Eddie Cochran is one of my favorites. When my father came to the states he was several years behind in the music department, so he never did listen to the day glo music of the eighties. I found that on my own in my teen years, where besides finding the artificial fun that was eighties music, I was introduced to The Smiths & Joy Division, which was the benchmark for a sullen teen buried in angst. I am forever indebted to my father for all the fun rockabilly tracks that he grew up listening to when he was young cat, and in turn showing me some of these fun tunes.
Eddie Cochran was a huge staple for years in the punk community, where a lot of punk acts covered his work, yet when one hears the name Eddie Cochran no one could ever place him, but everyone knows his tunes. Cochran died an untimely death at the age of twenty one while he was touring across the pond. In death he became a legend, leaving behind a lot of posthumous tunes, but is ever really known by the music he played while he was still alive. Some of his hits were Summertime Blues & C'mon Everybody. In one of last shows he met up with a young Marc Bolan, who would later front one of my favorite acts of all time, T-Rex, and even allowed young Bolan (who was only thirteen when he met Cochran) play his guitar. Marc Bolan would eventually die prematurely as well, by a car crash, just as Eddie Cochran would. Cochran's guitar, one of the many items that were impounded, found its way to to Dave Dee, who would later find the group; Dave Dee, Dozy, Beak Mick & Tich, their songs never did get big, but you can hear one of their tunes in the film Death Proof. Dave Dee was a police cadet at the time of Cochran's death, learned to play guitar from the guitar that was on that very taxi cab where Eddie Cochran met his death. When Paul McCartney was invited to play for The Quarrymen, before it became The Beatles (the name was said to have been inspired by Buddy Holly's band The Crickets) he played a Cochran tune called, Twenty Flight Rock. Cochran's influence is everywhere, but unfortunately he appears to be one of those unsung heroes, who paved the way for many, but whose name escapes the lips of many avid music listeners.
Here's a nice track clearly influenced by Elvis, Buddy Holly (who died a year before Cochran did), and Jerry Lee Lewis. Hope you like it and feel free to find more of his tunes. He makes a non-dancing girl like me do the awkward shuffle. Hooray for rockabilly!
