Talk:Eddie Cochran

Place of birth and Cochran Brothers

I've just watched a black and white TV broadcast from 1959/1960 entitled Eddie Cochran: Town Hall Party. In it Eddie states that he was born in Oklahoma City and his family then moved to Minnesota. He also states that Hank Cochran was his cousin. Not as is written.

I'd suggest that his birth registration may be in error in that the birth may have taken place in Oklahoma and then the registration taken place 5 days later in Minnesota. That or Eddie at 20 had no idea where he was born (unlikely). Eddie also explained that though Hank was not his brother (Cochran Brothers) he was his cousin.

Peter Schlesinger (formerly of Chippenham) —Preceding unsigned comment added by 120.17.74.220 (talk) 14:05, 29 January 2011 (UTC)

It is well known by Eddie's fans that Eddie used to say that he was born in Oklahoma, but it was not true. He was born in Minnesotta. Also, saying that he was somehow related to Hank Cochran was due to marketing reasons. Not true either. Cheers. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 146.158.168.242 (talk) 14:49, 18 May 2018 (UTC)

Death

'Earlier in the tour, the same guitar had been carried to the car for Cochran by a young fan, Mark Feld, who would later be known as Marc Bolan of T. Rex and would also die in a car crash.[14]'

Although it's a coincidence that Marc Bolan also died of a car crash I don't think it should be included. It's too trivial about carrying a guitar to the car. Novalia (talk) 12:21, 24 April 2014 (UTC)

I don't think so. That was an important episode for Marc Bolan. And both of them were relevant musicians. Therefore this episode is a funny fact that fans will like to know. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 146.158.168.242 (talk) 14:51, 18 May 2018 (UTC)

A number of British newspapers (for example, page 1 of the Birmingham Daily Post, Monday, April 18, 1960) state that "All five were taken to Chippenham Hospital and later all, except Martin, were transferred to Bath." Should we expand on the sentence "He was taken to St Martin's Hospital, in Bath" and cite the newspaper report? Gricharduk (talk) 11:29, 26 February 2020 (UTC)

Unwound third string

Quote: Cochran is credited also with being one of the first to use an unwound third string in order to "bend" notes up a whole tone—an innovation (imparted to UK guitarist Joe Brown, who secured much session work as a result) that has since become an essential part of the standard rock guitar vocabulary

I'm not sure this is the best way to put it. So he used an unwound G-string in order to more readily bend notes up on that string. This doesn't seem like a great innovation to me, I have to say.

And I'm not sure the information on Joe Brown is relevant to the article. Maikel (talk) 16:52, 24 December 2015 (UTC)

Actually, yes, it is a great innovation, as any guitar player will tell you. This technique allowed him to perform some guitar solos in a much bluesy and dirty style that would impact on most english rock guitar players of the 60s. On the other hand, it also allowed him to use more than one string when soloing which has become an usual pattern in rock solos, as noone ever played before. So, yes, it is a huge innovation. Eddie set the guitar basics of rock music in things like this and the riffs. Even Jimi Hendrix credited him for that.

I guess you should research a little more before making such a statement (not a great innovation). If you listen to live recordings of Eddie in the UK during his last tour, you will soon realise the first sounds of what would later become rock music. You can also dig a little more and read or hear to the comments of the musicians that played with him during the tour, or to the comments by guitar players such as Jeff Beck, Pete Townsend, George Harrison or the very Jimi Hendrix himself. Unless you have a better criteria than them, I invite you to research a little more or to redefine the idea of 'innovation'. If anything, Eddie was an impressive innovator, way ahead from any other well know player of this time until Jimi Hendrix 'arrived'.

By the way, I've been a guitar player for almost 30 years. Cheers! — Preceding unsigned comment added by 146.158.168.242 (talk) 15:02, 18 May 2018 (UTC)

Style and influence - Citation needed

I am probably being a bit dim but I was confused by the [citation needed] at the end of the following sentence "He was also an influence on the guitar player Brian Setzer, of Stray Cats, who plays a 6120 almost like that of Cochran, whom he portrayed in the film La Bamba". I agree it needs a citation[s]. Is it asking to provide a citation for his role in the film in La Bamba, or is it asking for a citation for "who plays a 6120 almost like that of Cochran" (which I think is subjective - although I agree he does - and would require some write-up from a respected music critic), or is the 'citation needed' asking for both these points? I would like to provide citations but I am confused - any advice would be gratefully received Gricharduk (talk) 11:55, 26 February 2020 (UTC)

Birth name

The official Minnesota birth records give his name at birth as "Ray Edward Cochran". More importantly, so do reliable secondary sources like Britannica, and many others. Grave markers are not reliable sources. If his driving licence states "Edward Ray", that is interesting but may simply mean that he changed the order of his forenames at some point - though we would need a source saying that he did that to include it in the article. The parameter in the infobox states "Birth name", so that is clear. Ghmyrtle (talk) 20:08, 18 April 2022 (UTC)

Wrong info about place of death

He died on Rowden hill in Chippenham, Wiltshire not Bath which is a different county all together. Bath is 20 miles away from where he crashed! 62.232.167.100 (talk) 00:32, 19 August 2022 (UTC)

That is where the crash occurred. He was taken to hospital in Bath, where he died. Ghmyrtle (talk) 06:55, 19 August 2022 (UTC)