STRINGS, STAGES
& FIRSTS
“In our family, you learn to sleep, eat, walk, play guitar and sing.” From a Michigan kitchen to the Grand Ole Opry, this is the ledger of a career that rewrote what a woman in country music could be.
Born Into Music
Born Anita Renee Cockerham on February 6 in Michigan, and named after Anita Carter of the Carter Family. Her parents had their own band; everyone in the family played guitar. She learned chords from her father around age four and picked up banjo, mandolin, bass, piano, drums, steel guitar, and dobro along the way.
History with a Debut
Signed to Warner Bros. Records — the first female country artist signed out of Michigan — she released Back To You, becoming the first woman in country music history to write, sing, play multiple instruments (including lead guitar), and produce on a debut album. She co-produced alongside label president Jim Ed Norman, who insisted she take the credit she had earned. That May, she made her Grand Ole Opry debut.
“What If I Said” Hits #1
Her self-penned duet with Steve Wariner topped Billboard and radio charts across the US and Canada for two weeks and claimed the #1 video spot on both CMT and GAC. The song brought CMA and ACM nominations and won the fan-voted TNN/Music City News award for Vocal Collaboration of the Year. Gibson Guitar honored her as Best Female Guitar Player.
Anita — and Hollywood
Released her second Warner Bros. album, Anita, playing nearly all the acoustic and electric guitar solos herself. The same year she made her acting debut as Anita Blackwell in The Dukes of Hazzard: Reunion!, which featured four of her original songs, and toured with General Motors sponsorship alongside Dale Earnhardt and artist Peter Max.
A Duet Across Time
Made music history again with “(I Wanna Hear) A Cheatin' Song,” featuring the voice of the late Conway Twitty — the first time a deceased artist “sang” a brand-new song. Anita spent two years comping Twitty's vocal from 32 different recordings, word by word. His family later brought her on as Musical Director for the Twitty musical It's Only Make Believe.
Producer & Independent Artist
Produced Tammy Cochran's acclaimed release Where I Am (2007), released her own album Serenity (2009) on Leon Road Records, and followed with the single and video “Snowing In My Hometown” (2012). She toured Canada extensively with Terri Clark and performed across France, Norway, Japan, Switzerland, Sweden, Germany, Italy, Poland, and Mexico.
The Diagnosis
Diagnosed with triple-positive invasive carcinoma breast cancer, Anita began a grueling year of chemotherapy. After nearly giving up following her fifth round, she chose to keep fighting — and documented every step in her candid blog, Journey to Healing, to help others facing the same battle.
Fight Like A Girl
Turned her fight into an anthem. The “Fight Like A Girl” video — filmed while she was still in chemo, with Anita writing the treatment and starring herself — won Best Music Video at the Creation International Film Festival. Robin Roberts built a special edition of Good Morning America around the song, and Anita performed in Times Square with two broken ribs from a fall the night before. She capped the year performing at an NFL Thursday Night Football halftime show and founded The Love Anchors Fund for breast cancer research and patient support.
Still Touring, Still Writing
Cancer-free and back on the road, Anita continues to tour the US and internationally, write new music, and mentor through her story — a living testament that the fight is worth it.
“Maybe my journey can help people. I feel like a new purpose has been added to my life.”
— Anita Cochran