Arena Season 1, Episode 185

Three Steps to Heaven · BBC Four · Tuesday, November 30

Classics like ' Summertime blues , 'C'mon everybody' and Three steps to heaven' made Eddie Cochran one of the all-time greats of rock 'n' roll. But for his tragic death, many think he could have become as successful as Elvis. In 1960, in the middle of a triumphant tour of Britain, the car carrying Cochran, his fiancee and Gene Vincent crashed on the A4. He died hours later in a hospital in Bath - he was 22. Tonight Arena examines the legend of Cochran and the enduring appeal of his music. Larry Parnes , the most successful promoter and manager of his time, describes the heady days of the 1960 tour. Adam Faith , Marty Wilde and Joe Brown recall the nursery slopes of rock 'n' roll and the enormous impact of Cochran on the British rock scene. Cochran's mother and his fiancee Sharon Sheeley talk publicly for the first time.