Eddie Cochran
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Eddie Cochran (October 3, 1938 – April 17, 1960) was an early American rockabilly musician and an important influence on popular music during the 1960s.
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Early life and career
He was born Edward Ray Cochrane, in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, and was raised in Albert Lea, Minnesota. He began his musical career in 1955 with an unrelated friend named Hank Cochran (later a country music songwriter). The duo recorded as The Cochran Brothers. Eddie Cochran also worked as a session musician, and began writing songs, making a "demo" with Jerry Capehart, his future manager.
Solo success
In 1956, Boris Petroff asked Cochran if he would appear in The Girl Can't Help It. He agreed and sang a song called "Twenty-Flight Rock" in the movie. In 1957, Cochran had his first hit, "Sittin' in the Balcony", one of the few songs he recorded that had been written by someone else (John D. Loudermilk). However, his most famous hit, "Summertime Blues", was his own composition and was an important influence on music in the late 1960s, both lyrically and musically. Cochran's brief career included only a few more hits, such as "C'mon Everybody", "Somethin' Else", "My Way", "Weekend", "Nervous Breakdown", and his posthumous UK Number 1 hit "Three Steps to Heaven". Cochran is also known for his favorite instrument, the Gretsch 6120 electric guitar.
Death
In 1960, while on tour in Britain, Cochran died in a high speed traffic accident in a London taxicab. His girlfriend, the songwriter Sharon Sheeley, and the singer Gene Vincent survived the crash. Eddie Cochran is interred in the Forest Lawn Cypress cemetery in Cypress, California. A posthumous album My Way was released in 1964.
Posthumous releases and honors
The British Label Rockstar Records is still looking for unpublished songs and has more of Cochrane's music since the early Seventies than was available during his lifetime. In 1987, Eddie Cochran was induced into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.
External Links
- Remember Eddie Cochrane at www.eddiecochran.info (http://www.eddiecochran.info/)de:Eddie Cochran
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