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Born 91 Years Ago Today in Mississippi, the Multi-Generational Songwriting Talent Who Penned Some of Country Music’s Most Timeless Hits
Hank Cochran, born on 2 August 1935 in Isola, Mississippi, became one of country music's most prolific songwriters, notching 29 top 10 hits over a 30-year career. His compositions include Patsy Cline's "I Fall to Pieces" and "She's Got You," George Strait's "The Chair," and "Don't Touch Me" by Jeannie Seely, who was also his fourth wife. He also had modest success as a performer, with his song "Sally Was a Good Old Girl" reaching number 20 on the US country chart in 1962.
Cochran had a difficult upbringing, surviving serious childhood illness, his parents' divorce, and time in a Memphis orphanage before being raised by his grandparents in Greenville, Mississippi. After moving to Nashville in 1960 to take a $50-a-week staff writing job, he scored his first number one within a year and went on to write hits for artists including Loretta Lynn, Mickey Gilley, Ronnie Milsap and Merle Haggard, following his self-described philosophy of keeping songs "short, sweet" and rhyming. Diagnosed with pancreatic cancer in 2008, Cochran died in Nashville on 15 July 2010 at the age of 74.
In short
- Country songwriter Hank Cochran was born 91 years ago in Mississippi
- Wrote 29 top 10 hits including Patsy Cline's "I Fall to Pieces"
- Overcame a troubled childhood; died in 2010 aged 74
Explained simply
Country songwriting has long been central to the music industry: performers often build careers around songs written by others. Nashville became a major centre for this work, with professional songwriters pitching compositions to singers and record labels.
Hank Cochran was a songwriter from Mississippi who moved to Nashville in 1960 to write songs professionally. He wrote for performers including Patsy Cline, Loretta Lynn and George Strait, and had a brief chart success as a singer himself.
His songs became part of country music’s repertoire across several generations of artists. His career helps explain how songwriters can shape a genre even when audiences know their work through the performers who recorded it.