Digging Deep Into Tom Cochrane

“Life is a highway, I want to ride it all night long” is a lyric from the song of the same name from Canadian born rocker Tom Cochrane. He’s had an interesting life, so let’s dive deeper into the man behind the song.

Tom was born in little old Lynn Lake Manitoba, which up to that point had produced hockey players and cold winter nights. His parents gave Tom a toy train set when he was 11, and without his parent’s knowledge, he sold it at a pawn shop for his first guitar. Hilarious!

At the early stages of his career, Tom had been a writer for Hollywood films, cab driver and greeter for a Caribbean Cruise liner, all before hitting it big for an 80s Canadian band called Red Rider.

“Life is a Highway” is his biggest song to date, selling nearly $7 million in world-wide sales. His hobbies include being a real airplane pilot, golfer, and big NHL fanatic. Although Tom’s career seemed to peak in the early 90s with the release of “Highway,” Rascal Flatts brought him back to fame and fortune with their version of the song in the 2000s.

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Photo Credit:  Paul McKinnon / Shutterstock.com