[Barbara]
Berry moved from Shreveport, Louisiana, to Oakland, California, as a young girl, according to the
San Francisco Chronicle. In her memoir,
Life After Johnnie, she described growing up with a strict mother and father who was a disc jockey. At her mother's urging, Berry prized her virginity. Her parents died before she turned 18, but she always hoped for a marriage as beautiful as theirs.
Berry was working as an elementary school teacher when she married Cochran, the Los Angeles Times reported. They had two kids together, but Berry filed for divorce twice (once in 1967 and once in 1977) before it was finalized. In both filings, Berry accused Cochran of physical abuse. Cochran was never charged. In a 1995 interview with the Los Angeles Times, he denied the allegations: "I never, never touched her. You can talk to her." Berry gave the reporter a statement days later: "I am very happy for Johnnie's phenomenal success." When pressed, she declined to comment.