup, The Dead Daisies, as lead vocalist, recording their second album, Revolución. Following several tours supporting Kiss throughout Europe and Australia, the band followed up with 2016’s Make Some Noise, which made a strong showing globally and reached number 11 in the U.S. on Billboard’s Top Hard Rock Albums chart. Corabi’s career renaissance continued as The Dead Daisies remained highly visible, turning out a 2017 concert set, Live & Louder, and a studio follow-up, Burn It Down, a year later.

The magnolia symbolizes resilience, so it is no wonder that Brother Cane have chosen to highlight the mighty tree for it’s return to original recorded music for the first time in twenty eight years. Magnolia Medicine also sees the return of the creative partnership of singer/lead guitarist/ principle songwriter Damon Johnson and award-winning producer and songwriter Marti Frederiksen. After forming in Birmingham, Alabama Brother Cane was ubiquitous on rock radio throughout the mid to late nineties. Their debut self titled Virgin Records album birthed three hit singles, “Got No Shame”, “That Don’t Satisfy Me” and “Hard Act To Follow”. Followed two years later by the hit “And Fools Shine On” from the album Seeds, and then “I Lie In The Bed I Make” from the 1998 album Wishpool. which also went to number one on rock radio. Wishpool would be the band’s final full length release until now. Written and recorded in Nashville, Magnolia Medicine sees Johnson, original bassist Glenn Maxey, drummer Jarred Pope, guitarist Tony Higbee, and keyboardist Buck Johnson put forth an eleven track effort steeped in all of their various influences. For the past twenty five years Johnson has been the lead guitarist on global tours for John Waite, Alice Cooper, Thin Lizzy and now currently filling the enormous hole left by the late Gary Rossington in Lynyrd Skynyrd. These experiences have helped provide the inspiration and source material for Magnolia Medicine. Opening track “If This Means War” leans heavy into an aggressive stance that announces that this is no meek or half assed attempt for Brother Cane to reenter the world of rock and roll. This return is sonic, soulful and it is not messing around. The swampy “Take A Chance” is vintage Brother Cane in that it was co-written by Johnson and Frederiksen. The song is a perfect example of the ineffable relationship between a musician and his creative partner. A strong riff from Johnson and a soaring melody from Frederiksen have always been the magic sauce that makes Brother Cane tick. This is further proven on the riotous and infectious “Nothing To Lose”. While Magnolia Medicine is a deeply personal album to Johnson, such as on the breathtaking “The Wolf On The Mountain”, which explores the complications of mental illness infecting a family and a community against the backdrop of mournful drop D tuning, ultimately the album feels like a family endeavor. Johnson has described the current lineup as close friends that are like brothers. This vibe carried the project through to the highlight track “Prince Charming” which is a haunting and hopeful tribute to Gary Rossington. Featuring a stunning guest vocal from Skynryd’s Johnny Van Zant, the song, whose title is a reference to Rossington’s nickname, is in effect a hymn. It holds space for the pain of losing someone you love and admire while also making you feel like they are in the room with you just waiting for another hug. Another tribute of sorts is the track “Miracle” which pays homage in tone and spirit to the great American songwriter and artist Tom Petty. You can also feel the pull of Bruce Springsteen in the song “Are You In There Anymore”. After multiple decades in the music business Johnson knows where he came from and he knows what he likes. His love of music is genuine and here he and the band acknowledge their heroes while being unapologetically themselves. Johnson recounted that the title Magnolia Medicine came to him after he and his wife rehabilitated a Little Gem Magnolia tree that was dying in their backyard. After they almost lost hope that the tree would survive they began treating it with a special fertilizer and finally one beautiful single white blossom appeared at the top of the tree. A southern flower, a tree resurrected. So here is Brother Cane, a southern band, reborn. Magnolia Medicine is set for release in early 2026 on Double Dragon Records distributed by DSR/Virgin Music Group