TOM COCHRANE BIOGRAPHY
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The pride of Lynn Lake, Manitoba, Tom Cochrane's early childhood consisted of using music as an escape from the rural doldrums, including Etobicoke, Ontario after a brief stay in Acton. His seclusion from 'civilization' helped him learn the craft that would make him one of Canada's most prolific story-tellers/songwriters. He bought his first guitar at the age of 11 by selling a toy train set, and followed in the path as other Canadian stars like Neil Young, Joni Mitchell, and Ian & Sylvia Tyson when he began playing Toronto's Yorkville Village. He was soon expanding to other parts of the country - and in '73 caught the attention of Frank Davies and was signed to Daffodil records, releasing his first single "You're Driving Me Crazy" that summer. HANG ON TO YOUR RESISTANCE, his first full album saw the light of day later that year but he was still finding it hard to make a living. By '75 he'd found his way to Los Angeles where he eventually got the job of writing the theme music to the new Xavier Hollander (The Happy Hooker) movie 'My Pleasure Is My Business'. Excerpts from the record were included with songs from his HANG ON TO YOUR RESISTANCE lp - issued by Daffodil on a sampler LP later that year. But as the Toronto folk scene went on a slide in the mid 70's, he moved to LA in '76, having just returned from a gig on a cruise liner ... not a bad way to see the Caribbean. But after failing to find a niche or hockey team in LA either, he returned home to Terrana before the end of '77.
A few months later one of Canada's most original and critically acclaimed groups was born, when Cochrane introduced himself to a group called Red Rider at the infamous El Mocambo. They were signed to Capitol in mid in late '79 and were introduced to future manager Bruce Allen, also babysitting the boys in Prism. DON'T FIGHT IT debuted the next spring and the critics and airwaves both lit up, as the record went on to sell 100,000 copies in Canada alone with the help of the title-track and lead off single "White Hot". More gold would follow the next year, with the follow-up smash AS FAR AS SIAM. Songs like the classic "Lunatic Fringe" and "Cowboys In Hong Kong" proved them on major tours but still had trouble cracking the US market. All the same, '83's NERUDA made it three straight, with "Napolean Sheds His Skin" and "Power" showing tight, well-arranged pieces that the FM stations ate up. BREAKING THE CURFEW proved themselves among the most intricate and thought-provoking melodies on the scene upon its release the next summer. "Young Thing Wild Thing", the lead-off "Whipping Boy", title-track and "Among The Ruins" made it the group's fourth straight gold record. But still having trouble south of the border in effect helped cause the disintegration of the core of the group.
After a short time off, following a less than friendly parting of company with manager Bruce Allen and bassist Jeff Jones, Cochrane took some time off to work on other projects, including working on the first of two Grapes of Wrath lp's. The band foundation of Cochrane and Ken Greer hooked up with several noteable players in the following years, starting with the next album called simply TOM COCHRANE & RED RIDER - then VICTORY DAY, a year and a half later in '89. "Boy Inside The Man" - featured on the relief-aid disc 30 HOUR FAMINE, "The Untouchable One", "Big League" - a tale of a local young hockey player's dreams of making the NHL, and the scathing "Calling America" all socred big on the airwaves and finally saw the name Red Rider finally crack the American market. After Captiol's release of a 'best of' package in their OVER SIXTY MINUTES WITH ... series and the teaming of The Edmonton Symphony Orchestra for '89's SYMPHONY SESSIONS, Greer left the fold of Red Rider and Cochrane headed back out as a true solo artist.
Cochrane's long-standing charity work took him to West Africa in 1990, working for World Vision's famine relief programs. Now working for EMI, this also gave him inspiration for MAD MAD WORLD in '91, with the title-track and eventual Juno single of the year "Life Is A Highway" (later covered by country star Chris Ledoux) became radio staples across the globe. The songwas also nominated Song of The Year by SOCAN, eventually pushing the album to over a million sales worldwide. 1983's ASHES TO DIAMONDS, a 'best of' collection was followed by his outside projects and personal missions being told in RAGGED ASS ROAD in '95. With less emphasis on production, the album brought Tom back to his roots, with more thought-provoking tales in "I Wish You Well", "Wildest Dreams", title track and "Will Of The Gun".
The live SONGS OF A CIRCLING SPIRIT's laid-back atmosphere followed a year later, an intimate collection of Red Rider classics, as well as an intricate and complex solo career. X RAY SIERRA was released in 1998 to much critical appraise with "I Wonder", "Willie Dixon Said" and "Stonecutter's Hands". TRAPEZE saw the record stores in 2001, the definitive collection of his studio material as both a solo artist, as well as a healthy sampling of Red Rider tracks which helped shape Canadian music as one of the country's most compelling and formative bands during the '80's. All total Tom Cochrane has made 3 trips to West Africa, helping raise the awareness of the plights of the third world and raise money for a variety of charities.
