From:   "Dik de Heer" 
Date:  Fri Aug 2, 2002  1:17 am
Subject:  Born To Be With You : Hank Cochran
 
HANK COCHRAN (By Shaun Mather)

Born Garland Perry Cochran, 2 August 1935, Isola, Mississippi

Hank Cochran stands alongside Harlan Howard as one of the greatest
songwriters in country music history. Gems from his pen include "I Fall to
Pieces," "She's Got You," "Make the World Go Away," "A Little Bitty Tear,"
"The Chair," "Don't Touch Me," and "Don't You Ever Get Tired of Hurtin' Me."
Put that on your CV and record labels start to take notice.

Following the divorce of his parents when he was nine years old, he moved
to Memphis to live with his father. Times were tough though and he ended
up in the St. Peter's Orphan's Home in Memphis. He developed a love for
country music and was taught the rudiments of the guitar by an uncle.
When he was 12 he hitchhiked with his uncle to Hobbs, New Mexico,
to work in the oilfields, working first as roustabouts, cleaning up after the
drillers on the oil rigs, then roughnecking, drilling oil wells. By his
mid-teens
he was working for Sears & Roebuck store in Los Angeles. He spent more
time on his music and wound up looking for a guitar player. He found one in
the form of Eddie Cochran, who, though not related to him, certainly shared
his passion for music. The two teens formed a rock 'n' roll duo called The
Cochran Brothers, appearing on KTTV's Town Hall Party and touring with
Lefty Frizzell. They cut some vibrant hillbilly/rockabilly together but went
their separate ways, Eddie finding stardom as a rock 'n' roller, whilst Hank
decided to move to Nashville to pursue a career in country music.

He signed as a songwriter and talent scout with Pamper Music for $50 a week
and got Willie Nelson signed to the publishers. In April 1961 he co-wrote
"I Fall To Pieces" with Harlan Howard and watched as Patsy Cline took it all
the way to the top spot. The rest is history and unlike many great
songwriters (Chuck Berry!) he has still been able to write great songs in
his advancing years.

Among those who have recorded his songs are; Eddy Arnold, Chet Atkins,
Junior Brown, Jimmy Buffett, Johnny Cash, Bing Crosby, Don Gibson, Merle
Haggard, Emmylou Harris, Waylon Jennings, Tom Jones, Loretta Lynn, Dean
Martin, Buck Owens, Elvis Presley, LeAnn Rimes, Carla Thomas, Ernest Tubb
and that Jerry Lee Lewis fella.

In 1974, Hank was inducted into the Nashville Songwriters Association's
International Hall of Fame, being the only writer ever to receive a unanimous
vote. He's won numerous BMI awards, including one for two million
performances of Patsy Cline's "I Fall To Pieces." Summing up his career he
has said, "I'm sure thankful to be where I am, and that the good Lord has
run enough songs through me that I'm seriously satisfied with. As long as
He keeps giving them to me, I'm going to try to do something with them."

Recent interview: http://www.rockabillyhall.com/BarryHankCochran.html
Official website: http://www.hankcochran.com/