Alabama ‘Music Man’ Skip Cochran’s tunes are good for the soul
Honing his songwriting and guitar-playing skills since he was 12, Alabama Power retiree and Jasper Energizer Skip Cochran today puts his talents to use not only in musical entertainment venues around Alabama and in Nashville, Tennessee, but also by serving his community and in efforts to assist children's advocacy groups. (Phil Free / Alabama News Center)
Sometimes, life pushes the “stop” button and gives one pause – enough to consider what really matters.
Since 2020, Skip Cochran has had two close calls that changed his outlook on life. More than ever, his aim is to make good music, provide great entertainment and benefit his community and children.
Cochran retired from Alabama Power in 2017 after a satisfying 40-year career working at Plants Gorgas and Miller. As a fun sideline and a hobby, Cochran, 65, has always enjoyed making music while entertaining crowds at musical venues in Alabama and in Nashville, Tennessee.
“I wrote a song called ‘When I Go,’ and it’s one of my most-requested songs when I’m in Nashville,” Cochran said. “It’s been recorded three times already. A lot of my songs come from things that people I know are going through.” He also culls from his own life experiences.
After he retired, Cochran settled into a comfortable routine, enjoying life with his wife and son while playing music whenever he wants. But in 2020, during the COVID-19 pandemic, Cochran’s doctors changed his medicines over the phone. A potentially deadly prescription drug interaction landed him in an ICU for a week.
A second near-death experience made Cochran do a life U-turn: “I have cheated the Grim Reaper twice since I retired. I had a four-wheeler accident where it flipped over on me.”
While out hunting, Cochran shot a deer. He wanted to return to the woods to retrieve the animal, but his wife said to wait until a neighbor could go with him.
“Thankfully, I did,” Cochran said with a chuckle. “We were about two miles off the beaten path, and, luckily, he was with me to help me back up. If I’d been by myself, I’d probably never have gotten out from under the thing.”
“I broke seven ribs and punctured a lung,” he said. “I got through that and got to thinking, ‘I’ve walked out of these two things where they weren’t sure I was going to.’ So, I’ve got one more blessing to either give or receive, and I’d be dadgum if I’m going to let my talent just sit here and not do something for some kids.”
Those events further cemented Cochran’s long-held desire to share his bluegrass tunes at events to help others, particularly children. In July 2024, he played for Amped Kids in Nashville, a nonprofit that helps children play musical instruments, and provided six hours of musical entertainment during a fundraiser for Alabama Childhood Food Solutions in Sylacauga. In September 2024, Cochran played the guitar and sang for Parrish First Baptist Church and Parrish Church of the Nazarene. In all, Cochran volunteered more than 50 hours to support the community.
Cochran is a member of the Jasper chapter of the Energizers, the service arm for retirees of Alabama Power, Southern Company Services and Southern Nuclear.
“I wanted to go help somebody, especially kids,” he said. “I like to give more than I like to receive. I want my blessing to go to help somebody.”
Making music to help others
Cochran, 65, is a natural songwriter. On his mother’s side of the family, he is a distant cousin of Francis Scott Key, a lawyer, author and poet who is best known for writing the lyrics of the “Star-Spangled Banner.”
He recalled trying to write a song during sixth grade after seeing lyrics in “Hit Parade,” a magazine that was popular in his elementary school days.
“I had never heard the song, but I saw the lyrics,” Cochran explained. “I started using the lyrics with my own music. That’s how I really got started. But it just kept going. I’ve always been involved in music, whether by myself or with bands.”
As a 12-year-old, Cochran was surprised when a cute girl in his neighborhood took an interest in his guitar playing.
“I learned by wanting to get better and, to be honest, chicks really used to dig it, too,” he said, laughing at the memory. “It’s not like you decide to become a musician. It just kind of happens – it’s inside. And especially when I started writing, that’s when I realized that I can’t not write. I have to write, to purge, if nothing else.”
After graduating from Parrish High School in Walker County in 1977, Cochran chased the music business, touring with a gospel group throughout the Southeast. In 1983, he went to Nashville and stayed for about three years. Four years later, his son Chris was born.
“In April 1987, I was sitting up there in a studio called the Song Cellar recording some songs, and I had this pull to get back home as quick as I could, to be a dad more than I wanted to be anything else in the world,” Cochran said.
Though he built a successful career at Alabama Power, the desire to play music never left him. “I’ve done it all my life,” Cochran said. “It’s something that I can’t not do.”
Around 1995, when Alabama Power founded its Powder River Band – named for Plant Miller’s use of sub-bituminous Wyoming coal – Cochran was among the musicians who performed at company events, such as Family Fun Day. He and some friends from the band, including Miller Mechanic-welder Richard Boles, have since played in several benefit shows for children’s advocacy organizations.
“We’d donate our time, and people would donate to the groups,” he said. “We had a friend who had a restaurant, and he opened it up for us to do this stuff.”
For pure enjoyment, Cochran spends a few hours a month playing bluegrass music with friends. One Thursday night a month, he is among musicians who gather to play at Sugar Creek Supper Club in Hayden. Most recently, he played “in the round” with others who shared their original songs while discussing their musical inspiration. Often during these sessions, musicians’ laughter bubbles up; sometimes, tears are shed.
“Always play with somebody better than you because you’ll always learn something else, something new,” he said. “Art is an opinion, and that’s all it is. Some will like it, some won’t. But it doesn’t make it bad or good. It’s all just how you perceive it.
“I love people – I really do,” Cochran said earnestly. “And if I can tell you, show you how I feel about something, that’s more important to me than showing you how Bob Seger or Ronnie Van Zant or anybody else is. I want to share me with you when I do my original songs because that means more to me, because that’s me talking to you.”
In ‘pursuit of happiness’
In the early 2000s, Cochran returned to Nashville. He performs two or three times a year at live music venues, such as Millennial Maxwell House, Bobby’s Idle Hour, the Commodore Grill and the Five Spot, all of which showcase songwriters.
To Cochran, playing in Nashville is like coming home. “I’ve got some good friends now that I’ve made up there over the years. I can play up there easier than I can play around the house,” said Cochran, who plays the banjo on a third of his songs.
He has recorded five albums and is working on his sixth. Cochran’s albums – “5 More,” “Giddy-up,” “Y’all,” “Rough Landing” and “Early Bird Special” – and singles are available on Spotify. Fans can watch his performances on YouTube.
His inspiration comes from the world around him. “I’ve got songs for every occasion you might want to have one. The phrase is ‘the pursuit of happiness,’ and I’m in charge of the pursuit part.”
