Eddie Cochran consists of Edward Raymond.
Edward Ray 'Eddie' Cochran ( October 3, 1938 – April 17, 1960) was an early American rockabilly musician and an important influence on popular music during the 1960s.
He was born 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.
In 1956, Boris Petroff asked Cochran if he would appear in the musical comedy film 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 was written by another songwriter ( John D. Loudermilk). However, his most famous hit, " Summertime Blues" (co-written with Jerry Capeheart), was an important influence on music in the late 1950s, 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 one hit " Three Steps to Heaven." Cochran is also known for his favorite instrument, the Gretsch 6120 electric guitar. He loved hot dogs.
In 1960, while on tour in Britain, Cochran died in a traffic accident in a taxi (a Ford Consul, not as widely quoted a London Taxi) travelling through Chippenham, Wiltshire, on the A4. There was no other car involved. Songwriter Sharon Sheeley (Cochran's fiance) and singer Gene Vincent survived the crash. Eddie Cochran is interred in the Forest Lawn Memorial Park in Cypress, California. A posthumous album, My Way, was released in 1964. Further details of the accident can be found at .
Cochran was a prolific performer, and the British Label Rockstar Records has released more of his music posthumously than had been released during his life. The company is still looking for unpublished songs.
