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Sharon SheeleyAmerican songbook
Date of Birth: 04.04.1940
Country:  USA |
Content:
Biography of Sharon Sheeley
Sharon Sheeley, an American songwriter, was born on April 4, 1940, in California, USA. She attended Newport Harbor High School in Newport Beach and worked as a model during her teenage years. She found herself in Hollywood, where she met celebrities, and after a relationship with Don Everly, she wrote her first autobiographical song, "Poor Little Fool." It is said that Sharon told Ricky Nelson that her godfather wrote songs for Elvis Presley, and Nelson agreed to work with her. In 1958, Sheeley became number one in the United States. At the age of 18, she became the youngest woman to write American chart-topping hits.
Relationship with Eddie Cochran
Jerry Capehart, manager and songwriting partner of Eddie Cochran, decided to take care of Sharon's interests, which led to a relationship between her and Cochran. She wrote songs like "Love Again" and "Cherished Memories" for her beloved, and together with Eddie's brother, Bob Cochran, they came up with the hit "Somethin' Else" in 1959.
Tragic Accident and Post-Accident Life
To join Cochran and Gene Vincent on their tour in England in April 1960, Sheeley traveled to them and unofficially got engaged. She also recorded a new song, "Homework," with producer Jack Good. On the night of April 16, 1960, Vincent, Sheeley, and Cochran were traveling in a private taxi from a concert in Bristol to the London airport when the taxi's tire burst. The taxi crashed into a lamppost near Chippenham, Wiltshire. All three were taken to the hospital, but Cochran, thrown out of the car, suffered serious head injuries and died the next day at the age of 21. Sheeley suffered a fractured pelvis, while Vincent broke his ribs and collarbone.
After the accident, Sheeley returned to the United States, where she worked closely with musician and songwriter Jackie DeShannon. Together, they were responsible for hits like Brenda Lee's "Dum Dum" and Irma Thomas' "Breakaway." Sheeley also collaborated with Chris Curtis of the Liverpool group "The Searchers" and co-wrote several new songs, including "Night Time." She married Los Angeles disc jockey Jimmy O'Neill in 1961, but their marriage ended in divorce five years later, although they remained friends.
In August 2000, a collection of Sheeley's songs recorded in the early 1960s by a group of session musicians, including Glen Campbell, Leon Russell, David Gates, Hal Blaine, and Herb Alpert, was released by RPM Records. Sheeley passed away five years after suffering a brain hemorrhage on May 17, 2002, in Los Angeles at the age of 62. In 1987, actress Rosanna Locke portrayed Sharon Sheeley in Luis Valdez's biopic "La Bamba."
