Hank Cochran
Hank Cochran | |
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Background information | |
Birth name | Garland Perry Cochran[1] |
Born | [1] Isola, Mississippi, U.S. | August 2, 1935
Died | July 15, 2010 Nashville, Tennessee, U.S. | (aged 74)
Genres | Country |
Occupation(s) | Singer-songwriter |
Instrument(s) |
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Years active | 1955–2010 |
Labels |
Garland Perry "Hank" Cochran (August 2, 1935 – July 15, 2010) was an American
Biography
Hank Cochran was born August 2, 1935, in
In 1960 at the age of 24, he hitchhiked for Hollywood, but ended up going to Nashville, and teamed with Harlan Howard to write the song "I Fall to Pieces".[2] [4]It became a major success for Patsy Cline (recorded November 16, 1960), reaching No. 1 on the Billboard country music charts and No. 12 on the Billboard Hot 100 (chart for all music categories). Cline also recorded Cochran's "She's Got You" (recorded December 17, 1961, it was another major hit, No. 1 on the country charts and No. 14 on the Hot 100), and "Why Can't He Be You" (recorded September 5, 1962).
In 1960, during a date at a movie theater, the film inspired him to compose a new song. He left the theater quickly, and by the time he got home fifteen minutes later, composed "
Cochran wrote several successful songs sung by Burl Ives ("A Little Bitty Tear", "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), Keith Whitley ("Miami, My Amy" also with Dillon and Porter), Merle Haggard ("It's Not Love (But It's Not Bad)"), "Don't You Ever Get Tired (of Hurting Me)", a No. 1 scoring record for Ronnie Milsap, and Mickey Gilley ("That's All That Matters").
While working at publishing company Pamper Music, some evenings, he performed in a Nashville tavern named Tootsie's Orchid Lounge. While there, he noticed an amazing new talent. He encouraged management to contract the young songwriter, Willie Nelson, giving Nelson a raise owed to him at the time.[5]
Two of his fondest memories were 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,[5] and his collaboration with Vern Gosdin for the 1988 album Chiseled in Stone (Gosdin's highest rated album at No. 7).[6]
In 2008, singer Lea Anne Creswell came to Cochran's home to choose songs for a new album, subsequently called Lea Anne Sings Hank Cochran and ....[7]
Marriages
Cochran was married five times. His fourth wife was country music vocalist Jeannie Seely. They were married twelve years and divorced in 1981. In 1982, he married his fifth wife Suzi and they were married until his death in 2010.[5]
Death
Cochran had surgery for pancreatic cancer in July 2008. In April 2010, he had a second surgery to remove and repair a grapefruit sized aortic aneurysm. Cochran's health did not improve, and he died on July 15, 2010, at age 74.[8]
Tributes
In October 2012, singer
Awards and honors
Awards and honors include:[5]
- 1967: Walkway of Stars – Country Music Association
- 1974: Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame
- 2003: Mississippi Music Hall of Fame
- 2014: Country Music Hall of Fame inductee[3]
Artist recordings
Notable artists who have recorded Hank Cochran songs include:[5]
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Discography
Albums
Year | Album | US Country | Label |
---|---|---|---|
1965 | Hits from the Heart | — | RCA |
Going on Training | — | ||
1968 | The Heart of Hank | 41 | Monument |
1978 | With a Little Help from My Friends | — | Capitol |
1980 | Make the World Go Away | — | Elektra |
Honeysuckle Rose (credited as "Willie Nelson & Family") |
1 | Columbia |
Singles
Year | Single | Peak chart positions[1] | Album |
---|---|---|---|
US Country | |||
1962 | "Sally Was a Good Old Girl" | 20 | Going on Training |
"I'd Fight the World" | 23 | Hits from the Heart | |
1963 | "A Good Country Song" | 25 | single only |
1967 | "All of Me Belongs to You" | 70 | The Heart of Hank |
1978 | "Willie" | 91 | With a Little Help from My Friends |
"Ain't Life Hell" (with Willie Nelson) | 77 | ||
1980 | "A Little Bitty Tear" (with Willie Nelson) | 57 | Make the World Go Away |
References
- Oermann, Robert K. (1998). – "Hank Cochran". – The Encyclopedia of Country Music. – Paul Kingsbury, Editor. – New York: Oxford University Press. – pp. 101–2. – ISBN 978-0-19-517608-7
- ^ ISBN 978-0-89820-177-2.
- ^ ISBN 1-85227-745-9.
- ^ a b "Country Hall of Fame Taps Ronnie Milsap, Mac Wiseman, Hank Cochran". Rolling Stone. April 2, 2014. Retrieved April 22, 2014.
- ^ a b c "Hank Cochran Historical Marker". www.hmdb.org. Retrieved October 26, 2022.
- ^ a b c d e f g h Watkins, Billy. – "Everybody wants to sing". – The Clarion-Ledger. – August 6, 2003.
- ^ Cooper, Peter. – "The man, the mystery and the mega-hits". – The Tennessean. – March 23, 2007.
- ^ Moon, Troy. – "Songwriter lends talent to CD, but will Willie be at release party?". – Pensacola News Journal. – May 18, 2001.
- ^ Schneider, Jason (August 2, 1935). "Country Music Hero Hank Cochran Dies at 74 • News •". Exclaim.ca. Archived from the original on July 8, 2012. Retrieved March 25, 2012.
- ^ "Jamey Johnson Album, 'Hank Cochran: Living for a Song' Due October 16 - the Boot". The Boot. Archived from the original on May 22, 2013. Retrieved March 27, 2013.