Enduring Eddie Cochran

Occasional Musings

The Enduring Eddie Cochran

Any fatal accident on the roads is a tragedy and the story of Eddie Cochran’s ill-fated journey home is unfortunately all too common.

What does this have to do with my website, I hear you ask? Well, initially nothing and latterly, something. I have made an intense study of the 1960 Rock and Roll Tour which featured Gene Vincent, Eddie Cochran, Marty Wilde, Billy Fury and other performers.

Much has been written in books and on the internet about this seminal event. The importance of the tour cannot be overstated as it influenced many British rock and roll artists that were to come after, such as The Beatles etc.

I don’t want to go into any greater detail than can be found by accessing the internet. What I would like to convey is my theory on what may have occurred on the night of 16^th April 1960 .

Now we get to the latter point as to why I’m writing this article. The car hired by Eddie and Gene, and perhaps some of the other passengers, was a new 1960 Ford Consul Highline. Five were on board; three people in the back, Eddie, Gene and Eddie’s girlfriend Sharon Sheeley and two people were in the front; the driver and their road manager. Also the added weight in the car would have been luggage, including an amplifier Eddie was taking back to the States for repair and his guitar, not forgetting a full tank of fuel for the journey from Bristol to London.

The Ford Consul was of British manufacture and designed with the American Servicemen in mind, stationed here in the United Kingdom early post-war. It gave the Servicemen a feel of home without having to drive a large American car on the British roads. They were designed primarily for comfort and this is fundamentally, I believe, at the core of the tragic accident. It was not only the suspension which delivered the soft ride but all new Consuls were. as I have understood it, fitted with cross-ply tyres which added more comfort but could compromise ability to hold the line on bends at high speed.

What we do know about that night is that the driver of the vehicle was driving at speed. The car had a great deal of weight in it and would be highly likely to have been running on the cross-ply tyres fitted by the factory. All these factors taken into consideration would make the vehicle difficult to handle on the old A roads of the time. They only made it as far as Chippenham before the car crashed.

There have been many statements made by survivors and witnesses of the crash, but what also may be relevant is that before the car could be retrieved, the tow truck driver had to change the rear wheel because the tyre had burst. Now the tyre may very well have burst when the car hit the lamp post and kerb, but another possibility is that the tyre could not cope with the stresses applied, overheated and/or parted company with the wheel rim. A statement I read regarding Sharon Sheeley’s testimony at the inquest into the accident was that she claimed she asked the driver if the tyres were properly inflated. This suggests she had perceived some instability in the vehicle.

All this leads to my own personal conclusion; that the car would easily get out of shape considering speed, weight factor, soft suspension and cross-ply tyres.

I once owned, many years ago, a 1960 Ford Consul Lowline and in my opinion found it unsuitable for high speed work on twisty bends, even when fitted with radial tyres.

I felt I had to write this for two reasons. Firstly, from all I have read no one, to my knowledge, has ever considered the car’s design and the excess stresses it would have been under on that fateful night. Secondly, I would like to bring to public attention the remarkable talent Eddie Cochran had and his achievements by the age of 21. Unfortunately it ended all too soon for Eddie and I have no doubt he would have achieved many more things. One thing for sure, is that Eddie achieved recognition in the short time he was with us.

Eddie had a habit when he signed his autographs to write ‘Don’t forget me’ and I’m sure he will be remembered for many years to come. He was the Mozart of rock! Listen to Eddie's Blues, written and performed ten years before Jimi Hendrix appeared on the scene.

As a personal tribute to Eddie, several years ago I wrote the poem below. However I did not want to publicise it until I found someone to deliver it to who knew him. Fortunately, I was able to send it to Vince Eager who was Eddie’s best friend while he was touring the UK.

If anyone was fortunate enough to have seen any of the tour performances during 1960 I would dearly love to hear from them. I was born not long after Eddie had passed away so never got the chance to see him perform live.

I suspect my theory may add more confusion and promote more questions, but that’s what makes a legend enduring and everlasting.

Five to Midnight

T’was five to midnight on the dark Rowden Hill

Fate waiting well hidden, patient and still

Buddy, the Bopper and Richie now gone

There’s another this night and Eddie Cochran’s the one

A gypsy gave warning of the danger he’d suffer

Now fate has four aces from this night of plunder

The old A4 was Eddie’s plight

As muses lay dying to the cold April night

But a mortal spark turned into a flame

Inspiring the student to carry his name

The sound of that Gretsch! What a beautiful belle

Whose rockin’ disciples ring louder than hell!