Thomas William Cochrane ( ; born May 14, 1953) is a Canadian singer-songwriter and musician best known as the frontman for the rock band

Red Rider Red Rider, later known as Tom Cochrane & Red Rider, is a Canadian rock band popular in the 1980s. While they achieved significant success in Canada, the band never had a song in the top 40 in the United States, although " Lunatic Fringe" from t ...

and for his work as a solo singer-songwriter. Cochrane has won eight

Juno Awards The Juno Awards (stylized as JUNOS), or simply known as the Junos, are awards presented by the Canadian Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences to recognize outstanding achievements in Canada's music industry. The Grammy Awards are the United S ...

. He is a member of the

Canadian Music Hall of Fame The Canadian Music Hall of Fame was established in 1978 by the Canadian Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences (CARAS) to honour Canadian musicians for their lifetime achievements in music. The award presentation is held each year as part of th ...

, an officer of the

Order of Canada The Order of Canada () is a Canadian state order, national order and the second-highest Award, honour for merit in the system of orders, decorations, and medals of Canada, after the Order of Merit. To coincide with the Canadian Centennial, ce ...

, and has an

honorary doctorate An honorary degree is an academic degree for which a university (or other degree-awarding institution) has waived all of the usual requirements. It is also known by the Latin phrases ''honoris causa'' ("for the sake of the honour") or '' ad hon ...

from

Brandon University Brandon University is a university located in the city of Brandon, Manitoba, Canada, with an enrolment of approximately 3,375 (2020) full-time and part-time undergraduate and graduate students. The current location was founded on July 13, 1899, ...

. In September 2009, he was inducted onto

Canada's Walk of Fame Canada's Walk of Fame () in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, is a walk of fame that acknowledges the achievements and accomplishments of Canadians who have excelled in their respective fields. It is a series of maple leaf-like stars embedded in 13 de ...

Life and career

Early life

Cochrane was born in the mining town of

Lynn Lake, Manitoba Lynn Lake is a town in the northwest region of Manitoba, Canada, approximately from Winnipeg. The town is the fourth-largest town in Manitoba in terms of land area. It is centred on the original urban community of Lynn Lake. The town was named ...

. His father was a

bush pilot Bush flying refers to aircraft operations carried out in the bush. Bush flying involves operations in rough terrain where there are often no prepared landing strips or runways, frequently necessitating that bush planes be equipped with abnormal ...

. When he was four years old, he and his family moved to

Acton, Ontario Acton (population 9,376 in 2021) is a community located in the town of Halton Hills, in Regional Municipality of Halton, Halton Region, Ontario, Canada. At the northern end of the Region, it is on the outer edge of the Greater Toronto Area and i ...

and then to

Etobicoke Etobicoke (, ) is an administrative district and former city within Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Comprising the city's west end, Etobicoke is bordered on the south by Lake Ontario, on the east by the Humber River (Ontario), Humber River, on the ...

(present-day

Toronto Toronto ( , locally pronounced or ) is the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, most populous city in Canada. It is the capital city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Ontario. With a p ...

Red Rider

After meeting at the El Mocambo tavern in Toronto, Cochrane joined the Canadian rock band

in 1978 and served as their lead singer and main songwriter for more than ten years. Red Rider included

Ken Greer Kenneth William Greer (born 25 July 1954) is a Canadian guitarist and keyboardist. He is one of the founding members of the Canadian rock band Red Rider. Biography Greer is the youngest of seven children born into a musical family in Toronto ...

, Jeff Jones, Peter Boynton, Rob Baker, Arvo Lepp, Steve Sexton, Bjorn Anderson, Ken Spider Sinnaeve, Kier Brownstone, Randall Correall and Bill Bell. Bruce Allen managed the band from their debut until 1985. Cochrane recorded six studio albums with Red Rider plus a live album, a best-of album, and a box set. By 1986, the band was billed as "Tom Cochrane & Red Rider". He would later refer to this period of his career as a stretch of "manageable success" before the release of ''Mad Mad World''. In 2002, Cochrane reunited with his former Red Rider bandmates Greer and Jones and continues to perform with them.

Solo career

Already a household name in Canada from his time with

, Cochrane launched his solo career in 1991 with the release of the song "

Life Is a Highway "Life Is a Highway" is a song by Canadian musician Tom Cochrane from his second studio album, '' Mad Mad World'' (1991). The song became a number-one hit in Canada in late 1991. "Life Is a Highway" also peaked at number six on the US ''Billboard' ...

". The single became a global success and was followed by the release of his album '' Mad Mad World'', which would reach the six million mark in worldwide sales. The albums '' Ragged Ass Road'', '' Songs of a Circling Spirit'', '' Xray Sierra'' and '' No Stranger'' followed. Cochrane’s current band consists of Bill Bell, Jeff Jones, and Davide Direnzo.

Today

An avid golfer, pilot, and hockey buff, Cochrane lives in

British Columbia British Columbia is the westernmost Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada. Situated in the Pacific Northwest between the Pacific Ocean and the Rocky Mountains, the province has a diverse geography, with rugged landscapes that ...

, and spends summers at his cottage/studio on the shores of

Georgian Bay The Georgian Bay () is a large bay of Lake Huron, in the Laurentia bioregion. It is located entirely within the borders of Ontario, Canada. The main body of the bay lies east of the Bruce Peninsula and Manitoulin Island. To its northwest is t ...

Northern Ontario Northern Ontario is a primary geographic and quasi-administrative region of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Ontario, the other primary region being Southern Ontario. Most of the core geographic region is located on p ...

. Cochrane has two daughters. Relationship; M. 1981- 2020: Kathleen Cochrane. Current: Suzanne Vega. Cochrane continues to tour and perform in Canada. In 2006, the group

Rascal Flatts Rascal Flatts is an American Country music, country music band formed in 1999 in Nashville, Tennessee. The band consists of Gary LeVox (lead vocals), Jay DeMarcus (bass guitar, background vocals), and Joe Don Rooney (lead guitar, background voc ...

charted in the top 10 of the Hot 100 with a cover of "Life Is a Highway", which they recorded for the

Pixar Pixar (), doing business as Pixar Animation Studios, is an American animation studio based in Emeryville, California, known for its critically and commercially successful computer-animated feature films. Pixar is a subsidiary of Walt Disney ...

film ''

Cars A car, or an automobile, is a motor vehicle with wheels. Most definitions of cars state that they run primarily on roads, seat one to eight people, have four wheels, and mainly transport people rather than cargo. There are around one billio ...

''. Although the song was not originally released to country radio, several country stations began playing the song, causing it to chart within the top 20 of Hot Country Songs.

Chris LeDoux Christopher Lee LeDoux (October 2, 1948 – March 9, 2005) was an American country music singer-songwriter, bronze sculptor, and hall of fame rodeo champion. During his career, LeDoux recorded 36 albums (many self-released), which have sold mor ...

also had a country hit with "Life Is a Highway". In October 2016, Cochrane celebrated the twenty-fifth anniversary of his album ''Mad Mad World'' with an announcement of the release of a special edition of the album, featuring a demo recording of "Love is a Highway", the working title of "Life Is a Highway", as well as a second disc featuring a live performance from a 1992 Chicago stop on the tour supporting the album. In 2016, the Manitoba provincial government renamed a section of a highway near his hometown of Lynn Lake after the hit "Life Is a Highway". A stretch of Highway 391 was renamed Tom Cochrane's Life is a Highway.

Honours

Canadian Songwriters Hall of Fame: Cochrane was inducted into the

Canadian Songwriters Hall of Fame The Canadian Songwriters Hall of Fame () is a Canadian non-profit organization, founded in 1998 by Frank Davies, that inducts Canadians into their ''Hall of Fame'' within three different categories: songwriters, songs, and those others who have m ...

in 2024 for his achievements as a songwriter and his contributions to Canada and around the world. Canadian Music Hall of Fame induction: Cochrane was inducted into the

in 2003 for outstanding contribution to the greater recognition of Canadian music. The ceremony took place April 5, 2003, at Casino du Lac-Leamy in Gatineau, Quebec. The following night, Cochrane was honoured for his induction in a speech by

Jeff Healey Norman Jeffrey Healey (March 25, 1966 – March 2, 2008) was a Canadian blues, rock and jazz guitarist, singer and songwriter who attained popularity in the 1980s and 1990s. He reached No. 5 on the U.S. ''Billboard'' Hot 100 chart with " Ang ...

at the

at the Corel Centre (now

Canadian Tire Centre Canadian Tire Centre () is a multi-purpose arena in the suburb of Kanata in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. It opened in January 1996 as the Palladium and was also known as Corel Centre () from 1996 to 2006 and Scotiabank Place () from 2006 to 2013. ...

in Ottawa). Cochrane closed the show by performing a medley of his hits and was joined onstage by host

Shania Twain Eilleen Regina "Shania" Twain ( ; born August 28, 1965) is a Canadian singer-songwriter. She has sold over 100 million records, making her one of the List of best-selling music artists, best-selling music artists of all time and the best-sel ...

for the final song, "

". Order of Canada: In April 2008, Cochrane received one of the highest honours for a Canadian citizen when he was invested as an officer of the

(the level companion of the Order of Canada is the highest honour, and several people originally invested as officers have been promoted to companions for continued contributions to charity and the arts, among other fields). Cochrane was honoured for a lifetime of charity work, his contribution to the arts and for being unabashedly Canadian. Canada's Walk of Fame: In September 2009, Cochrane was inducted onto

. The induction was highlighted by a two-hour nationally televised gala at Toronto's Four Season's Center for the Performing Arts.

Anne Murray Morna Anne Murray (born June 20, 1945) is a retired Canadian country, pop and adult contemporary music singer who has sold over 55 million album copies worldwide during her over 40-year career. Murray has won four Grammys including the Grammy ...

hosted the event which also included the inductions of

Kim Cattrall Kim Victoria Cattrall (; born 21 August 1956) is a British, Canadian, and American actress. She is known for her portrayal of Samantha Jones on HBO's ''Sex and the City'' (1998–2004), for which she received five Primetime Emmy Award nominati ...

Raymond Burr Raymond William Stacy Burr (May 21, 1917September 12, 1993) was a Canadian actor who had a lengthy Hollywood film career and portrayed the title roles in the television dramas '' Perry Mason'' and '' Ironside''. Burr's early acting career inclu ...

Blue Rodeo Blue Rodeo is a Canadian rock band formed in 1984 in Toronto, Ontario. They have released 16 full-length studio albums, four live recordings, one greatest hits album, and two video/DVDs, along with multiple solo albums, side projects, and colla ...

Dsquared2 Dean and Dan Caten (née Catenacci; born December 19, 1964) are Canadian fashion designers, radio personalities, and businessmen. They are identical twin brothers and the founders and owners of Dsquared², an Italian luxury fashion house based i ...

Howie Mandel Howard Michael Mandel (born November 29, 1955) is a Canadian comedian, television personality, actor, and producer. Mandel is known for voicing Gizmo in the 1984 film ''Gremlins'' and the 1990 sequel ''Gremlins 2: The New Batch'', playing rowd ...

Robert Munsch Robert Norman Munsch (born June 11, 1945) is an American-born, Canadian children's author. Personal life and career Robert Munsch was born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, on June 11, 1945. He grew up in a family of nine children. Munsch gradua ...

and

Chantal Petitclerc Chantal Petitclerc (born 15 December 1969) is a Canadian wheelchair racer and a Senator from Quebec. Early life At the age of 13, Petitclerc lost the use of both legs in an accident when at a friend's farm, a heavy barn door fell on her, fra ...

. Honorary colonel: In November 2007, Cochrane was formally invested as an honorary colonel (HCol) by the

Royal Canadian Air Force The Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF; ) is the air and space force of Canada. Its role is to "provide the Canadian Forces with relevant, responsive and effective airpower". The RCAF is one of three environmental commands within the unified Can ...

's 409 "Nighthawks" Tactical Fighter Squadron. As part of his investiture weekend, Cochrane experienced his second flight in a CF-18. Honorary doctorate: In May 2005, Cochrane received an honorary doctorate from

Brandon, Manitoba Brandon () is the second-largest city in the province of Manitoba, Canada. It is located in the southwestern corner of the province on the banks of the Assiniboine River, approximately west of the provincial capital, Winnipeg, and east of the ...

. In addition, musician

James Ehnes James Ehnes (born January 27, 1976) is a Canadian- American concert violinist and violist. Early life Ehnes was born in Brandon, Manitoba, the son of Alan Ehnes, long time trumpet professor at Brandon University (Canada), and Barbara Withey E ...

, journalist Henry Champ and actress

Shirley Douglas Shirley Jean Douglas (April 2, 1934 – April 5, 2020) was a Canadian actress. Her acting career combined with her family name made her recognizable in Canadian film, television and national politics. Early life Douglas was born April 2, 1934, ...

received honorary doctorates from the university at the spring convocation held May 28, 2005. Canadian Music Industry Hall of Fame: Cochrane was inducted on May 9, 2014, Gil Moore formerly of the band Triumph made the presentation. Canadian Music Industry Humanitarian Award: In March 2005, Cochrane received the Humanitarian Award at the Canadian Music Industry Association's (CMIA) gala dinner in Toronto during the annual

Canadian Music Week The Departure Festival + Conference, formerly known as Canadian Music Week, is an industry conference and music festival held in Toronto, Ontario, Canada.David Friend"Canadian Music Week buyers rename event Departure Festival, expand its scope" ...

Festival. Allan Waters Humanitarian Award: In April 2013, Cochrane received the award at the

2013 Juno Awards The Juno Awards of 2013 honoured Canadian music industry achievements in the latter part of 2011 and in most of 2012. The awards were presented in Regina, Saskatchewan, Canada, during the weekend of 20–21 April 2013. The main ceremony was host ...

gala dinner. Henry H. Knowles Humanitarian Award: In May 2014, Cochrane received this award from OPSEU. Order of Manitoba: In July 2015, Cochrane received the Order Of Manitoba. On October 31, 2016, the provincial legislature of Manitoba announced a 322-kilometre section of Provincial Road 391 connecting Lynn Lake and Thompson would be designated Tom Cochrane's Life Is a Highway. In 2024, Cochrane was inducted into the

.Brad Wheeler
"Tom Cochrane calls his induction into the Canadian Songwriters Hall of Fame his ‘most poignant’ accolade yet"
''

The Globe and Mail ''The Globe and Mail'' is a Newspapers in Canada, Canadian newspaper printed in five cities in Western Canada, western and central Canada. With a weekly readership of more than 6 million in 2024, it is Canada's most widely read newspaper on week ...

'', September 28, 2024.

Discography

Albums

Solo

* 1974: '' Hang On to Your Resistance'' * 1975: '' My Pleasure Is My Business'' (soundtrack) * 1991: '' Mad Mad World'' * 1995: '' Ragged Ass Road'' * 1999: '' Xray Sierra'' * 2006: '' No Stranger'' * 2015: '' Take It Home'' * 2016: ''Mad Mad World'' (Deluxe Edition with live disc)

Compilation albums (solo)

* 1997: '' Songs of a Circling Spirit''

With Red Rider

* 1979: '' Don't Fight It'' * 1981: '' As Far as Siam'' * 1983: '' Neruda'' * 1984: '' Breaking Curfew'' * 1986: '' Tom Cochrane and Red Rider'' (as Tom Cochrane & Red Rider) * 1988: ''

Victory Day Victory Day is a commonly used name for public holidays in various countries, where it commemorates a nation's triumph over a hostile force in a war or the liberation of a country from hostile occupation. In many cases, multiple countries may ob ...

'' (as Tom Cochrane & Red Rider) * 1989: '' The Symphony Sessions'' (as Tom Cochrane & Red Rider)

Compilation albums (with Red Rider)

* 1987: '' Over 60 Minutes with Red Rider'' * 1993: ''Ashes to Diamonds'' (3-CD boxed set) * 2002: ''Anthology 1980–1987'' * 2002: ''Trapeze: The Collection''

Singles

Solo

With Red Rider

References

External links

Tom Cochrane with Red Rider official website

The Tom Cochrane website
* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Cochrane, Tom 1953 births Living people Canadian people of Scottish descent Canadian people of Icelandic descent Canadian Music Hall of Fame inductees Canadian rock singers Canadian male singer-songwriters Members of the Order of Manitoba Officers of the Order of Canada People from Etobicoke People from Oakville, Ontario Red Rider members Singers from Manitoba Singers from Toronto Writers from Toronto Juno Award for Single of the Year winners Juno Award for Album of the Year winners Juno Award for Songwriter of the Year winners Juno Award for Artist of the Year winners 20th-century Canadian male singers 21st-century Canadian male singers 20th-century Canadian singer-songwriters 21st-century Canadian singer-songwriters

Life and career

Early life

Red Rider

Solo career

Today

Honours

Discography

Albums

Solo

Compilation albums (solo)

With Red Rider

Compilation albums (with Red Rider)

Singles

Solo

With Red Rider

See also

References

External links