'I Fall to Pieces' Songwriter Hank Cochran Would Have Turned 91

Hank Cochran, the country music songwriter behind some of the genre’s biggest hits, would have celebrated his 91st birthday on Aug. 2.

Born in 1935, Cochran became one of Nashville’s most successful songwriters during the 1960s, writing songs that would become classics for some of country music’s biggest stars.

One of his most famous compositions was “I Fall to Pieces,” which Cochran co-wrote with Harlan Howard. Patsy Cline recorded the song in 1961, and it became one of the defining hits of her career.

The song reached No. 1 on the Billboard country chart, giving Cline her first chart-topping country hit and helping establish her as one of the genre’s most important voices. “I Fall to Pieces” would remain closely associated with Cline throughout her career and long after her death.

But Cochran’s songwriting credits extended well beyond Cline.

He wrote hits recorded by artists including Ray Price, Eddy Arnold, Merle Haggard and George Strait, making his mark on country music across several generations.

He was also a recording artist in his own right. Cochran released music between 1962 and 1980 and placed seven songs on the Billboard country chart. His biggest solo success came with “Sally Was a Good Old Girl,” which became a Top 20 country hit.

Still, his legacy is perhaps best measured by the songs other artists took to the top of the charts.

Cochran was inducted into the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame in 2014, four years after his death at age 74.

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