<back - EDDIE COCHRAN aka RAY EDWARD COCHRANE - October3,1938 to April,17 1960 - In company with Buddy Holly and Gene Vincent, Eddie Cochran was one of the first Rock n' Roll guitarists to write and play his own material. Although he was born in Minnesota, he was brought up in California, which he always regarded as his home. Eddie was a natural musician and he could play the guitar before he was 12 years old. By the age of 16 he was playing professionally. He teamed up with another singer, Hank Cochran, and went on the road. Although the two were not related, they toured as The Cochran Brothers. In 1955, they saw Elvis Presley perform and it had a profound influence on Eddie. This was the kind of music that Eddie wanted to play.

He changed his style from Hillbilly to  Rockabilly. Hank Cochran preferred the more traditional Country sound and the Cochran Brothers split. Eddie began a collaboration with a young aspiring songwriter and drummer, Jerry Capeheart. Between the two of them, they would go on to produce Eddie Cochran's finest recorded work to this day. Still only 18, Eddie was cast in the 1956 Rock n' Roll film, The Girl Can't Help It. Also in the cast was Little Richard and Gene Vincent, who became a good friend of Eddie's. Eddie's performance of the number Twenty Flight Rock was electrifying. Another film followed, but music was Eddie's first love. He cut a singles Sittin' On the Balcony (1957), and joined the Biggest Show of Stars for '57, along with Buddy Holly, Chuck Berry and The Everly Brothers. The following year, Eddie had his first Gold Record with Summertime Blues. Scheduled to join the 1959 Winter Dance Party tour with his friend Buddy Holly, Eddie was prevented from doing so by the film Go Johnny Go. When Buddy's plane crashed, killing him, Big Bopper and Ritchie Valens, Eddie was devastated. He recorded John D. Loudermilk's song Three Stars as a tribute to his friends, but ironically it was not released until after his own death. Eddie's personal life, unusual for the music business, was harmonious. His girlfriend, Sharon Sheeley, was also a songwriter and understood the business. They had been introduced by Phil Everly, and following Eddie's next single, C'mon Everybody, the couple worked together to produce Somethin' Else (1959). C'mon Everybody proved much more popular in Britain than in the United States, and Eddie decided to consolidate his popularity there. He undertook a tour of Great Britain with his friend Gene Vincent. Eddie decided to fly back for the Easter break. En route to London Airport their car blew a tire and crashed into a lamp post. He never recovered, passing the next day at age of 21,1960. Eddie Cochran was inducted to the Rock&Roll Hall of Fame in 1987.   MP3 - Summertime Blues |