If great country music is still built on a foundation of 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 singer/songwriter exploded onto the country music scene in 2007 with a critically acclaimed, self-titled debut album that captured the hearts of fans, critics and a lot of everyday heroes.

Born in Pikeville, Kentucky and raised in the creative heart of Nashville's songwriting and recording community, Cochran watched his Dad, known as Steve Cochran, wrestle with the machinery of Music Row as a struggling songwriter and artist back in the '70s. 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. I love music, and that's what he instilled in me."

Cochran's life on his way to his own country music career is about as real as it gets. Following the tragic events of 9/11, with his career just getting off the ground, Cochran did an about face, joining the Marines' elite 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."

In a town where an artist's "story" is routinely embellished by teams of publicists, Cochran's background is as refreshingly real as his music. His debut garnered critical raves and respectable airplay, but it only hinted at the power and the depth of Cochran's upcoming sophomore effort. With it's infectious summertime chorus and making-the-best-of-the-bad-times message, leadoff single "Wal-Mart Flowers" is generating fan excitement and lighting up radio request lines since its official April 13 release.

At every step along the way, even as he's built one of country music most promising careers and lived the non-stop touring life of a new artist, at every turn Cochran has taken time and leveraged his newfound celebrity status to benefit his fellow veterans. One example is his work with the Coalition to Salute Heroes, an organization that provides tools and therapy to returning veterans. Cochran has played countless benefit shows that have help raise funds for severely wounded veterans. Through his efforts, Cochran has helped transform lives and raise funds through his music.

"The way I was raised was to be thankful to this country for being able to do our dream, and my dream is music," Cochran says. "These soldiers and their families have sacrificed so much for this great country, and it's an honor and a privelege to do whatever I can whenever I can to salute them and to help them."

Between road gigs, Cochran has been in the studio co-producing his upcoming sophomore album with longtime producer Jim Allison. Having recently filmed the video for "Wal-Mart Flowers" in front of a rowdy, packed house full of fans at Chevy's Niteclub in Hammond, Louisiana, Cochran is anxious to get his new songs out there and take on the world, one honky tonk at a time.

"My goal all along has been was to build that bridge - between the newer country listeners who want to rock a little and those who love the heritage of country," Cochran says. "I really believe God puts everyone here on earth to do something, and I know I was bred to do this music."