Jon "Cody" Sokolski (1952- ) was born and raised on Manhattan's Upper East Side, his father was an attorney and his mother an architect. Sokolski decided to become a musician after seeing The Lovin' Spoonful in Central Park in 1967. He began studying percussion, but transitioned to guitar at the request of his parents. As a high school student, he attended concerts by Alice Cooper and Iggy Pop. He also became an apprentice to rock historian Lillian Roxon. Sokolski began his studies at Goddard College in Vermont, but left school to live with Peter Green (of Fleetwood Mac) in England. Following this he served as a roadie for the band Osibisa and then the blues musician Fred McDowell.
After moving to Boston, he co-founded the band Johanna Wild with Jon Butcher and Jeff Linscott. He briefly attended the Berklee College of Music, studying jazz, but left college once again to pursue a career in music. After moving back to New York, he joined the punk band, The Dictators, on bass in the mid 1970s. In the late-1970s, he briefly branched out to managing and producing artists, turning down Billy Squire. With the band Falcon Eddy, he toured alongside the Kinks, Meat Loaf, and Rush. Following this he joined the Secret Chiefs, which included former members of Joan Jett & the Blackhearts.
He married Marci Dodds in 1986, and in 1989 he decided to move to Champaign, Illinois to open a record store. The two opened Periscope Records in 1990. Four years later he joined the blues band The Delta Kings. After Periscope closed in 1999, Sokolski formed the band Cody and Gateway Drugs. In 2004, he briefly transitioned into property development, becoming the CEO of One Main Development in Champaign.
In 2016, he and Dodds moved to Chicago and Sokolski began performing as Dario Cohen. During the pandemic, he transitioned in his career once more, working in liscensing and signing deals with NASCAR, Keeping Up With the Kardashians, the Discovery Channel, and Universal Music.
Sources:Dario Cohen "the History": https://dariocohen.com/the-history
Annie Colletti, "Cody Sokolski: A Man with a Double Life and a Clear Passion for Music." (October 18, 2010): https://hautethought.com/2010/10/18/cody-sokolski-a-man-with-a-double-life-and-a-clear-passion-for-music/
Paul Wood, "Family Life Better Than Chasing Fame," The News Gazette (1995).
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