Biography of Eddie Cochran

As with his friend and contemporary Buddy Holly, Cochran's star has continued to shine ever more brightly since his untimely death. Partially this is because of his image -- the brash, flamboyantly dressed, hot-guitar-picking, teenage smart-aleck rebel -- but the substance is there too. A fine guitarist (I cite the guitar breaks on "Twenty Flight Rock" and "Jeannie Jeannie Jeannie," just to name a couple) and fine songwriter (especially in collaboration with his friend and producer Jerry Capehart), Cochran's best work captured the spirit of its time (the late '50s) so perfectly it can never seem dated: cars, girls, teenage rebellion, and angst distilled into 2 1/2 minute gems of ringing guitars, throbbing bass (his were among the first rock & roll records to exploit the electric bass's distinctive character), and growling, drawling vocals. Especially influential in Britain (where he was on tour when he was killed), echoes of Cochran's work (and sometimes his songs) have surfaced in the records of The Who, Rod Stewart, the Clash, Neil Diamond, the Stray Cats, and many, many others. ~ George Bedard