Eddie Cochran
Edward Ray Cochran entered the world on the 3rd of October 1938 in Albert Lea, Minnesota. His parents Alice and Frank R. Cochran were originally from Oklahoma but raised him in a household where music played a central role. He took formal lessons at school before quitting the band to play drums instead. Rather than continuing with piano instruction, he taught himself blues guitar by listening to country and other music on the radio. In 1952 his family moved to Bell Gardens, California where his skills continued to grow. By January 1955 he dropped out of Bell Gardens High School during his first year to pursue professional music full time.
Cochran experimented with multitrack recording and distortion techniques even on his earliest singles. He recorded "Twenty Flight Rock" for the film The Girl Can't Help It starring Jayne Mansfield in 1956. That same spring Boris Petroff asked him to appear in the movie and he agreed to perform the song. His first record for Liberty Records titled Sittin' in the Balcony rose to number 18 on the Billboard charts shortly after. In July 1956 Crest Records released his first solo single Skinny Jim which is now regarded as a rock-and-roll classic. By summer 1957 Liberty issued Singin' to My Baby containing songs like One Kiss and When I'm Mad written by Cochran himself.
Throughout his career Cochran made television appearances including an the 22nd of October 1957 performance on KPTV's High Time hosted by Gene Brendler. During late 1957 he toured with Buddy Holly and the Crickets Fats Domino Chuck Berry and the Everly Brothers. On November 1958 he performed C'mon Everybody on American Bandstand and The Dick Clark Show. the 7th of February 1959 saw him play live on Town Hall Party with Dick D'Agostin and the Swingers performing Summertime Blues and School Days. He appeared on BBC radio show Saturday Club during his UK tour in 1960 and performed on Boy Meets Girls hosted by Marty Wilde. His film roles included Untamed Youth in 1957 and Go Johnny Go! in 1959.
On the 16th of April 1960 Cochran and Gene Vincent had just finished performing at the Bristol Hippodrome. They traveled along Bath Road in a cream-colored 1960 model Ford Consul Mark II saloon toward Heathrow Airport. At about 11:50 p.m. the driver George Martin lost control of the vehicle which crashed into a concrete lamppost at Rowden Hill in Chippenham. Cochran who was seated in the center of the back seat threw himself over Sharon Sheeley to shield her. The force caused the left rear passenger door to open and Cochran was ejected from the vehicle sustaining massive brain injury. He died at 4:10 p.m. the following day Easter Sunday at St. Martin's Hospital in Bath.
A posthumous album titled My Way was released in 1964 by Rockstar Records. In 1987 Cochran was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame for his pioneering contribution to rockabilly. One of his posthumous releases Three Stars served as a tribute to Buddy Holly Ritchie Valens and the Big Bopper who died in a plane crash one year earlier. Rolling Stone magazine ranked him number 84 on its 2003 list of the 100 greatest guitarists of all time. On the 2nd of June 2008 EMI Records released The Very Best of Eddie Cochran compilation. the 27th of September 2010 saw the mayor of Bell Gardens declare October 3 that year as Eddie Cochran Day.
Cochran played the Gretsch 6120 guitar with a Wild West G branded into the body's bass bout. He is credited with being one of the first to use an unwound third string to bend notes up a whole tone. Paul McCartney knew the chords and words to Twenty Flight Rock when he met John Lennon at St. Peter's Church on the 6th of July 1957. Lennon invited McCartney to play in his band the Quarrymen after hearing that performance. Jimi Hendrix performed Summertime Blues early in his career with the Jimi Hendrix Experience in 1967. Pete Townshend of the Who made Summertime Blues a staple of live performances for most of their career until John Entwistle died in 2002.
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Common questions
When and where was Eddie Cochran born?
Edward Ray Cochran entered the world on the 3rd of October 1938 in Albert Lea, Minnesota. His parents Alice and Frank R. Cochran were originally from Oklahoma but raised him in a household where music played a central role.
What caused Eddie Cochran to die in April 1960?
Cochran died at 4:10 p.m. the following day Easter Sunday at St. Martin's Hospital in Bath after being ejected from a vehicle that crashed into a concrete lamppost at Rowden Hill in Chippenham. The driver George Martin lost control of the cream-colored 1960 model Ford Consul Mark II saloon while traveling toward Heathrow Airport on the 16th of April 1960.
Which songs did Eddie Cochran write or perform during his career?
Eddie Cochran wrote songs like One Kiss and When I'm Mad for Liberty Records and performed hits such as Summertime Blues and School Days. He also recorded Twenty Flight Rock for the film The Girl Can't Help It starring Jayne Mansfield in 1956.
When was Eddie Cochran inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame?
In 1987 Cochran was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame for his pioneering contribution to rockabilly. Rolling Stone magazine ranked him number 84 on its 2003 list of the 100 greatest guitarists of all time.
What guitar equipment did Eddie Cochran use to create his sound?
Cochran played the Gretsch 6120 guitar with a Wild West G branded into the body's bass bout. He is credited with being one of the first to use an unwound third string to bend notes up a whole tone.