Edward Raymond 'Eddie' Cochran (October 3, 1938 – April 17, 1960) was an American musician. Cochran's rockabilly songs, such as "C'mon Everybody", "Somethin' Else", and "Summertime Blues", captured teenage frustration and desire in the late 1950s and early 1960s. He experimented with multitrack recording and overdubbing even on his earliest singles, and was also able to play piano, bass and drums. His image as a sharply dressed and good-looking young man with a rebellious attitude epitomized the stance of the 50s rocker, and in death he achieved an iconic status. Cochran was born in Minnesota and moved with his family to California in the early 1950s. He was involved with music from an early age, playing in the school band and teaching himself to play blues guitar. In 1955, he formed a duet with the guitarist Hank Cochran (no relation), and when they split the following year, Cochran began a song-writing career with Jerry Capehart. His first success came when he performed the song "Twenty Flight Rock" in the movie The Girl Can't Help It, starring Jayne Mansfield. Soon afterwards, Liberty Records signed him to a recording contract. Cochran died aged 21 after a road accident, whilst travelling in a taxi in Chippenham, Wiltshire, during his British tour in April 1960, having just performed at Bristol's Hippodrome theatre. Though his best-known songs were released during his lifetime, more of his songs were released posthumously. In 1987, Cochran was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. His songs have been covered by a wide variety of recording artists.
Links To Peel []
Eddie Cochran was a big influence on Peel's youth when he was in the military. On the VH1 programme, Ten Of The Best, broadcast in 1995, Peel mentioned seeing Eddie Cochran at the Liverpool Empire with Gene Vincent in 1960, four days before Eddie got killed in a car crash:
- "One of the things I remembered mostly about my military service was going with a gang of my mates to the Liverpool Empire to see Gene Vincent and Eddie Cochran, this was about 4 days before Eddie Cochran died in a car accident and it was one of the best gigs I ever went in my whole life. Eddie Cochran was sensational."
Peel described on the same programme, the magic of Eddie Cochran:
- "He started back to his audience, doesn't sound like much, but when he played his first chord, he turned around, jumped through 180 degrees and there he was, it was magical."
Blue Cheer and the Flying Lizards both covered Eddie Cochran's 'Summertime Blues'. The Flying Lizard's version entered at number 47 in the 1978 Festive Fifty and Blue Cheer's version was nominated by Peel for his Peelenium 1967.
Shows Played[]
EDDIE COCHRAN - TWENTY-FLIGHT ROCK
- 1971
- 21 August 1971: Jeanie, Jeanie, Jeanie
- 1972
- 04 February 1972: Twenty Flight Rock (LP - The Very Best Of Eddie Cochran, released 1970) Liberty
- 16 June 1972: Nervous Breakdown (single - Skinny Jim b-side) Liberty
- 1974
- 14 February 1974: Teenage Heaven
- 1979
- 04 January 1979: Somethin' Else (LP - 10th Anniversary Album) Liberty
- 04 January 1979: Eddie's Blues (Instrumental) (LP - 10th Anniversary Album) Liberty
- 26 July 1979: Jeannie, Jeannie, Jeannie (LP - The Eddie Cochran Singles Album) United Artists
- 1980
- 12 June 1980: Eddie's Blues
- 24 June 1980: Teenage Cutie (presented by Paul Gambaccini)
- 12 August 1980: Milk Cow Blues
- 1983
- 01 March 1983: Jeannie, Jeannie, Jeannie
- 1984
- Karl's Tape August 1984: Twenty Flight Rock (7" ) London
- 1987
- 04 May 1987: Somethin' Else
- 1988
- 15 March 1988: Cut Across Shorty (LP - C'mon Everybody - 20 Rock 'n' Roll Classics) Liberty
- 15 March 1988: Eddie's Blues (LP - C'mon Everybody - 20 Rock 'n' Roll Classics) Liberty
- 1990
- 15 February 1990: Twenty Flight Rock
- 30 July 1990: White Lightning
Covered[]
Artist | Song | First known play by JP
- Blue Cheer: Summertime Blues 25 February 1968
- Commander Cody And His Lost Planet Airmen: 20 Flight Rock 04 February 1972
- First Offence: Three Steps (session) ('Three Steps To Heaven') 16 March 1991
- Flying Lizards: Summertime Blues 11 October 1978
- Guitar Wolf: Something Else 03 September 1994
- Sex Pistols: C'Mon Everybody 18 June 1979
- T. Rex: Summertime Blues 01 August 1970
- Sid Vicious: Something Else 07 March 1979
See Also[]
- Twelve Best Gigs
- Peel's 77 All Time Favourite Records List
- Gigography 1954-1966
- Disc & Music Echo: Peel Columns
- Sounds