As we approach Mother's Day, it's a time for celebration. A time to hang out with mom and tell her how awesome she is and reflect on how she has positively influenced us.

However, for people like GRAMMY winner Marc Cohn, Mother's Day is bittersweet.

Cohn lost his mother at age 2, and his father died just years later. As a folk-rock singer/songwriter with a career spanning more than two decades, Cohn has found a safe haven in the joy of creating music, turning to songwriting to channel his difficult childhood circumstances.

"I was an orphan, basically in a way no one ever could have expected," Cohn told The Sacramento Bee. "I think that's quite clearly why all these ghosts, literally ghosts, appear in my music. I feel like I never really knew the most important people in my life."

On the strength of his 1991 eponymous debut album, which included poetic hits such as "Walking In Memphis," Cohn made a big splash at the 34th GRAMMY Awards, winning the coveted Best New Artist award. His solo career has since spanned four albums, including 2010's Listening Booth: 1970. In between, he has collaborated with Rosanne Cash, Shawn Colvin, Rodney Crowell, and Jackson Browne.

In 2005 while on tour, Cohn weathered another hardship after he found himself on the wrong end of a shooting during an attempted carjacking in Denver. The violent experience led to a bout with post-traumatic stress disorder. Once again, Cohn was able to turn to music to work through the obstacle.

"Very often in my life it's some sort of trauma, something I need to work through that songwriting helps me do," he said.

In the past year, Cohn has embarked on a concert tour to celebrate the 25th anniversary of his debut album. To make these concerts more intimate, he showcases photographs and video from his personal archives, which give his fans a more personal window into the people and places that have informed his songs. Included among the photographs are pictures of his parents.

"Occasionally, when I've looked while I'm playing to see them there, it's been very healing and very difficult to get through the song," said Cohn. "They really come alive."