TAMMY COCHRAN ENTERTAINS THE TROOPS WITH TWO CONCERTS
Epic Nashville Artist To Appear at Bases in Southwest

NASHVILLE, TN -- Epic Nashville artist Tammy Cochran is set to entertain the troops and their families at two military bases this week: Cannon Air Force Base in Clovis, NM and Fort Huachuca in Sierra Vista, AZ.

Cochran's visit to Cannon Thursday (May 14) is her second appearance for the Spirit of America Tour, and she is the first female artist to be a part of this tour. The Spirit of America Tour is underwritten by the Robert and Nina Rosenthal Foundation, a non-profit organization. Since September 11, the foundation has been organizing entertainers to go to military bases throughout the United States. Cochran's second military appearance this week takes place Saturday (May 17) at Fort Huachuca, as part of the Miller Lite Army Concert Tour.

In addition to the live performances, Cochran also recently taped a PBS Special saluting the troops, which airs July 4th.

Cochran became a household name with country fans in 2001 with the release of her single, "Angels in Waiting." Her current album release, Life Happened, continues to build what looks to be a long and successful career in music.

Tammy Cochran
Performance & CD Signing
Mohegan Sun Resort
April 4

The Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA) Awards Tammy Cochran For Her Dedication to Cystic Fibrosis
Back in October, Tammy Cochran was invited to Washington, DC, to be a guest speaker at the Defense Intelligence Agency's (DIA) Capitol Area Combined Federal Campaign, which benefits over 3,000 Cystic Fibrosis Charities. Due to her hectic schedule, including preparation for her tour with George Strait, Tammy addressed the event via recorded message. Tammy has just now been presented with DIA's Special Service Award for her commitment to Cystic Fibrosis. Her critically acclaimed song "Angels in Waiting," a tribute to her two brothers who suffered from the disease, is among her many contributions to the cause. "On behalf of the men and women of the Defense Intelligence Agency, I thank you, " expressed L.E. Jacoby, Vice Admiral of the U.S. Navy to Cochran. "Your generous support to our campaign will go a long way toward helping those in need. Your personal fight against Cystic Fibrosis sets an example for all to follow. We are honored you took the time from your busy schedule to participate in this worthy cause. " "Love Won't Let Me," the second single from Tammy's critically lauded Life Happened, is currently rising up the country charts.

Tammy Cochran On TV Show 'Doc' Feb. 2

Epic Records songstress Tammy Cochran will make her primetime acting debut on PAX-TV's highly rated show, 'Doc' on Feb. 2. The show is themed around Cochran's breakthrough single, 'Angels In Waiting' which was inspired by the death of her two brothers from Cystic Fibrosis.

Cochran is curerntly opening for country superstar George Strait on his current tour. Her current single 'Love Won't Let Me' is steaming up the charts and looks likely to be her next smash single.

GEORGE STRAIT ADDS MORE DATES
TO HIS "ROAD LESS TRAVELED TOUR"
Epic Recording Artist, Tammy Cochran Picked To Open!

November 18, 2002 (Nashville, TN) – It's official! After the phenomenal success of George Strait's "Road Less Traveled Tour," a winter leg of the tour is planned for 2003. This time, Epic Recording artist, Tammy Cochran will open each of the dates.

Over 358 thousand fans attended the first leg of the "Road Less Traveled Tour." Now, George is adding over 20 additional dates including stops in Birmingham, Chicago, Washington, DC and Atlanta. This "George and Tammy" pairing will kick off in mid-January and continue throughout the month of February. The tour will, once again, be staged in the round with both George and Tammy playing to all sides of the stage during their arena dates.

"We're really excited about having Tammy join us on the tour," said Strait of his newest opening act.

"It is a dream come true to have the privilege of going out on tour with George Strait. He continues to be an inspiration in regards to the type of artist that I hope to be," said the "Angels in Waiting" singer who recently released her sophomore disc, Life Happened to high regard.

Throughout George Strait's unparalleled 21-year career, he has earned four American Music Awards, 11 Academy of Country Music Awards, 15 Country Music Association Awards (his 70 CMA nominations is a record that may never be broken) and countless trade and industry achievements. He consistently remains at the top of the charts and the rankings and all of his 28 albums have hit gold or platinum status. His current single, "She'll Leave You With A Smile" is currently at #4 and rising on the Billboard Charts.

The remainder of the tour dates will be announced on this Friday.

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Featuring Tammy Cochran! 

Send Us Your "Life Happened" story at lifehappened@sonynashville.com.
 
Tammy's New Epic Records cd "Life Happened"
in stores now!
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TAMMY COCHRAN MISSES JERRY LEWIS AT LABOR DAY
TELETHON BUT "LIFE HAPPENED"
 
Tammy Cochran really appreciated being invited back this past Labor Day weekend, to sing "Life Happened," her current hit song, on the Jerry Lewis MDA Telethon. But for Tammy there was someone missing. Jerry Lewis.
 
Due to his ongoing health concerns, Mr. Lewis wasn't able to be on camera that holiday morning at the time when Tammy was scheduled to perform. Last year after Cochran made her debut performance on the telethon with her big hit "Angels In Waiting," Mr. Lewis called her back on stage to explain that Cochran is one of his daughters favorite singers.
 
"It was fantastic to be part of the telethon again this year for such an important cause. To be one of the performers that morning along with Phil Vassar, Little Richard and Chicago was pretty exciting. I was hoping to see Jerry Lewis again this year and thank him for the wonderful things he said and having me on again. What he told the audience last time was one of those special moments of my career. See you next year Jerry!"
 
"Life Happened," Tammy Cochran's long-awaited new album is set for release October 15th by Epic Records Nashville.

TAMMY COCHRAN "LIFE HAPPENED"
TO BE RELEASED OCTOBER 15, 2002
 
When "Angels In Waiting" emerged as an unlikely country anthem in 2001, it provided a telling blueprint for Tammy Cochran’s career.
 
The song delivered her dream by relating an honest tale from her own life. Written about her two brothers, Shawn and Alan, who died from cystic fibrosis, "Angels" was not intended to be a single—she even had to fight to keep it on her debut album. But it became an anthem for many Americans, such a strong symbol of hope that her name appeared five times on the finalists list for the Academy of Country Music Awards, making her the most-nominated female in the business.
 
Smartly, Cochran adhered to the same criteria of honesty and believability in creating her sophomore album, Life Happened. Instead of searching for a group of songs that all had the potential for release as a single, she looked for songs that spoke to her—songs that connected to her soul.
 
"I wanted to continue the realness," she says.
 
Cochran succeeded quite handily. Guided by the same heart and determination that created "Angels," Life Happened suggests that Cochran could easily be making music for a long period of time. Tastefully emotional and impressively grounded in reality, the album segues 11 songs in a masterful portrait of a typical relationship. Opening with the cautious bliss of a new romance, it follows a sadly typical trail, capturing periods of satisfaction, betrayal and sorrow. But it comes back around to a sense of renewal.
 
"Basically," Cochran laughs, "it’s one vicious circle of heartbreak."
 
Much like "Angels," however, Life Happened processes the heartbreak in a manner that retains a sense of hope.
 
"By the end of the record, ‘All In How You Look At Things’ makes you reflect on the first part of the album and say, ‘OK, well this all happened for a reason.’"
 
That reflects Cochran’s view of life. She recognizes the gritty realities of existence, but remains doggedly upbeat.
 
"I like songs that leave something positive behind," she says, pointing at the album’s "White Lies And Picket Fences" as an example. "It’s such a well-written song, and it’s obviously about a troubled woman who has heartbreak in her life. But toward the end of the song, she’s OK, she’s doin’ fine. It leaves a positive feeling, and that’s what I wanted to accomplish, ‘cause I really think I’m a positive thinker."
 
Her first outing certainly achieved positive results. Even as "Angels In Waiting" and her follow-up hit "I Cry" established her with the general public, Cochran earned accolades from the critical media, which compared her most often to country icons Tammy Wynette and Loretta Lynn. Billboard magazine suggested that she "could become one of the format’s true torchbearers," while Entertainment Weekly enthused, "A star is born."
 
Meanwhile, she lived out her "leave something positive behind" philosophy. Moved by her two brothers’ struggle with cystic fibrosis, she used the "Angels" video to increase awareness of the disease, and she became an ambassador for the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation. She appeared on the CFF’s annual Sizzlin’ Country concerts twice, sang on the Jerry Lewis Muscular Dystrophy Telethon, performed a song for the Make-A-Wish Foundation, and helped bring awareness to Kaboom!, an agency that builds playgrounds for children in disadvantaged neighborhoods. Her tireless efforts were recognized by Family Circle magazine, which cited her in its "Women Who Make A Difference" issue.
 
In addition, Cochran appeared in such media as The CBS Early Show, CNN, Parade magazine, Politically Incorrect and the TV Guide Channel. Her videos continue to rack up heavy play on both country cable channels, CMT and Great American Country. And she was selected to perform at the 27th annual American Women In Radio and Television Gracie Allen Awards, recognizing exemplary programming that addresses the concerns of women.
 
If that’s not enough, along with her five ACM nominations, she took home trophies from the Billboard Video Music Awards and the CCMA Awards.
 
Early returns on the title track from Life Happened indicate she is only moving forward. "I’m speechless and in complete awe," wrote Robert K. Oermann, in the influential Music Row magazine.
 
"Life Happened" typifies the album’s quality. Brimming with visual imagery, it chronicles the broken dreams of everyday people, who find beauty in a routines that fall short of their original plans. Cochran performs it flawlessly, using dynamics to emphasize the song’s inherent drama. In the process, she instinctively manages to call attention to the song without making herself the focal point.
 
"The audience is so smart," she observes. "They pick up on the littlest things. I always feel that a singer has to be an actress for three-and-a-half minutes, and unless you are just some wonderful, award-winning, Oscar-quality actress, you’re not gonna pull it off.
 
They’re gonna know. So I always try to find songs that I can relate to now, or have gone through, which I think makes it a lot more believable, because it’s something that I feel when I’m actually singing it in the studio."
 
Her dedication to the material actually dragged out the process of making the album. Working with producer Billy Joe Walker Jr. (Travis Tritt, Pam Tillis) for the first time, they hit a wall after recording the first five songs, and went through several discouraging months searching for the right pieces.
 
As it turned out, Cochran was already holding several of those songs. Although co-writing "Angels In Waiting" helped gain one of her five ACM nods, she remains modest about her own songwriting. When she played several songs for Walker, she avoided telling him she had created them. He quickly tabbed four of them for inclusion on the album.
 
"Go Slow" uses a sultry setting to convey emotional connection, "I Used To Be That Woman" ably plums the heartbreak of deception, "Dead Of The Night" has a dark, mysterious quality, and "All In How You Look At Things" is rewardingly upbeat.
 
Her songwriting was, perhaps, the final key in unlocking Cochran as an artist. She had never taken the craft seriously until the final year before she signed her recording deal with Epic Records. Unfailingly gregarious, she had to dig deeper through the introspection of writing, and the process "made me more complete," she says.
 
"I can say things in a song to someone that I can’t look them in the face and say. It definitely is a therapy for me, and it’s made me get in touch with my feelings a lot more. I was always the clown, and the one who was always havin’ fun and laughin’, but when it came to the serious things, I was like, ‘If you don’t think about ‘em, maybe they’ll go away.’ So songwriting made me grow up a little."
 
In geographical reality, Cochran grew up in Austinburg, Ohio, a small town near the Pennsylvania border that feels the effects of the chilly winter winds off Lake Erie. Her father—now retired—was a heavy equipment operator, and her mother worked as a private investigator, where the lessons of her job helped Tammy even in her younger years to balance dreams and reality.
 
"My mom is very skeptical, but in a good way," Tammy reflects. "She used to always give me this advice—when you meet someone, her idea is you trust ‘em until they give you a reason not to, but only trust ‘em slowly. It’s kind of like, trust ‘em with a little bit of information. If they don’t blow it, you can trust them a little more."
 
While classmates were attracted to the glamour of Madonna and the decadence of Motley Crue, Cochran was magnetized by the more grounded stories conveyed by singers such as Tammy Wynette, Ray Price and Charlie Rich.
 
"There’s something in their voices, and I don’t think too many people have it," she says.
 
"They were so real. Vern Gosdin was the same way. When he sings ‘Chiseled In Stone,’ you want to cry, even if you have no way to relate to it. There’s a heartbreak in their voices."
 
(Ironically, all of her favorite singers—Wynette, Price, Rich, Gosdin and Barbara Mandrell—recorded for Epic Records, which eventually signed Cochran, or for Epic’s sister label, Columbia).
 
After she won the first talent contest she entered, at age 12, Cochran committed herself to music. When he parents had her select her present for her 16th birthday, she picked sound equipment over a car of her own. And when she was confronted with the choice of going to college or to Nashville, she chose Music City.
 
In an unusual show of commitment to their daughter, Delmar and Mabel moved with Tammy in 1991. They also displayed an unusual wisdom. Instead of jumping blindly into Nashville’s music game, they studied the topic slowly and diligently.
 
"When we first came here, we didn’t do much for the first year-and-a-half," Tammy explains. "We kind of read books, got to know what the whole deal was about, ‘cause there’s a lot more to having a record deal than singing. There’s a lot of other stuff involved, and so we took it really, really slow."
 
She faced the usual rejections, including a particularly painful one in which an executive told her, point blank, "I wouldn’t call you if you were the last singer in town." A blow to the ego, but one that did not stop her.
 
She also married briefly—an experience that challenged her commitment to music and sharpened her self-reliance.
 
"No matter what avenue you choose in your life, you’re gonna come up against brick walls," she says. "You’re gonna wanna turn around, and you’re gonna wanna run. I just wouldn’t give up."
 
It was in the aftermath of her divorce that she intensified her focus on songwriting. Not so ironically, she earned her first songwriting contract and her Sony recording deal shortly thereafter. And it was her songwriting that led eventually to "Angels In Waiting," and helped solidify the new album.
 
But Cochran is not looking backward at the awards nominations, or the "torchbearer" acclaim. She’s already writing for her third album, and making plans to eventually co-produce her music. In much the same way that she took a slow approach to learning the ropes in Nashville, she’s taking a long view of her career, laying the groundwork in a manner that should keep her in the forefront for years to come.
 
And the groundwork is quite simple. She’s combined an intense determination, an expressive vocal quality, and a keen sense of meaningful songs. She presents an impressive array of talents, but does so in a way that sends a relatable message: Tammy Cochran is ably converting a long-held dream into a hard-fought reality."

COCHRAN WILL PERFORM HER CURRENT HIT ‘LIFE HAPPENED’ THE TITLE TRACK FROM HER NEW CD DUE THIS FALL
 
Last year, charity-minded new country artist Tammy Cochran offered to perform her heart-wrenching ballad "Angel In Waiting" on the one of the biggest charity telethons in the world. After her performance on that and other shows, numerous industry awards, nominations, and other accolades for her debut album, the 2002 Jerry Lewis MDA Telethon has requested a return performance. Cochran was one of the first artists invited to perform on this year's show. She will sing her latest hit, the appropriately titled "Life Happened" on the broadcast Monday, September 2, 2002, reaching 80million viewers from the CBS Television Studios in Los Angeles, CA.
 
Tammy Cochran is no stranger to life-threatening diseases. She lost both of her young brothers to Cystic Fibrosis and contributes tirelessly to help raise money and awareness for such causes.
 
Then in the fall, Epic Records Nashville will release Life Happened, Cochran’s highly anticipated new album. In a case of deja vu, the title track is being heaped with praise and radio airplay and is currently climbing the charts. The music video is already attracting significant rotation on country music channels such as CMT: Country Music Television and GAC: Great American Country.

TAMMY COCHRAN HELPS BUILD A NEW KABOOM!PLAYGROUND EAST COMMUNITY PRESCHOOL
On April 16, Tammy Cochran along with other ACM Awards nominees will be joining Home Depot associates and community volunteers have a one-day "barn-raising" event to turn a small, out-of-date play area at the International Institute of Los Angeles (IILA) East Community Preschool into a vibrant playground. Cochran and the others will be joined by local elected officials to dedicate the new equipment at the conclusion of construction at 2 p.m.
The ACM and The Home Depot have formed a strategic alliance with this build and for the The Home Depot Humanitarian Award, which will be the first fan voted award on the annual primetime ACM telecast. The three nominees for this award are Reba McEntire, Brooks & Dunn and Alabama. The winner can be voted on by country music fans on the Home Depot website www.homedepot.com/acm starting today through the first two hours of the live May 22 telecast of the 37th Annual Academy Of Country Music Awards show on the CBS Television Network. In addition to the award, the winner will have a KaBOOM! playground built in the city of their choice later this year. The ACM and The Home Depot are helping to improve local communities one playground at a time.
IILA was founded in 1914 to help immigrant families arriving in LA learn English, get work and become contributing citizens. Today, the Institute provides child development, employment, immigration, nutrition, senior and transportation services. East Community Preschool offers early childhood education, free meals and free tuition to Boyle Heights children.

TAMMY NOMINATED NABS THREE ACM NOMINATIONS! MAY 2002

TAMMY COCHRAN FEATURED IN 'FAMILY CIRCLE' MAGAZINE'S APRIL 23, 'WOMEN WHO MAKE A DIFFERENCE' ISSUE
Tammy Cochran, the most nominated female and most nominated new artist for the "Family Circle" magazine in the April 23 issue's "Women Who Make A Difference" article. The issue hits the newsstands today.
Cochran has been recognized by "Family Circle" and advertiser Pond's due to in part to "Angels In Waiting," her award-winning, critically acclaimed song and video written about her brothers Alan and Shawn who both passed away at a young age from Cystic Fibrosis. Cochran has dedicated her album and career to her brothers' memory and works tirelessly to help raise funds and awareness for the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation. Pond's is making a $1000 donation to Cochran's charity in recognition of her "outstanding achievements."
Tammy explains in the "Family Circle" article, "you can talk all you want about someone that you lost that you love, and people can sympathize, but until you put a face with those people, it doesn't seem real. That video [and song] is a way for everybody to get to know my brothers and to know that they were just like anybody else. It's also a way to let them live for as long as this video will be in existence, which will be forever."

TAMMY COCHRAN SCORES TWO AWARDS IN ONE WEEK:
THE BILLBOARD VIDEO MUSIC AWARDS AND THE CHRISTIAN COUNTRY MUSIC AWARDS

"ANGELS IN WAITING" RECOGNIZED AT BOTH EVENTS
Country singer Tammy Cochran and her hit song "Angels In Waiting" were recently honored at two awards shows in one week.
The song was awarded "Video of the Year" at the eighth annual CCMA (Christian Country Music Association) Awards on Thursday (11/1). Cochran also performed the song live during the award show.
The Billboard Video Music Awards also honored Cochran on Friday (11/2). "Angels In Waiting" was awarded "Best Contemporary Christian Clip of the Year." Winners of these awards are chosen by Billboard Magazine readers.
Cochran's self-titled debut CD from Epic Records continues to garner critical acclaim in several different musical genres. "I Cry," has just been released to radio. According to Billboard Magazine, " With a flock of promising female vocalists trying to break through, it's tough for any to stand out, but Tammy Cochran's big, booming, stone-country delivery sets her apart."

TAMMY COCHRAN WALKS FOR $160,000:
Tammy Cochran spent Friday afternoon filling in as a guest DJ and in-studio entertainment on KNUE in Tyler, Texas. She was in town promoting the local Cystic Fibrosis Foundation's annual Walk-A-Thon. While on the air she performed acoustic versions of several songs from her self-titled album including her Top-10 hit "Angels In Waiting." Saturday's Walk-A-Thon raised a record $160,000 for CFF, which thrilled Tammy. "The people of Tyler and everyone at KNUE were wonderful and so incredibly giving. I was honored to be a small part of a great event that raised so much money to help find a cure."
Tammy will head to the sunny South this Sunday to perform at a KISS-FM tailgate party prior to the Miami Dolphins vs. New England Patriots game.

TAMMY COCHRAN NABS TWO BILLBOARD VIDEO NOMINATIONS!
The Billboard Music Video Award 2001 nominees were announced today and Epic newcomer Tammy Cochran received two nominations for her "Angels In Waiting" effort which pays homage to her two older brothers Alan and Shawn. Both boys passed away from cystic fibrosis. Cochran was nominated for 'Best Country New Artist Clip of the Year' and 'Best Contemporary Christian New Artist Clip of The Year' (an honor shared with Sony labelmate Billy Gilman who won in this catogory last year). "This single and video just continue to be a blessing to both me and my parents. I'm so glad that we included the footage of my brothers in it because it helps me to think that they won't be forgotten," says Cochran. The video features 8mm home video footage of the boys in healthier times and was conceived and co-directed by Cochran along with Sony's Deb Haus. "Even though the song's message was a chance for me to pay tribute to them on my first album, it has ended up encouraging a lot of others who are dealing with losses too," notes Cochran. "And that gives me a lot of comfort, personally. The song just seems to have a life of it's own!" Cochran maintains an effort to keep up with the personal emails that are sent to her through the Sony Nashville web site from fans who've seen the music video or heard the top 20 single and relate to it in various ways - many have loved ones who also suffer from Cystic Fibrosis, some are dealing with other incurable diseases like Muscular Dystrophy or AIDS, and others just react to it on a pure, gut emotional level. The awards are the finale to the Billboard Music Video Conference, to be held Oct. 31 to Nov. 2 at the Beverly Hilton. Producer/songwriter Teddy Riley will deliver the conference's keynote address on Nov. 1. Best Country New Artist Clip of the Year Angels in Waiting / Tammy Cochran Epic Nashville What I Really Meant to Say / Cyndi Thomson Capitol Nashville Meanwhile Back at the Ranch / Clark Family Experience Curb Records On a Night Like This / Trick Pony Warner Bros. Nashville Pour Me Trick Pony / Warner Bros. Nashville http://www.sonynashville.com/TammyCochran "Make no mistake: A star is born." Alanna Nash, ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY "...could become one of the format's true torchbearers." Andrew Boorstyn, BILLBOARD "...a sensuously sweet singer along the lines of Linda Ronstadt." Ralph Novak, PEOPLE Magazine "...like the records Shelby Lynne made before she went pop, only without someone emphasizing that she has an impressive voice. Instead, this Ohio native does a slow burn." Brian Mansfield, USA TODAY (*** 3 out of 4) "For those who believe country singers aren't what they once were, say hello to Tammy Cochran. Nearly every note she sings on her debut underscores that not only can she sing the stuffing out of her lyrics, but that she's also experienced them." Michael McCall TOWER PULSE! "An auspicious debut." David McGee, Barnes&Noble.com "A stone-country voice that oozes believability...she sings about things that matter, with a voice that matters." John Hood, MUSIC ROW Magazine "Cochran consistently displays the wonderfully countrified poise and vocal artistry of a young 21st-century Tammy Wynette." Dan Durchholz, AMAZON.COM "The soulful outpourings of a full-grown woman, scarred and resilient, ready and hopeful for love but only on her own terms...This is a voice and a presence that a suffering format badly needs in its own search for revitalization." MUSIC.COM


TELL US WHAT "ANGELS IN WAITING" HAS MEANT TO YOU & RECEIVE AN AUTOGRAPHED TAMMY COCHRAN PHOTO!
Tell us what "Angels In Waiting" has meant to you! Send your responses to Tammycochran@sonynashville.com.


TAMMY COCHRAN GETS BUCK SEAL OF APPROVAL
Tammy Cochran realized many a country artist dream when she was called up onstage by country music legend Buck Owens to perform "Close Up The Honky Tonks" at a recent appearance in Bakersfield, Calif. Cochran also delivered a duet with the country master on a stellar version of "Help Me Make It Through The Night" to a mesmerized crowd.