* En anglais uniquement
One of the first and most successful female songwriters of the early rock & roll era,
Sharon Sheeley first earned notice for penning
Ricky Nelson's 1958 chart-topping classic "Poor Little Fool." A year later, ex-boyfriend
Phil Everly introduced her to fellow rocker
Eddie Cochran, with whom she co-wrote the oft-covered classic "Somethin' Else"; by now
Cochran's fiancee, in the spring of 1960 she travelled with him and
Gene Vincent on a riotously well-received tour of Britain, but en route to London the threesome's car crashed --
Sheeley and Vincent survived, but
Cochran died at the age of just 21. Returning to the U.S. she partnered with songwriter
Jackie DeShannon, collaborating on the
Brenda Lee hits "Dum Dum" and "Heart in Hand"; their other efforts included
Irma Thomas' "Breakaway" (later revived by
Tracey Ullman),
the Fleetwoods' "(He's) The Great Impostor" and
the Kalin Twins' "Trouble."
Sheeley also mentored aspiring pop singer James Marcus Smith, whom she rechristened
P.J. Proby in honor of a former boyfriend. Later married to Jimmy O'Neill, emcee of television's Shindig!,
Sheeley largely vanished from the spotlight as the 1960s progressed; in mid-2000, the British label RPM issued
Songwriter, a collection of vintage demos recorded by a studio group including then-unknown guitarist
Glen Campbell, bassist
David Gates, keyboardist
Leon Russell and drummer
Hal Blaine. ~ Jason Ankeny