Hank Cochran
He wrote the aching heart of classic country, penning timeless standards for Patsy Cline and Ray Price.
1935–2010 (age 75)·American country musician·Birthday: August 2·The Silent Generation
Biography
Hank Cochran’s life was a hardscrabble country song before he ever wrote one. Orphaned young and raised by relatives, he hitchhiked to Nashville with a guitar and a head full of melodies. He didn’t chase the spotlight for himself; instead, he became the quiet architect behind the era’s defining voices. His songs, like “I Fall to Pieces” and “Make the World Go Away,” possessed a direct, emotional clarity that cut through Nashville’s polish. Operating from a tiny office on Music Row, he forged a legendary partnership with songwriter Harlan Howard and became a mentor and publisher for a generation of writers, shaping the sound of country music from the writing room out.
The Silent Generation
1928–1945
Born between the Depression and the end of WWII. Too young to fight, old enough to remember. They became the conformist middle managers of the 1950s — and the civil rights leaders who quietly dismantled Jim Crow.
Hank was born in 1935, placing them squarely in The Silent Generation. The events that shaped this generation — world wars, depression, and rapid industrialization — shaped the world they entered and the choices available to them.
#1 When Hank Was Born
The biggest hits of 1935
#1 Movie
Mutiny on the Bounty
Best Picture
Mutiny on the Bounty
Hank's Life & Times
The world at every milestone
1935Born
Social Security Act signed into law
Gas: $0.19/galHome: $3,450President: Franklin D. Roosevelt"Cheek to Cheek" — Fred AstaireBest Picture: Mutiny on the Bounty
1940Started school
The Blitz: Germany bombs London
Gas: $0.18/galHome: $2,938Min wage: $0.30/hrPresident: Franklin D. Roosevelt"I'll Never Smile Again" — Tommy DorseyBest Picture: Rebecca
1948Became a teenager
Israel declares independence; Berlin Blockade begins
Gas: $0.26/galHome: $7,450Min wage: $0.40/hrPresident: Harry S. Truman"Twelfth Street Rag" — Pee Wee HuntBest Picture: Hamlet
1951Could drive
First color TV broadcast in the US
Gas: $0.27/galHome: $7,925Min wage: $0.75/hrPresident: Harry S. Truman"Too Young" — Nat King ColeBest Picture: An American in Paris
1953Could vote
DNA structure discovered by Watson and Crick
Gas: $0.27/galHome: $8,750Min wage: $0.75/hrPresident: Dwight D. Eisenhower"Song from Moulin Rouge" — Percy FaithBest Picture: From Here to Eternity
1956Turned 21
Elvis Presley appears on The Ed Sullivan Show
Gas: $0.30/galHome: $10,050Min wage: $1.00/hrPresident: Dwight D. Eisenhower"Heartbreak Hotel" — Elvis PresleyBest Picture: Around the World in 80 Days
1965Turned 30
US sends combat troops to Vietnam
Gas: $0.31/galHome: $13,600Min wage: $1.25/hrPresident: Lyndon B. Johnson"(I Can't Get No) Satisfaction" — The Rolling StonesBest Picture: The Sound of Music
1975Turned 40
Fall of Saigon ends the Vietnam War
Gas: $0.57/galHome: $27,600Min wage: $2.10/hrPresident: Gerald Ford"Love Will Keep Us Together" — Captain & TennilleBest Picture: One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest
1985Turned 50
Live Aid concerts raise money for Ethiopian famine
Gas: $1.12/galHome: $62,900Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: Ronald Reagan"Careless Whisper" — Wham!Best Picture: Out of Africa
1995Turned 60
Oklahoma City bombing; Windows 95 released
Gas: $1.15/galHome: $96,500Min wage: $4.25/hrPresident: Bill Clinton"Gangsta's Paradise" — CoolioBest Picture: Braveheart
2005Turned 70
Hurricane Katrina devastates New Orleans; YouTube launches
Gas: $2.30/galHome: $167,500Min wage: $5.15/hrPresident: George W. Bush"We Belong Together" — Mariah CareyBest Picture: Crash
2010Died at 75
Deepwater Horizon oil spill; iPad launched
Gas: $2.79/galHome: $147,800Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Barack Obama"Tik Tok" — KeshaBest Picture: The King's Speech
Key Achievements
- Wrote the standard "I Fall to Pieces," a defining hit for Patsy Cline.
- Co-wrote "Make the World Go Away," a major success for Eddy Arnold and later Ray Price.
- Inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame in 2014.
- His song "She's Got You" became a number-one hit for Loretta Lynn.
- Co-wrote "The Chair" for George Strait, a modern country classic.
Did You Know?
He legally changed his first name from Garland to Hank as a teenager.
He and his first wife, Shirley Gunter, recorded as the duo Hank & Shirley before his songwriting career took off.
He owned a publishing company that signed a young Willie Nelson to his first songwriting contract.
His song "A Little Bitty Tear" was a pop crossover hit for Burl Ives.
He was a close friend and fishing buddy of fellow songwriter Harlan Howard.
“You don't write a song, you find it.”
