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Revision as of 17:20, 20 January 2008

Joe Cocker

Joe Cocker OBE (born 20 May 1944) is an English rock/blues singer who came to popularity in the 1960s, and is most known for his gritty voice and his cover versions of popular songs, particularly those of The Beatles.

Biography

Early life

Cocker was born John Robert Cocker at 38 Tasker Road, Crookes, Sheffield, the youngest son of a civil servant. He left school early and became an apprentice gas fitter. In 1961, he started his musical career in the pubs of Sheffield.

Career

Under the stage name Vance Arnold, Cocker sang with his band Vance Arnold and the Avengers. In 1963 the band supported The Rolling Stones at Sheffield City Hall. In 1964 Cocker brought out his first single, a cover of The Beatles' "I'll Cry Instead" with a new band, Joe Cocker Big Blues. This band ventured as far as France, where they played on American air bases. After a lull, Cocker teamed up with Chris Stainton, to form The Grease Band, in 1966. They were noticed by Denny Cordell, the producer of Procol Harum, The Moody Blues and Georgie Fame. Cordell set Cocker up with a residency at The Marquee Club in London.

File:With a Little Help From My Friends - Joe Cocker.jpg
Cover of single "With A Little Help from My Friends"

After minor success in the U.S. with the single "Marjorine", he entered the big time with a groundbreaking rearrangement of "With a Little Help from My Friends," another Beatles cover, this time from the Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band album, featuring lead guitar from Jimmy Page.

In 1969 he appeared at the Woodstock Music Festival. His performance included the following songs:

  1. "Delta Lady"
  2. "Something's Comin' On"
  3. "Let's Go Get Stoned"
  4. "I Shall Be Released"
  5. "With a Little Help from My Friends"

Cocker then had a second UK hit with the Leon Russell song, "Delta Lady". He had further success covering Beatles tunes in 1970 with his version of "She Came in Through the Bathroom Window" off their Abbey Road album. Though his British success proved difficult to sustain, he enjoyed several chart entries in the U.S. with "Cry Me a River" and "Feelin' Alright" by Dave Mason. In 1970, his cover of the Box Tops' hit "The Letter", which appeared on the live album, Mad Dogs & Englishmen, became his first U.S. Top Ten hit.

In 1969 he was featured on The Ed Sullivan Show. Onstage, he exhibited an idiosyncratic physical intensity, flailing his arms around and playing an air guitar, occasionally giving superfluous cues to his band. In 1976, Cocker performed "Feelin' Alright" on Saturday Night Live. John Belushi joined him on stage doing his famous impersonation of Cocker's stage movements.

In the beginning of 1970s the "Sheffield Soul Shouter" had problems with drug abuse including alcohol. He managed to make a comeback in the 1980s and 1990s with several hits, including:

Cocker performed the opening set at Woodstock '94 as one of the few alumni who played at the original Woodstock Festival in 1969, and was very well received. He continues to tour sporadically, and currently lives on the Mad Dog Ranch in Crawford, Colorado, with his wife, Pam. Cocker was awarded an OBE in the Queen's 2007 Birthday Honours list for services to music.[1] To celebrate receiving his award in mid-December 2007, he will be playing two high profile concerts in London and his home town of Sheffield.

In 2007, Cocker appeared playing minor characters in the film, Across the Universe, as the lead singer on The Beatles hit song, "Come Together".

Australian controversy in 1972

In October 1972, Cocker toured Australia on his Mad Dogs & Englishmen tour. Cocker and six of his entourage were arrested in Adelaide by police for possession of marijuana. The next day in Melbourne, assault charges were laid after a brawl at the Commodore Chateau, and Cocker was given 48 hours to leave the country by the Australian Federal Police. This caused huge public outcry in Australia, as Cocker was a high-profile overseas artist and had a strong support base, especially amongst the baby boomers who were coming of age and able to vote for the first time. It sparked hefty debate about the use and legalisation of marijuana in Australia. This event took place just before the 1972 Australian Federal election, where progressive left-wing Prime Minister Gough Whitlam came to power and Australia saw the end of 23 years of rule by conservative governments in Australia.

Discography

Albums

Singles

Year Month Title UK Singles U.S. Hot 100 Album
1968 October "With A Little Help From My Friends" 1 '
1969 September "Delta Lady" 10 '
1970 July "The Letter" 39 '
1975 "You Are So Beautiful" 5 I Can Stand a Little Rain
1983 January "Up Where We Belong" 7
1992 March "(All I Know) Feels Like Forever" 25 '
1992 May "Now That The Magic Has Gone" 28 '
1992 July "Unchain My Heart 17 '
1994 August "The Simple Things" 17 '
1994 December "Let The Healing Begin" 32 '

Further reading

  • Joe Cocker: The Authorised Biography by J. P. Bean (2003) ISBN 1-85227-043-8
  • Guinness Book of British Hit Singles - 16th Edition - ISBN 0-85112-190-X
  • The Guinness Book of 500 Number One Hits - ISBN 0-85112-250-7
  • Guinness Book of British Hit Albums - 7th Edition - ISBN 0-85112-619-7
  • Guinness Rockopedia - ISBN 0-85112-072-5
  • The Great Rock Discography - 5th Edition - ISBN 1-84195-017-3

References

  1. ^ Rushdie and Eavis lead honours, BBC News, 15 June, 2007

External links

Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Joe_Cocker&oldid=185671022"