Rockabilly
The song “Summertime Blues” by Eddie Cochran is one of the favorite Summer golden oldies. In 1958, 19-year-old Eddie Cochran was getting ready to record “Love Again,” which was written by 17-year-old Sharon Sheeley. Together with his manager Jerry Capehart, Cochran wrote “Summertime Blues as the B-side. Liberty Records decided to flip the record over and release “Summertime Blues” as the A-side. This turned out to be Cochran’s breakthrough hit, going to #8 on the Billboard Hot 100 and #18 on the U.K. Singles Chart. The song made him a star. The handclaps in the background were provided by Sheeley, who became his girlfriend.
Cochran was born in Albert Lea, Minnesota. He had an image of a nice-looking, well-dressed young man with a rebellious attitude. Besides singing, he played the guitar, drums, piano, and bass. He was interested in the technical aspects of recording and experimented with multi-track recording and overdubbing. In 1960, Sheeley and Cochran were passengers in a British taxi cab when it crashed and he was killed. Cochran was 21.