From the time he was a young boy until the present, Mark Leland Cockerham’s interest has centered on music, singing and songwriting.

It seems his hands were made to pick a guitar or play a keyboard and his voice to entertain and express, but his greatest passion has always centered on writing songs about life and matters of the heart. His talents have taken him down many life adventures and promise to continue to lead him in the days and years ahead.

Cockerham was born in LaSalle Parish into a Baptist minister’s home with a dad who pastored and a mom who had a natural talent for singing and an ear for playing the piano.

By the time he was seven years of age, he had sung his first special in church and had already mastered singing harmony – thanks to his mom’s tutorship. She played records on the home stereo that her young son would sit and listen to, and every Sunday the black and white TV was tuned into The Gospel Singing Jubilee – the theme song from the show still rings in his memory.

His family and Christian upbringing cultivated an early interest in him for all things musical and that passion has never ebbed or faded. Growing up in a preacher’s home provided young Leland with a musical venue most people can only wish for; that venue has steered him throughout his pursuit and career as a singer, songwriter and musician.

His dad, Troy, while preaching and pastoring, worked a multiplicity of jobs including service stations, furniture stores, and even tree farms in order take care of his young family and make ends meet. His mom, Tommie, did her share, working at various garment factories as their current locations would allow.

The struggle of everyday life took the family to many places from Jena to Ruston and even to Orange, Texas. While providing for the family always seemed a challenge, Leland’s parents never wavered in their faith-fulness in doing God’s work.

Mom even made sure her young son had the opportunity to take piano lessons, despite the fact he would rather play by ear (as mom did) and had him on the schedule to sing a special at the church at least once a month. His piano lessons ceased after about six weeks with his first and only piano recital, and his natural musical talent began to emerge.

Cockerham grew up with his sister, Kristi who currently resides in Olla, whom he describes as ‘a beautiful person’. She was born with the umbilical cord wrapped around her neck. Doctors told his parents that she would never lead a normal life and her mind would fail to develop beyond that of a teenager.

She suffered multiple seizures throughout their childhood, passing out frequently due to the existing brain damage suffered in childbirth; Leland remembers that anyone would be ‘hard pressed to ever find anyone as sweet and kind as she was’. His family roots run deep, and his memories are solid, ever an influence on his music and songwriting.

Writing songs started early for this singer, song writer and musician and at a young 15 years, he wrote his first song entitled “Someday You’ll Find the Answer”, which he recorded on an eight-track tape recorder he’d bought at a pawn shop. It was at that point that he discovered that he loved song writing.

Inspired by musical heroes such as Dan Fogelberg, Styx, Boston, Steve Wonder and John Denver, Cockerham set his aspirations high venturing into learning to play as many instruments as possible and to eventually record and mix his own music.

Cockerham labeled himself a young rebelwho sometimes struggled with being a pastor’s kid and who often worked his way into trouble. As a result, he found himself living with an aunt and uncle in Vidor, TX in the summer of 1977.

There he bonded with a cousin, Steve Leal, who shared his love for playing the acoustic guitar. They played and learned to pick the guitar together, even forming a rock and roll band and playing a few gigs.

Once he returned to Louisiana, his dad was pastoring another church which meant another school and making a new set of friends. Cockerham decided to go another route – to finish night school and get his diploma. That was followed by a stint in the military at seventeen years old where a friend, Tim Cripps, gave him a Fender 12-string acoustic guitar.

He took that guitar to Korea with him during his military service there. He played it religiously honing his skills, giving lessons to fellow servicemen, and eventually leaving the guitar with one of the soldiers when he left. While he left his guitar, he took his improved picking and playing skills home with him.

Today, Cockerham is an accomplished guitar player and keyboard player with fifty years of playing under his belt. He has written hundreds of songs, enjoyed a career as a solo country artist, recorded his own songs, and cannot imagine his life without music. His three children and four grandchildren continue to inspire him in his musical career and the songs he writes.

“I truly don’t know what my life would be like without music,” he reflected. “God knew that I needed an escape to write down my feelings. That’s what song writing does for me. Songwriting has always been my favorite passion. It has been my therapy throughout the years.”

A self-professed romantic, Cockerham prefers to write ballads that capture matters of the heart. His first album was entitled, “Through the Heart” and consisted of songs he’d written out of his own experiences. The project included eleven songs, all from the country genre except the last one, ‘Mary’s Song’.

“I wrote that song in about thirty minutes for an Easter drama my friend, Nathan Roberts, was directing,” he said. “It is probably my favorite song I’ve written to this day, and simply because I know that God was in it.”

“Another song that I was very honored to be a part of was “Missing Pieces”, written to bring attetion to an ever-growing concern regarding children diagnosed with autism,” Cockerham said.

During his career, Cockerham has recorded and released four full length albums, all produced in Nashville, TN. He now has his own recording studio in his home in Kelly, where he enjoys writing and recording his own songs as well as classics from the past. He’s had the pleasure of meeting, playing, and performing with a multiplicity of talented artists including Earl Thomas Conley, Deana Carter, Sammy Kershaw, Jefferson Starship and Tracy Lawrence, among others.

One of the highlights from his music career occurred on July 4th, 2007, when he was invited to sing his newly released single, “Red, White and Blue Americans” in the 47th Salute to America Parade in downtown Atlanta. He penned the song when his oldest son, Joshua, was serving his second tour of duty in Iraq. He performed it on stage with 2007 Miss America, Lauren Nelson, and other celebrities in Centennial Olympic Park in front of an impressive crowd of over 250,000 people.

“Music is universal, and it was meant to be heard and shared,” Cockerham said inspiring potential young artists and others who aspire to achieve in life. “It touches everyone’s life in some unique way. I encourage you to let your creativity be unbridled and free. There is only one you, so be the best that you can be in whatever you choose to do. Let God and your heart’s true passion direct your path in life.”

Cockerham’s ultimate goal as a singer, songwriter, and musician is to give back to others. He writes and records songs that have meaning and purpose while being the best father and person he can be and leaving behind the lessons he’s learned. He encourages young musicians to be themselves and play and sing with their hearts not their heads.

“You never know whose life you will touch or even how much it might affect someone,” he concluded.

Meanwhile, his fingers strum the chords of his life experiences and his words, and his music set the tone of how good life has been. Singer, songwriter and musician Mark Leland Cockerham lives his life in appreciation of the gifts he’s been given, and music and all it entails has served him well.