I'm waiting for someone to say it's a prank and they were different performers. Cochran was famous for his massive white pompadour, outrageous outfits and full-throttle, raw-throated hoarse-'n'-ragged vocals. Outside the United States, the song reached number two on the Canadian RPM Top Singles chart and became the band's highest-charting song in Canada. I remember dreading the thought of living another 30 or 40 years, he said in the 1997 article, speaking of what he was going through in the mid-1970s and early 80s. Among those who experienced the excitement was Jackie Gleason, who saw Mr. Cochran and the band at the Barn in Miami and had them on The Jackie Gleason Show in 1966. 277 records for Wayne Cochran. Mr. Cochran died Tuesday at his home in Miramar, Fla. Wayne graduated from Sylacauga High School in 1953 and joined the United States Navy. He started his first band in 1955 and was kicked out of high school for refusing to cut his flamboyant pompadour hairstyle. The quest took some strange detours. Cochran would later influence artists ranging from Rod Stewart to the Blues Brothers, who covered Goin Back to Miami in 1980. Going back to basics has put Pearl Jam back on top. Isnt that wonderful?, Wayne Cochran, Singer With High Energy and Big Hair, Dies at 78, https://www.nytimes.com/2017/11/27/obituaries/wayne-cochran-singer-with-high-energy-and-big-hair-dies-at-78.html, Wayne Cochran as he appeared on the back cover of his 1967 album, Wayne Cochran!. My wife was concerned about her thyroid, so we contacted Dr. Stier. Frank Wilson & the Cavaliers' in 1964. Cancer was the cause of death given by the family, with no other information given. He was sometimes referred to as The White Knight of Soul. Moreover, Wayne not only made guest appearances on such TV programs as The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson (1962), The Merv Griffin Show (1962), The Dinah Shore Chevy Show (1956), You're in the Picture (1961), [error], Tomorrow Coast to Coast (1973) and The Mike Douglas Show (1961) but also had straight acting roles on episodes of the TV series The Wild Wild West (1965) and The Duke (1979). He was born the son of Aaron Ellis and Beulah Jeanette (Wampler) Cochran on January 14, 1954 in Colville, WA. In Europe, "Last Kiss" reached number 42 in the United Kingdom and number 77 in the Netherlands. Wayne Cochran - The Bigger the Hair, the Closer to God boonge 48 subscribers Subscribe 463 36K views 5 years ago Celebrating the music career of the pompadoured White Knight of Soul, Mr Wayne. Cochran is best known today for writing the song "Last Kiss", which he performed with the C.C. Wednesday, Pearl Jam, and several international artists also covered the song, with varying degrees of success. Performances on other mid-1960s TV shows grew the songs audience. - IMDb Mini Biography By: You start wondering if there's an answer out there for you., The pompadour had given way to a more modest look. Pastorius, who lived hard, was killed at 35 after a confrontation with a Wilton Manors bouncer in 1987. I believe in its power, he said. Last Kiss largely went unnoticed when Cochran recorded his version in 1961, but a pair of covers recorded nearly three decades apart both climbed to Number Two on the Billboard Hot 100. David Lindley, Multi-Instrumentalist Who Shaped the Sound of Soft Rock, Dead at 78 The car drifted across the centerline and rammed head-on into a trailer truck. In the early 1970s he retired from music to become an evangelist minister in Miami, Florida. J. Frank Wilson and the Cavaliers version of Last Kiss sold over one million copies to peak at Number Two in 1964. He was known for his outlandish outfits and white pompadour hairstyle. He retired from music to become an evangelist minister in Miami, Florida. He was white, yet his vocal style often led to his being mistaken for one of the black artists he revered. Wayne Cochran - Last Kiss (1961) Father of Private and Private. He was born on November 5, 1934 to Opal and Leonard Cochran in Tomato, Arkansas. Start your Independent Premium subscription today. Mr. Gleason also wrote the liner notes for the 1967 album Wayne Cochran!, He doesnt just sing he explodes, Mr. Gleason wrote. Walter C. Cochran, age 81, of Willis, Texas passed away on Monday December 24, 2018. "Last Kiss" spent eight weeks in the top 10; the record sold over one million copies, earning the band a gold record. In any case, by the late 1950s he was in Macon, Ga., where the musical opportunities were more plentiful than in Thomaston. Hank Cochran wrote Make the World Go Away, She's Got You and I Fall to Pieces. In a Bitch of a World and the instrumental High & Ridin', both in 1970. From Cochran to Neil Diamond to Bruce Springsteen, rock n rollers know that commanding an arena full of faithful fans has the same allure as leading a flock of faithful believers. All the occults, as he called them, quoted the Bible. Cochran was famous for his massive white pompadour, outrageous outfits and full-throttle, raw-throated hoarse-'n'-ragged vocals. Wilson, with or without the Cavaliers, continued to record until 1978. Another, less mawkish, more raucous self-penned number, Going Back To Miami, remained more to his taste, although it took a 1980 film cover by the Blues Brothers, Dan Akroyd and John Belushi, to secure its reputation. It was just music that spoke to me. About 10 years ago, I had a gun to my head, Cochran told the Miami Herald in 1983. . January 31, 1950 ~ June 11, 2019 It is with a heavy heart that we announce the passing of David Wayne Cochran on June 11, 2019 in St. James, MO. In 1964, Cochran was in Miami and took a gig as house band of a club that opened on the 79th Street Causeway. Mr. Cochrans first marriage, to Inez Newton in the 1950s, ended in divorce. I needed to know about tonight, baby, he told the Herald in 1983. The Boblo record featured "Last Kiss II" b/w "Hey! Then everybody would stop dancing and start watching, and we just kept doing that until we became a show band, where people sat down or stood at the dance floor and just watched us, he told the Miami New Times in 1997. Mr. Cochrans records were never chart toppers, but they made an impression. [22] He convinced the rest of the band to try out the song, and it was performed a few times on the band's 1998 tour. Pearl Jam first performed its cover of "Last Kiss" live at the band's May 7, 1998, concert in Seattle, at ARO.space. March 3, 2009 6 Songs, 33 minutes 2009 K-tel. After breaking up C.C. He was the younger brother to Edith. In Mexico, Polo and The Americans cover the song in Spanish. He turned to religion, receiving a call to the ministry in 1981 and founding the Voice for Jesus ministries northwest of Miami. & Company (1970). The band was the immensely popular house band at the Miami (FL) club the Barn. He was the proud grandfather of Emily Strickland, Alaina Olson, Chloe Strickland, Luke Olson, Andrew Strickland, John Olson and great granddaughter, Amelia Marsh. Official Sites, woodyanders (qv's & corrections by A. Nonymous), View agent, publicist, legal and company contact details on IMDbPro, Monica Powell Family and friends must say goodbye to their beloved Wayne Cochran of North East, Pennsylvania, born in Ripley, New York, who passed away at the age of 72, on February 20, 2022. Wayne lived in Miami, Florida with his wife Monica (who died in February, 2017). She. She died on Thursday, Feb. 23, 2023 at Wayne General Hospital. Billboard had kind words for the B-side, in its review of "Last Kiss" giving four stars to the song called "Funny Feeling", on the flip side, written by Joe Carpenter and Milt "Pete" Skelton. Cochrans survivors include his children Christopher Cochran and Cindy Warford, seven grandchildren and five great-grandchildren. He started his first band in 1955 and was kicked out of high school for refusing to cut his flamboyant pompadour hairstyle. Wayne Purcell will be officiating the service. Wed be out there in the audience, standing on tables, he said. Wed make the whole room part of the show. Sometimes he would throw bottles and chairs. The cause was cancer, said a grandson, Jason Cochran. The song reached number five on the Billboard Mainstream Rock Tracks chart and number two on the Billboard Modern Rock Tracks chart. By popular demand, the cover was released to the public as a single on June 8, 1999. Wayne Cochran (May 10, 1939 - November 21, 2017) was an American soul singer. His second wife, the former Monica Powell, whom he married in the mid-1960s, died in February. Cochran and the C.C. Photo: Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images. Riders. The movie trailer, featuring a scene with Cochran and his band The C.C.Riders performing the song "I Can't Turn You Loose", was later used in the 2019 Quentin Tarantino movie Once Upon a Time in Hollywood. His second wife, the former Monica Powell, whom he married in the mid-1960s, died in February. | Riders. Services are pending. Im a rock n roll singer, Cochran told the Herald in 1983. In 1963 he formed his own group called Wayne Cochran and the C.C. Wayne Cochran was one of the mighty few. Aire Records, located in Dublin, Georgia, credited the song to Perry Music, as did the Gala recording. He was sometimes referred to as The White Knight of Soul. - Wayne Cochran - Songs, Reviews, Credits", "Ancestry.com mis-indexes 1940 census as Mamie Lee and John C. Cochran and their son Wm Cochran, living in Upson, Georgia", "Goin' Back To Miami: The Soul Sides 1965-1970", "Wayne Cochran, who went from soul rocker to soul-saving minister, dies at 78", "Wayne Cochran, the 'White Knight of Soul,' dies at 78", "Wayne Cochran Songs Top Songs / Chart Singles Discography Music VF, US & UK hits charts", https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Wayne_Cochran&oldid=1142482660, Short description is different from Wikidata, Articles needing additional references from June 2010, All articles needing additional references, Pages using infobox musical artist with associated acts, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License 3.0, This page was last edited on 2 March 2023, at 17:09. He continued to record a slew of singles . The 500 Greatest Songs of All Time He was 78.. In addition to his son, he is survived by a daughter, Cynthia Warford, and several grandchildren and great-grandchildren. Known in the Sixties and Seventies for his towering platinum white pompadour, lively performances and volcanic stage presence, the Georgia-born singer penned his classic teen tragedy song Last Kiss at the age of 21. He was a faithful husband and "The World's Greatest Dad!" Robert was born in Pensacola, FL on August 3, 1967, to his late mother, Ro As a teenager in Georgia, Cochran heard the black music that captivated white kids and was bitten. Wilson went on with the tour, though, taking only a week off. In any case, by the late 1950s he was in Macon, Ga., where the musical opportunities were more plentiful than in Thomaston. Wayne Cochran, age 72, of North East passed away on Sunday February 20, 2022 at his residence surrounded by family. Cochran documented his debut one, "My LITTTLE LADY", for the Scottie label in 1959. He was 78. Real-time updates and all local stories you want right in the palm of your hand. Robert Wayne Cochran passed from this world on December 29th, 2021. It reached number 92 in January 1974, spending five weeks on the Billboard Hot 100. However, inspired by his friends and fellow Georgia singers like James Brown, Little Richard and Otis Redding Cochran had played bass on some early Redding recordings the crooner shifted towards blue-eyed soul and R&B as frontman of his C.C. Wayne was raised in the Cedar Creek area and attended Lead Point School before attending and graduating from Northport High School in 1972.