Corey Duncan

Corey Duncan, known on stage and online as CyD, is a Southern-born storyteller, multi-instrumentalist, and lyrical craftsman whose music is steeped in grit, firelight, and the poetry of lived experience.

His journey began at age four, after being ask what he wanted to be when he grew up. Trying to remember the Alan Jackson lyric he said—“a hoochie coochie cowboy”. That moment sparked a lifelong obsession with sound, rhythm, and the stories behind the songs. Though his trumpet career in third-grade band lasted just three days (thanks to a schoolyard scuffle and a stern dad), Corey never stopped chasing music. From early experiments with Audacity and bootleg beats to salvaging mandolins and dusty guitars from his grandparents’ stash, he taught himself the ropes in a pre-YouTube world—one chord, one sample, one mistake at a time.

His first real guitar came from a pawn shop after a river trip with friends, a bottle of Jim Beam, and a G chord that changed everything. That $60 Alpine guitar—rescued from a sketchy ATM encounter—became the launchpad for a songwriting streak that exploded during Hurricane Katrina. With no power, no AC, and plenty of backyard bonfires, Corey penned his first song in the dark, and it felt like it had always existed.

Since then, he’s written over 500 songs, with more than 230 released, including early material like “Camo and Chrome,” “Titty Titty Bang Bang,” and the original “Muddy South Anthem.” He’s built DIY studios from church mixers and acoustic panels, played everything from electric slide to fiddle, and laid down vocals that echo with raw emotion and Southern absurdity.

Now, after a significant creative separation from the Muddy South collective, Corey has fully committed to his solo vision as CyD, staking his claim as an independent force in Southern music. He blends gritty storytelling, raw sound engineering, and lyrical depth into a style that rejects the polished mainstream in favor of genuine roots. He’s not just making music—he’s building his own world where every chord has a backstory, and every lyric hits like a punchline with heart.