On April 17, 1960, early rock-and-roll stars Eddie Cochran and Gene Vincent were in a car crash that resulted in Cochran’s death. Cochran — who had hits with songs like “C’mon Everybody,” “Somethin’ Else,” and “Summertime Blues” — was only 21.
Eddie Cochran and Gene Vincent were taking a cab from a show in Bristol, England to the airport when the taxi, traveling at more than 60 mph through a dark and winding road, crashed into a light post. Cochran was thrown through a window and died at the hospital from a head injury. Vincent survived but sustained a broken leg and walked with a limp for the rest of his life.
Cochran’s girlfriend Sharon Sheeley, who was also in the car, survived, reportedly because Cochran had thrown himself on top of her to protect her. Sheeley was a songwriter and wrote songs such as Ricky Nelson’s “Poor Little Fool.” She continued to write songs after the crash, and she passed away in 2002.
Gene Vincent passed away in 1971. Along with the Minnesota-born Cochran, the two young rock and roll stars exerted a strong influence on the British rock scene.
Both Vincent and Cochran helped bring together John Lennon and Paul McCarney. John Lennon was playing Gene Vincent’s “Be Bop A Lula” at a 1957 garden party where he met Paul McCartney. McCartney immediately found a connection through the song with Lennon, as his first record purchase had been of that song. And later that afternoon, the two future Beatles got together and McCartney taught Lennon to play Eddie Cochran’s “Twenty Flight Rock.”
In this video, Eddie Cochran performed on the Town Hall Party TV show on February 7, 1959. This performance took place not long after Cochran had lost two of his friends, Ritchie Valens and Buddy Holly in a tragic plane crash. And it was only a little more than a year before his own death.
What is your favorite Eddie Cochran song? Leave your two cents in the comments.
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