Anita Cochran

Anita Cochran came into a household steeped in devotion to country sounds, her name drawn from a Carter Family member while her brother received his in honor of Faron Young. Guitar lessons began at age four. Suburban Detroit formed the setting of her birth and childhood, though her parents both traced their roots to Kentucky. A local country performer himself, her father nurtured her interest by bringing her along to numerous festivals. Even while employed at an insurance firm, she kept performing with bands and alone until she landed her first professional foothold as manager of a neighborhood recording studio. Backing vocals and engineering tasks occupied many sessions there, and she captured her own material whenever spare hours appeared.

Despite doubts about her talent, Anita Cochran and her manager mailed several demos to Warner Bros. A summons to Nashville arrived one week later, leading to meetings with label executives and eventually a contract. On her first album, Back to You, she wrote or co-wrote every song but one and contributed guitar, dobro, banjo, and mandolin throughout the sessions. Released in April 1997, the project produced four country-chart singles, among them the number-one duet “What if I Said” with Steve Wariner. Anita appeared three years afterward.