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Hank Cochran

 
Artist: Hank Cochran
  • Born: August 02, 1935, Isola, MS
  • Active: '60s, '70s, '80s, '90s
  • Genres: Country
  • Instrument: Composer
  • Representative Albums: "The Heart of Hank: The Monument Sessions," "The Heart of Hank Cochran," "Make the World Go Away"
  • Representative Songs: "Ain't Life Hell," "Patsy," "I Wish It Was That Easy Going"

Biography

Nashville songwriter Hank Cochran penned dozens of country hits during the 1960s, '70s, and '80s, including "I Fall to Pieces" (Patsy Cline), "The Chair" (George Strait), "Don't Touch Me" (Jeannie Seely), "Don't You Ever Get Tired of Hurtin' Me?" (Ray Price and Ronnie Milsap), "It's Not Love (But It's Not Bad)" (Merle Haggard), "Make the World Go Away" (Eddy Arnold), and "She's Got You" (Cline again). Cochran balanced music and lyric chores evenly when writing co-compositions with Nashville legends like Harlan Howard, Vern Gosdin, and Dean Dillon. ~ John Bush, All Music Guide
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Wikipedia: Hank Cochran
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Hank Cochran
Birth name Garland Perry Cochran[1]
Born August 2, 1935 (1935-08-02) (age 74)[1]
Origin Isola, Mississippi, USA[1]
Genres Country
Occupations Singer-songwriter
Instruments Vocals, guitar[1]
Years active 1960-present
Labels Liberty, Gaylord, Monument, Capitol, Elektra[1]
Associated acts Patsy Cline, Willie Nelson

Garland Perry "Hank" Cochran (b. August 2, 1935) is an American country music singer and songwriter. Starting in the 1960s, Cochran has been a prolific songwriter in the genre, including major hits by Patsy Cline, Ray Price, Eddy Arnold and others. Cochran was also a recording artist between 1962 and 1980, charting seven times on the Billboard country charts, with his highes solo peak being the #20 "Sally Was a Good Old Girl."

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Biography

Born during the Great Depression in Isola, Mississippi, he contracted pneumonia, whooping cough, measles and mumps all about the same time at age 2. The doctor didn't think that he would survive. His parents divorced when he was 9, he moved with his father to Memphis, Tennessee, but then went to an orphanage. He was sent to live with his grandparents, in Waynesboro, Mississippi, after he had run away from the orphanage twice. His uncle Otis Cochran taught him how to play the guitar as the pair hitchhiked from Mississippi to southeastern New Mexico to work in the oilfields.[2]

After returning to Mississippi in his teens, he went to California and picked olives. While there he formed The Cochran Brothers, a duo with un-related Eddie Cochran.[2]

At age 24 he moved to Nashville, Tennessee in 1960, and teamed up with Harlan Howard to write "I Fall to Pieces" that became a major hit for Patsy Cline (recorded November 16, 1960), reaching #1 on the Billboard country carts and #12 on the Billboard Hot 100 (chart for all music categories). Cline also recorded Cochran's "She's Got You" (recorded December 17, 1961; which was another major hit, #1 on the country charts and #14 on the Hot 100), and "Why Can't He Be You" (recorded September 5, 1962).

In 1960 he was on a date at a movie theater when the film inspired him, he had to leave the theater right away, and by the time he reached home fifteen minutes later he had composed "Make the World Go Away". A song that Ray Price would record and reach #2 on the Billboard country carts in 1963, and then Eddy Arnold would make his signature hit in 1964, reaching #1 on the country charts and #6 on the overall Billboard Hot 100 charts in 1965 (his highest rated song ever).[2] Arnold would also record the song "I Want to Go with You".

Cochran wrote several hit songs sung by Burl Ives ("A Little Bitty Tear", "It's Just My Funny Way of Laughin'", "The Same Old Hurt"). He also wrote songs for George Strait ("The Chair" with Dean Dillon and "Ocean Front Property" with Dillon and Royce Porter), Merle Haggard ("It's Not Love (But It's Not Bad)"), "Don't You Ever Get Tired (of Hurting Me)", a No. 1 record for Ronnie Milsap, and Mickey Gilley ("That's All That Matters").

While working at publishing company Pamper Music, he used to spend nights playing at a Nashville bar called Tootsie's Orchid Lounge. While there a new guy showed up and Cochran was amazed, he then encouraged management to sign the young songwriter, Willie Nelson, giving Nelson a raise that was coming to him at the time.[2]

Two of his fondest memories are working with Natalie Cole (among other artists) on a 2003 tribute album to Patsy Cline (Remembering Patsy Cline), because of his love for her father Nat King Cole,[2] and his collaboration with Vern Gosdin for the 1988 album Chiseled in Stone (Gosdin's highest rated album at #7).[3]

In 2008 he let singer Lea Anne Creswell come to his home and pick out an album's worth of songs which the artist released on the album title Lea Anne Sings Hank Cochran and ....[4]

He had cancerous tumors surgically removed from his pancreas and lymph node at a Nashville Hospital in July 2008. The doctors expect Cochran to make a full recovery as the diagnosis was made very early.[5]

Cochran has been married five times, his last with wife Suzi has been since 1982.[2]

Awards and honors

List of awards and honors include:[2]

Artist recordings

Notable artists who have recorded his songs include:[2]

Chart singles

Year Single Peak chart positions[1]
US Country
1962 "Sally Was a Good Old Girl" 20
"I'd Fight the World" 23
1963 "A Good Country Song" 25
1967 "All of Me Belongs to You" 70
1978 "Willie" 91
"Ain't Life Hell" (with Willie Nelson) 77
1980 "A Little Bitty Tear" (with Willie Nelson) 57

References

  • Oermann, Robert K. (1998). - "Hank Cochran". - The Encyclopedia of Country Music. - Paul Kingsbury, Editor. - New York: Oxford University Press. - pp.101-2. - ISBN 9780195176087
  1. ^ a b c d e f Whitburn, Joel (2008). Hot Country Songs 1944 to 2008. Record Research, Inc. pp. 97. ISBN 0-89820-177-2. 
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h Watkins, Billy. - "Everybody wants to sing". - The Clarion-Ledger. - August 6, 2003.
  3. ^ Cooper, Peter. - "The man, the mystery and the mega-hits". - The Tennessean. - March 23, 2007.
  4. ^ Moon, Troy. - "Songwriter lends talent to CD, but will Willie be at release party?". - Pensacola News Journal. - May 18, 2001.
  5. ^ Associated Press. - July 20, 2008.

External links


 
 
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