Born 91 Years Ago Today in Mississippi, the Multi-Generational Songwriting Talent Who Penned Some of Country Music’s Most Timeless Hits

The best-written country songs tell a story that splits your heart open and shakes you to your core. Hank Cochran was among the greatest practitioners of this subtle art, racking up 29 top 10 hits across 30 years. His resume speaks for itself—Patsy Cline’s “I Fall to Pieces”; George Strait’s “The Chair”; and “Don’t Touch Me” by Jeannie Seely (also Cochran’s fourth wife).

Apart from his numerous songwriting contributions, Cochran also enjoyed success as a performer. In 1962, he achieved his highest-charting solo single when “Sally Was a Good Old Girl” reached number 20 on the U.S. country chart.

Today, we’re taking a look at the life and career of Garland Perry “Hank” Cochran, born in Isola, Mississippi, on this day (August 2) in 1935.

Hank Cochran’s Rough Road to Country Music Immortality

Born as the United States remained in the clutches of the Great Depression, Cochran had suffered several life-threatening illnesses by his third birthday. Doctors feared the sickly young boy wouldn’t see adulthood.

Cochran ended up at an orphanage in Memphis, Tennessee, following his parents’ divorce at age 9. After his third attempt at running away from the facility, Cochran’s father sent him to live with his grandparents in Greenville, Mississippi.

The boy’s uncle, Otis Cochran, taught him to play guitar. When Cochran turned 12, the pair hitchhiked to Hobbs, New Mexico, seeking work in the oilfields.

In his spare time, Cochran strummed his guitar and wrote songs.

His Songwriting Philosophy Was Simple

At 16, Hank Cochran hit the road again.

This time, he headed to California, where he met future rockabilly icon Eddie Cochran

The two teenagers formed a rock ’n’ roll duo called the Cochran Brothers—although they were not related—and toured for Lefty Frizzell.

In 1960, Cochran relocated to Nashville to take a staff writing job with Pamper Music for $50 a week.

Less than a year later, he had his first number-one hit on his hands when Patsy Cline took “I Fall to Pieces” to the top of the charts. Cochran co-wrote the tear-jerking hit with Harlan Howard.

Cline also reached number one with Cochran’s “She’s Got You” later that year.

The hits kept coming. After Ray Price took the Hank Cochran composition “Make the World Go Away” to number two on the country charts, Eddy Arnold recorded his own version in the “Nashville Sound” style.

Arnold’s rendition of “Make the World Go Away” became one of the best-selling country songs of 1965, topping the country chart and reaching number six on the pop charts.

Cochran’s recipe for songwriting success was a simple one. “I always tried to make it short, make it sweet and make it rhyme,” he told Nashville’s City Paper in 2007.

[RELATED: Jamey Johnson To Release Star-Studded Hank Cochran Tribute Album]

It certainly worked. Other number-one hits penned by Cochran include “She’s Got You” (Loretta Lynn), “That’s All That Matters” (Mickey Gilley), “Don’t You Ever Get Tired of Hurting Me” (Ronnie Milsap); and “It’s Not Love (But It’s Not Bad”) by Merle Haggard.

Diagnosed with pancreatic cancer in 2008, Hank Cochran died on July 15, 2010, at age 74 in Nashville.

Featured image by Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images

The post Born 91 Years Ago Today in Mississippi, the Multi-Generational Songwriting Talent Who Penned Some of Country Music’s Most Timeless Hits appeared first on American Songwriter.