Thread by @GrantMcPheeFilm

Eddie Cochran is rightly regarded as one of the absolute pioneers of Rock and Roll. His influence on music is immense, as is his influence on fashion – see attached photo for a blueprint of the 80s PopStar. Less widely celebrated are the equally huge talents of Sharon Sheeley

Sharon Sheeley, typical of attitudes facing female musicians in the male dominated Rock world then was most commonly referred to as 'Eddie Cochran's Girlfriend', or worse, simply 'girl'. Who she really was is one of the greatest and most successful songwriters of the 50s and 60s.

Sharon wasn't given some vanity songwriting credit given due to being a rock star's partner either, she'd already written a US number one single before she met Eddie. At 15 – one, five - she wrote Poor Little Fool for Ricky Nelson

It was inevitable that she'd also write for Eddie and in my opinion she wrote his greatest song, Something Else which was later annihilated by Sid Vicious.

In the early 60s she teamed up with another of my favourite songwriters, Jackie DeShannon and together they wrote a string of songs for artists such as Brenda Lee and Irma Thomas, including Breakaway, that would become a hit in the 80s via Tracey Ullman.

Jackie DeShannon is perhaps more widely known, and has equally knocked up some of the all time classics such as Far Away Eyes and Put a Little Love in Your Heart, as well as songs for Marianne Faithfull and The Byrds and writing with Jimmy Page!

Tragically, Sharon left music in the mid 60s. The huge shadow of the crash all but broke poor Gene Vincent and she herself reported that Eddie was killed because he threw himself over her to protect her during the accident, which must have been an unbearable weight to bear.

So if you ever see an article that simply refers to her as being Eddie Cochran's girlfriend you need to let them know that Sharon Sheeley was one of the great songwriters.

A PS, for anyone unaware of one of musics strangest stories here is the legend of Eddie guitar and it's strange journey.On the tour that Cochran died on, he allowed a 13 year old Mark Feld to carry his car from the Hackney Theatre to his car. Marc Feld would become Marc Bolan...

...After the crash, the guitar was impounded at a local police station. The officer on charge, David Harman used it to teach himself guitar and later became Dave Dee from Dave Dee, Dozy, Beaky, Mick & Tich.

While not directly connected to the crash, perhaps Eddie's most lastingf musical connection is that his song, 20 Flight Rock was played by Paul McCartney at his audition with John Lennon to join The Quarrymen
RIP Eddie and Sharon.