Hank Cochran

Hank Cochran was a songwriter first, known for his direct, unadorned lyrics about anxiety and heartache. He wrote 'I'm Worried About Me,' a song that became a classic for its plainspoken look at self-doubt. In the early 1950s, he moved to Los Angeles and began placing his songs with other artists, including Patsy Cline and Eddy Arnold.

He signed with Liberty Records in 1961 and released his debut album, 'Hank Cochran Sings the Songs He Wrote.' The album featured his own versions of songs like 'All Of Me Belongs To You' and 'Funny Way Of Laughin'.' His personal life was often difficult, and that strain sometimes surfaced in his writing, giving his songs a particular kind of weathered honesty.

Cochran kept writing and recording through the 1970s, with albums like 'The Guitar Player' in 1974. He worked with musicians like guitarist Grady Martin and pianist Glen D. Hardin. His songs, straightforward and often somber, stayed in the repertoire of other country singers long after he recorded them himself.