NORTH BAY -- North Bay’s own country musician Cory Marks’ hit single, 'Outlaws & Outsiders,' off his latest album, reached a gold certificate.

The song hit more than 33 million streams worldwide and launched Marks’ fame in both the United States and Canada. The song was also included in the soundtrack for the movie 'Sno Babies.'

He never imagined his song would be such a hit with country and rock fans around the world.

“We had a vision and a certain sound that we wanted to do and the way country music is going, it’s so stuck in a box,” said Marks in an interview with CTV News. “The numbers are proven that people are loving this sound, whether they’re hard rock fans or country fans.”

Outlaws & Outsiders first debuted as a single off Marks’ summer 2020 album, 'Who I Am.' It became an instant classic. It peaked at No. 1 on iTunes in Canada as well as No. 1 on Billboard charts. The song received the gold certification.

“It’s a huge accomplishment, especially as a Canadian artist,” said Marks. “It’s a huge milestone.”

Marks is celebrating by re-releasing a single called 'Blame It On The Double.' The single is a reimagined version of the original laid back country anthem that appeared on the Who I Am record. The song features Tyler Connolly, lead singer of the Canadian group Theory of a Deadman, and Jason Hook from the heavy metal band Five Finger Death Punch.

“It was right up my alley. When I first heard the song I thought it was going to be good,” Connolly told CTV News. “I had a lot of fun. It was kind of like going back and that put a smile on my face.”

Marks said he was thrilled to partner with Connolly and Hook as they brought rock elementals to the song.

“It’s a song I love and this sound of rock-country stompin’ anthemic party sound is exactly what Blame It on The Double is,” he said. “Those guys have done incredible things, you know, and Tyler’s voice really just adds that rock edge to it.”

Music industry expert Eric Alper said Marks’ rise to fame proves that you don’t have to be from a big city to do well in the music scene.

“Before the mid-2010s or so, if you wanted to break into the music industry, you had to go to Los Angeles, New York or Nashville, or in Toronto in Canada,” he said. “Cory being from a small town and broke through just shows how good he was from the get-go.”

As for what’s to come, Marks is currently writing and recording a new album which will include a song called 'The Snowbirds' in honour of the Canadian Snowbirds aerial squadron and captain Jennifer Casey, who tragically died when her plane crashed last May.

Marks is joining Theory of a Deadman in their two-month Say Nothing Tour 2021 of the U.S starting in September.