If great country music is still built on a solid foundation of compelling real-life stories and soul-deep family tradition, Stephen Cochran was born to the breed. With a Music Row pedigree, a soldier’s sense of purpose and a lifetime’s worth of stories, this 29-year-old explodes onto the country music scene with a self-titled debut album that combines the best of cutting-edge, contemporary songwriting with the deepest country music tradition. It’s a potent combination, and it was Cochran’s intention from the start. “We really tried to capture country music as a whole,” he says. “This is all about the music, and I handpicked every song on this CD.” From the cracking snare drum that kicks off “Friday Night Fireside,” the album’s raucous leadoff track and debut single, it’s clear that, musically, Cochran means business. Cochran knew he had to record the song that was co-written by Isaac Rich, brother of Big & Rich’s John Rich. Born in Pikeville, Kentucky and raised in the creative heart of Nashville’s songwriting and recording community, he watched his Dad, Steve Cochran, wrestle with the machinery of Music Row as a struggling songwriter and artist. Country greats Bobby Bare and the late Del Reeves are just a couple of the characters that drifted in and out of the Cochran home. “That was my school, coming home and watching Dad practice and play and write,” he says. “With Dad doing his music hustle, I was raised in the business and I learned the ins and outs. My dad is a perfectionist and he’s always been hard on me, but I’m glad because if he hadn’t been that hard on me I wouldn’t have worked as hard as I have to be here. I love music, and that’s what he instilled in me. There’s a song on the album called “Old School” that says, ‘I remember what Daddy told me, you’ve got to play it how it feels and just always keep it real.’” Cochran’s life on his way to his fiery debut release is about as real as it gets. Always a patriotic family, the Cochrans, like a lot of Americans, were forever changed by the traumatic events of 9/11. The music would have to wait. Stephen Cochran knew what he had to do. “The way I was raised was to be very thankful to this country for being able to do our dream, which is music,” Cochran says. “So to stand up and defend it? That’s our honor.” Cochran joined the Marines’ light armored reconnaissance division and headed straight to Iraq. He returned safely, but wasn’t so lucky on his next overseas tour – to Afghanistan. After losing a good friend to enemy fire, Cochran returned home with a broken back and a newfound determination to make his country music dream come true. He used his recovery time well, digging deep to reignite his passion for songwriting. “I love the Marine Corps,” Cochran says. “Everything they did for me structured my life and gave me the drive to know that I can do anything I want to do.” From the Civil War-themed barroom balladry of “Four Chords & Seven Beers Ago” to the honky tonk swing of “Thinkin’ I’m Drinkin’” (both Cochran originals), every song on this auspicious debut reflects the singer’s hard-won wisdom and fearless determination. Cochran’s background is refreshingly, unflinchingly real. This is no manufactured artist, and listening to his music, it’s crystal clear that Cochran has lived every word of every one of these songs and knows exactly where he needs to go. It’s what dictates and defines his choices – both in music and in business. Frustrated and determined to keep his music front and center, Cochran walked away from the majors. True to form, he turned the experience into one of the album’s best songs, a kind of musical mission statement appropriately titled “Leave My Country Alone.” He then set about finding the right home for his artistry and his music, signing with fledgling Nashville independent label, Aria Records Nashville. “Aria Records is structured a lot like Broken Bow [indie home to country hitmakers Jason Aldean and Craig Morgan] and it feels like a family,” Cochran says. “I get to be a part of that family, and every decision is made as a group.” As he prepares for the release of his first album, Cochran is taking his act on the road, and if the rapturous response he’s getting from audiences is any indication, this is one country artist who’s here to stay. "My goal was to build a bridge between newer listeners and those who love the heritage of country,” he says. “I believe God puts everyone here on earth to do something and you can only deny it for so long. And I believe I was bred to do this music.”