Gene Watson's Peers: Hank Cochran
Gene Watson's peers within the country music industry
believe in the sheer talent of this unassuming man from east Texas, so much
so that Gene is regarded by many of them as 'the singer's singer' - and
rightly so!
All of Gene's Peers who were contacted in 2008 were most gracious with their
time & words. It is here, within this special part of gene-watson.com, that
you have an opportunity to read a quote from
Hank Cochran, which he submitted to
this site on Tuesday 15 January 2008.
Sean Brady would like to take this opportunity to say 'thank you' to
Hank Cochran who has made a special
contribution to a unique part of this online 'celebration of a Lone Star
Hero'.
Sean Brady would also wish to express a special 'thank you' to Martha Moore
at So Much Moore; without her
kindness, this quote from Hank Cochran
would not have been possible.
Hank Cochran
This quote was submitted on Tuesday 15 January 2008
'Gene Watson is one of the greatest country singers,
period.
First time I heard Gene's version of 'Don't you ever get tired of hurting
me', it was good enough for me to pick up the phone & call him in Europe
just to thank him.
In fact, I am really excited about the entire CD'.
Thank you, Hank Cochran, for your
support of Gene Watson.
About Hank Cochran...
Hank Cochran is deservedly known as
'The Legend' & when you consider the roll-call of song titles that he has
written, it is very easy to see why. On any given day, in one of Nashville's
myriad of recording studios, there is likely to be an artist recording a
song written by Hank Cochran.
And what a catalogue of songs they are! 'I fall to pieces', 'She's got you',
'Make the world go away', 'A little bitty tear', 'The chair', 'Don't touch
me' & 'Don't you ever get tired of hurting me' are just a number of songs
that Hank Cochran has written.
Hank Cochran was born Garland Perry Cochran on 2 August 1935 in Isola,
Mississippi. By the time he was ten years old, Hank was playing guitar &
singing in church. Like many youngsters, he tuned into the Grand Ole Opry on
radio in order to receive musical inspiration. After completing school, he
moved to New Mexico, working in the oilfields during the mid-1950s &
eventually made his way to California, where he began entertaining in small
clubs.
In 1954, he & Eddie Cochran (no relation) formed a duo, the Cochran
Brothers, initially recording country music material but later switching to
rock music after watching Elvis Presley perform in Dallas.
Hank & Eddy appeared on Town Hall Party on KTTV & toured with country music
legend Lefty Frizzell. The Cochrans went their separate ways in 1956 when
Hank joined the California Hayride TV show in Stockton.
Eddie Cochran found stardom in rock 'n' roll, albeit briefly; he enjoyed a
number of hit songs which have gone on to influence a generation namely
'Twenty flight rock', Summertime blues', C'mon everybody', Somethin' else' &
'Three steps to heaven'.
Eddie Cochran died at St. Martin's Hospital in Bath, England at 4.10pm on
Sunday 17 April 1960 following a traffic accident in Chippenham in Wiltshire
the previous night at 11.50pm; Eddie Cochran was just twenty-one years old.
In January 1960, Hank arrived in Nashville & immediately began working with
Pamper Music for a mere $50 a week. As well as his duties as a songwriter,
Hank also helped the company to sign other artists, acquire songs & get them
recorded.
Among the artists that Hank brought on to the company's payroll was Willie
Nelson. Hank even gave up the opportunity to become a recording artist with
Liberty Records so that they could sign Willie first. Eventually Liberty
Records signed Hank as a recording artist in his own right.
In April 1961, Hank Cochran became a full-time songwriter with the release
of 'I fall to pieces' (co-written with Harlan Howard), which was a No.1
country hit for Patsy Cline that year. Hank recorded 'I fall to
pieces' himself in 1965 & included the track on 'Hits From the Heart' (RCA
Victor, 1965).
It wasn't long before Hank found himself playing guitar with Justin Tubb on
the Grand Ole Opry, touring with Ray Price, scoring his first hit as a
recording artist with the Top 20 hit 'Sally was a good old girl' & earning
three BMI Awards for songs he'd written on his own. 'Sally was a
good old girl' was included on Hank Cochran's 'Going on Training' (RCA
Victor, 1965).
Hank Cochran also became a co-owner (along with Ray Price) of Pamper Music, which
was eventually acquired by the Sony/ATV Tree Organisation in 1989. In
1974, Hank was inducted into the Nashville Songwriters Association's
International Hall of Fame.
Hank Cochran was married for many years to
Jeannie Seely who he encouraged to move to Nashville in 1965, where she
became a writer for Tree International Music. Jeannie also signed with
Monument Records & had an instant hit with Hank Cochran's 'Don't touch me'
in 1966.
The list of artists who have recorded Hank Cochran's songs reads like a
musician's encyclopedia & include Lynn Anderson, Eddy Arnold, Chet Atkins,
Tracy Byrd, Johnny Cash, Elvis Costello, Bing Crosby, Don Gibson,
Vern Gosdin, Ty
Herndon, Merle Haggard,
Emmylou Harris, Waylon Jennings, Tom Jones, Loretta Lynn, Dean Martin, Reba McEntire, Buck Owens, Elvis Presley, LeAnn Rimes, Linda Ronstadt, Nancy
Sinatra, George Strait, Ernest Tubb & Lee Ann
Womack.
As a recording artist, Hank Cochran topped the Americana Music charts in
1996 with the 'Desperate Men: The Legend & the Outlaw' album & saw the
release in 2002 of the 'Livin' for a Song: A Songwriter's Autobiography'
album.
Here is a list of some of Hank Cochran's song-writing achievements:
'I fall to pieces' (No.1 in 1961 for Patsy Cline)
'She's got you' (No.1 in 1962 for Patsy Cline)
'Don't you ever get tired of hurting me' (No.11 in 1966 for Ray Price &
No.11 for Ray Price & Willie Nelson in 1981)
'That's all that matters' (No.34 in 1964 for Ray Price & No.1 for 1 week in
December 1980 for Mickey Gilley)
'She's got you' (No.1 for 5 weeks in March/April 1962 for Patsy Cline & No.1
for 1 week in April 1977 for Loretta Lynn)
'Montego Bay' (Merle Haggard,
1972)
'It's not love but it's not bad' (No.1 for 1 week in November 1972 for Merle
Haggard)
'Miami, my Amy' (recorded in 1985 by Keith Whitley)
'The chair' (No.1 for 1 week in December 1985 for George Strait)
'Ocean front property' (No.1 for 1 week in April 1987 for George Strait)
'Would these arms be in your way' (recorded in 1988 by Keith Whitley)
'Set 'em up Joe' (No.1 for 1 week in July 1988 for
Vern Gosdin)
'Don't you ever get tired of hurting me' (No.1 for 1 week in March 1989 for
Ronnie Milsap)
During his illustrious country music career, Gene Watson has recorded a
number of Hank Cochran songs:
'I fell apart'
'Because You Believed in Me' (Capitol
Records, 1976)
'He little thinged her out of my arms'
'Beautiful Country' (Capitol Records, 1977)
'Speak well of me'
'Sometimes I Get Lucky' (MCA Records, 1983)
Hank Cochran also recorded 'Speak well of me' & included the track on 'The
Heart of Hank' (Monument Records, 1968)
'A way to survive'
'A Way to Survive' (Step One Records, 1997)
'Don't you
ever get tired of hurting me'
'In a Perfect World' (Shanachie
Records, 2007).
Interestingly, Hank Cochran has been quoted as saying that, despite the
large number of songs that he has written, his favourite is 'Don't you ever
get tired of hurting me' ('It's my favourite because it can still cut me up
just like the day I wrote it').
'Don't you ever get tired of hurting me' was a No.1 country hit for Ronnie Milsap in March 1989, but it has also been recorded by Ray Price,
George
Jones, Willie Nelson, Jeannie Seely, Don Gibson,
Jack Greene & Bobby Bare.
Visit Hank Cochran's Official Site
Visit Hank
Cochran's Official MySpace Site