THE HISTORY OF "The Last Kiss"

"The Last Kiss" was written by Wayne Cochran, born in 1939 in Thomaston, GA, about Jeanette Clark and J.L. Hancock, who were both 16 years old when their car hit a tractor-trailer, killing them both, on U.S. Highway 341 south of Barnesville, GA. They were on a date a few days before Christmas in 1962.

A local gas station attendant helping with the recovery of the bodies did not recognize his own daughter.

Cochran, who, at the time, lived near the road and was working on a song about all the accidents he saw on it. He finished it and dedicated it to Jeanette Clark.

WAYNE COCHRAN

The title came from both the dramatic high point of the song and Floyd Cramer's hit "Last Date."

Cochran's drummer had been dating Jeannette Clark's sister at the time of the wreck

Hancock and Clark's friend Wayne Cooper, who was riding with them, was killed instantly. Their two other friends, Jewel Emerson and Ed Shockley, survived with serious injuries.

Cochran's version was a local hit in Georgia and copies were sold out of the trunks of cars. Major Bill Smith (producer of "Hey Paula" by Paul and Paula) bought a copy and persuaded J. Frank Wilson & the Cavaliers to cover it. A Texas record company recorded it and release it nationally in 1964.

The band's producer, Son Roush, subsequently split the group to place lead singer J. Frank Wilson with better musicians.

Four months after the release of this song, the new band were touring in Ohio. At about 5:15 a.m., Roush apparently fell asleep at the wheel. The car drifted left of center and rammed head-on into a trailer truck. Roush was killed instantly.

J. FRANK WILSON

Wilson survived with a few broken ribs and a broken ankle, but went right on with the tour, taking only a week off. People still remember him coming out on the stage on crutches to sing "Last Kiss" and "Hey, Little One." The second accident is what pushed this to #2 on the national charts.

Wilson, with or without the Cavaliers, continued to tour and play and  release records until 1978 when retired from music and went to work in a nursing home.

Wilson died on October 4, 1991, at the age of 49, from alcoholism.

Cochran went on to have limited success in the Miami, FL area playing Rhythm & Blues with his band Wayne Cochran And The C.C. Riders.

He wrote "Going Back To Miami," which was featured on the Blues Brothers live album.

The bass player for Wayne Cochran and the C.C. Riders was Jaco Pastorius, who went on to revolutionize the electric bass.

Cochran, now over 70 years old, is currently a Minister in Miami.

In 1973, "The Last Kiss" was revived in Canada by the group Wednesday. Their version went to #1 there and earned several Juno nominations, and an RPM award for outstanding record sales in Canada.

It also was released in the US the same year, selling over 200,000 copies.

Pearl Jam lead singer Eddie Vedder came across this song when he found the record in an antique store in Seattle before a show. He bought it and stayed up all night listening to it.

EDDIE VEDDER

He took it to the band and they played it throughout the summer of their 1998 tour.

Pearl Jam recorded it at a sound check and released it as a single to their fan club, who often get songs that are unavailable to the public.

After a while, radio stations got copies and started playing it.

By the Spring of 1999, it was getting a lot of airplay and becoming a hit, even though it was not released as a single or available on an album.

Pearl Jam didn't release many singles, but when it was clear there was a great deal of demand for the song, they decided to put it out on the condition that the proceeds from the single go to benefit refugees in Kosovo.

This is the highest-charting Pearl Jam song in the US reaching #2 on the charts.