Tom Cochrane
singer-songwriter, guitarist | born 1953
BornThomas William Cochrane on May 14, 1953 in Lynn Lake, Manitoba, Canada
Biographyby Stuart Berman
It’s no exaggeration to say Tom Cochrane is the personification of pre-millennial Canadian rock, with a long and winding career that encompasses many of the key landmarks and stylistic shifts in our country’s musical evolution. After paying his dues in Yorkville coffeehouses and legendary dives like the El Mocambo, the Manitoba-born, Toronto-reared Cochrane led his band Red Rider to national stardom with a distinctly Canadian, early-’80s synthesis of new wave and prog-rock. (It was a sound also practised by peers like Prism, Harlequin, and Saga.) But after rebranding as Tom Cochrane & Red Rider, the band shifted into the more sentimental, heartland-plowing terrain that would lay the groundwork for Cochrane’s 1991 border-crossing solo smash, “Life Is a Highway.” In retrospect, that song is a last gasp of feel-good, monocultural rock before grunge, hip-hop, electronica and teen-pop forever rewired the airwaves. And though Cochrane has remained active (if sporadically so) in the years since, “Highway” has taken on a life of its own. In 2006, it blew up all over again when hayseed hitmakers Rascal Flatts recorded a cover version for the Pixar flick Cars, introducing Cochrane’s signature song to new generations of country fans and kiddos alike.
It’s no exaggeration to say Tom Cochrane is the personification of pre-millennial Canadian rock, with a long and winding career that encompasses many of the key landmarks and stylistic shifts in our country’s musical evolution. After paying his dues in Yorkville coffeehouses and legendary dives like the El Mocambo, the Manitoba-born, Toronto-reared Cochrane led his band Red Rider to national stardom with a distinctly Canadian, early-’80s synthesis of new wave and prog-rock. (It was a sound also practised by peers like Prism, Harlequin, and Saga.) But after rebranding as Tom Cochrane & Red Rider, the band shifted into the more sentimental, heartland-plowing terrain that would lay the groundwork for Cochrane’s 1991 border-crossing solo smash, “Life Is a Highway.” In retrospect, that song is a last gasp of feel-good, monocultural rock before grunge, hip-hop, electronica and teen-pop forever rewired the airwaves. And though Cochrane has remained active (if sporadically so) in the years since, “Highway” has taken on a life of its own. In 2006, it blew up all over again when hayseed hitmakers Rascal Flatts recorded a cover version for the Pixar flick Cars, introducing Cochrane’s signature song to new generations of country fans and kiddos alike.
