LOS ANGELES (Top40 Charts) Singer Joe Cocker, best known for his cover of The Beatles' With A
Little Help From My Friends, has died aged 70. The Sheffield-born singer had a career lasting more than 40 years, with hits including You Are So Beautiful and Up Where We Belong.
His agent Barrie Marshall said Cocker, who died after battling lung cancer, was "simply unique".
Cocker's friend Rick Wakeman, keyboard player for the rock band Yes, called his rendition of With a
Little Help From My
Friends "sensational" and said: "He had a voice that was just unique The great thing is with someone like Joe is what they leave behind, and that will be with us for years and years."
Sir Paul said he would be "forever grateful" to Cocker for turning With A
Little Help From My
Friends into a "soul anthem".
The former Beatle said: "I knew him through the years as a good mate and I was so sad to hear that he had been ill and really sad to hear today that he had passed away. He was a great guy, a lovely guy who brought so much to the world and we'll all miss him."
The
Beatles drummer Ringo Starr, who tweeted: "Goodbye and God bless to Joe Cocker."
Aerosmith singer Steve Tyler tweeted: "We loved you forever, we will miss you always. RIP Joe Cocker."
Another to pay tribute on Twitter was singer-songwriter Frank Turner, who wrote: "Wow. Sad to hear of Joe Cocker's passing. Incredible singer."
Bryan Adams tweeted: "Joe Cocker has died. RIP my good friend, you were one of the best rock singers ever."
Biography:
John Robert "Joe" Cocker OBE (20 May 1944 - 22 December 2014) was an English rock and blues singer, who came to popularity in the 1960s, and was known for his gritty voice, his spasmodic body movement in performance and his cover versions of popular songs, particularly those of the Beatles.
Cocker's cover of the Beatles' "With a
Little Help from My Friends" reached number one in the UK in 1968, and he performed the song live at Woodstock in 1969. His version became the theme song for the TV series The Wonder Years. His 1975 cover of Billy Preston's "
You Are So Beautiful", reached number five in the US. Cocker is the recipient of several awards, including a 1983 Grammy Award for his US number one "Up Where We Belong", a duet with Jennifer Warnes. In 1993 he was nominated for the Brit Award for Best British Male, in 2007 was awarded a bronze Sheffield
Legends plaque in his hometown, and in 2008 he received an OBE at Buckingham Palace for services to music. Cocker was ranked No. 97 on Rolling Stone's 100 greatest singers list.
Early life
Cocker was born on 20 May 1944 at 38 Tasker Road, Crookes, Sheffield, South Yorkshire. He was the youngest son of a civil servant, Harold Cocker, and Madge Cocker, née Lee. According to differing family stories, Cocker received his nickname of Joe either from playing a childhood game called "Cowboy Joe", or from a local window cleaner named Joe.
Cocker's main musical influences growing up were
Ray Charles and Lonnie Donegan. Cocker's first experience singing in public was at age 12 when his elder brother Victor invited him on stage to sing during a gig of his skiffle group. In 1960, along with three friends, Cocker formed his first group, the Cavaliers. For the group's first performance at a youth club, they were required to pay the price of admission before entering. The Cavaliers eventually broke up after a year and Cocker left school to become an apprentice gasfitter while simultaneously pursuing a career in music.
Cocker was not related to fellow Sheffield-born musician Jarvis Cocker, despite a rumour to this effect (particularly in Australia, where Jarvis Cocker's father, the radio presenter Mac Cocker, allowed listeners to believe that he was Cocker's brother).
Early career (1961-66)
In 1961, under the stage name Vance Arnold, Cocker continued his career with a new group, Vance Arnold and the Avengers. The name was a combination of Vince Everett, Elvis Presley's character in Jailhouse Rock, (which Cocker misheard as Vance) and country singer Eddy Arnold. The group mostly played in the pubs of Sheffield, performing covers of
Chuck Berry and
Ray Charles songs. Cocker developed an interest in blues music and sought out recordings by John Lee Hooker, Muddy Waters, Lightnin' Hopkins and Howlin' Wolf. In 1963, they booked their first significant gig when they supported the
Rolling Stones at Sheffield City Hall. In 1964, Cocker signed a recording contract as a solo act with Decca and released his first single, a cover of the Beatles' "I'll Cry Instead" (with Big Jim Sullivan and Jimmy Page playing guitars). Despite extensive promotion from Decca lauding his youth and working class roots, the record was a flop and his recording contract with Decca lapsed at the end of 1964. After Cocker recorded the single, he dropped his stage name and formed a new group, Joe Cocker's Big Blues. There is only one known recording of Joe Cocker's Big Blues on an EP given out by The Sheffield College during Rag Week and called Rag Goes Mad at the Mojo.
The Grease Band (1966-1969)
In 1966, after a year-long hiatus from music, Cocker teamed up with Chris Stainton, whom he had met several years before, to form the Grease Band. The Grease Band was named after Cocker read an interview with jazz musician Jimmy Smith, where Smith described another musician as "having a lot of grease." Like the Avengers, Cocker's group mostly played in pubs in and around Sheffield. The Grease Band came to the attention of Denny Cordell, the producer of Procol Harum, the
Moody Blues and Georgie Fame. Cocker recorded the single "Marjorine" without the Grease Band for Cordell in a London studio. He then moved to London with Chris Stainton, and the Grease Band was dissolved. Cordell set Cocker up with a residency at the Marquee Club in London, and a "new" Grease Band was formed with Stainton and keyboardist Tommy Eyre.
"He [Cocker] was a lovely northern lad who I loved a lot and, like many people, I loved his singing. I was especially pleased when he decided to cover "With a
Little Help from My Friends" and I remember him and (producer) Denny Cordell coming round to the studio in Savile Row and playing me what they'd recorded and it was just mind-blowing, totally turned the song into a soul anthem and I was forever grateful for him for doing that." -
Paul McCartney on
Joe Cocker and hearing his cover for the first time.
After minor success in the United States with the single "Marjorine", Cocker entered the big time with a groundbreaking rearrangement of "With a
Little Help from My Friends", another
Beatles cover, which, many years later, was used as the opening theme for The Wonder Years. The recording features lead guitar from Jimmy Page, drumming by B. J. Wilson, backing vocals from Sue and Sunny, and Tommy Eyre on organ. The single made the Top Ten on the British charts, remaining there for thirteen weeks and eventually reaching number one, on 9 November 1968. It also reached number 68 on the US charts.
The new touring line-up of Cocker's Grease Band featured Henry McCullough on lead guitar, who would go on to briefly play with McCartney's Wings. After touring the UK with the Who in autumn 1968 and Gene Pitney and Marmalade in early winter 1969, the Grease Band embarked on their first tour of the United States in spring 1969. Cocker's album With a
Little Help from My
Friends was released soon after their arrival and made number 35 on the American charts, eventually going gold.
During his United States tour, Cocker played at several large festivals, including the Newport Rock Festival and the Denver Pop Festival. In August, Denny Cordell heard about the planned concert in Woodstock, New York and convinced organiser Artie Kornfeld to book Cocker and the Grease Band for the Woodstock Festival. The group had to be flown into the festival by helicopter due to the large crowds. They performed several songs, including "Delta Lady", "Something's Comin' On", "Let's Go Get Stoned", "I Shall Be Released", and "With a
Little Help from My Friends". Cocker would later say that the experience was "like an eclipse ... it was a very special day."
Directly after Woodstock, Cocker released his second album, Joe Cocker!. Impressed by his cover of "With a
Little Help from My Friends",
Paul McCartney and
George Harrison allowed Cocker to use their songs "She Came In Through the Bathroom Window" and "
Something" for the album. Recorded during a break in touring in the spring and summer, the album reached number 11 on the US charts and garnered a second UK hit with the Leon Russell song, "Delta Lady".
In August 1969, Cocker performed at the Isle of Wight Festival at Wootton, Isle of Wight, England. Throughout 1969 he was featured on variety TV shows like The Ed Sullivan Show and This Is Tom Jones. Onstage, he exhibited an idiosyncratic physical intensity, flailing his arms and playing air guitar. At the end of the year Cocker was unwilling to embark on another US tour, so he dissolved the Grease Band.
Mad Dogs & Englishmen (1969-1971)
Despite Cocker's reluctance to venture out on the road again, an American tour had already been booked so he had to quickly form a new band in order to fulfill his contractual obligations. It proved to be a large group of more than 30 musicians, including pianist and bandleader Leon Russell, three drummers, and backing vocalists Rita Coolidge and Claudia Lennear. Denny Cordell christened the new band "Mad Dogs & Englishmen", after the Noël Coward song of the same name. Cocker's music at this time evolved into a more bluesy type of rock, compared to that of the Rolling Stones. During the ensuing Mad Dogs & Englishmen tour (later described by drummer Jim Keltner as "a big, wild party"), Cocker toured 48 cities, recorded a live album, and received very positive reviews from Time and Life for his performances. However, the pace of the tour was exhausting. Russell and Cocker had personal problems; Cocker became depressed and began drinking excessively as the tour wound down in May 1970. Meanwhile, he enjoyed several chart entries in the United States with "Cry Me a River" and "Feelin' Alright" by Dave Mason. His cover of The Box Tops' hit "
The Letter", which appeared on the live album and film, Mad Dogs & Englishmen, became his first US Top Ten hit. After spending several months in Los Angeles, Cocker returned home to Sheffield where his family became increasingly concerned with his deteriorating physical and mental health. During this time, in periods between work, Cocker wrote the overture played by the UK Prime
Minister Edward Heath on the occasion the Prime
Minister famously conducted a live orchestra while in office. In the summer of 1971, A&M Records released the single "High Time We Went". This became a hit, reaching number 22 on the US Billboard Hot 100 chart, but was not issued on an album until November 1972 on the
Joe Cocker album.
On the road (1972-1982)
In early 1972, after nearly two years away from music, Cocker went on tour with a group that Chris Stainton had formed. He opened with a performance in Madison
Square Garden which was attended by about 20,000 people. After touring the United States, he embarked on a European tour where he played to large audiences in Milan and Germany. He then returned to the United States for another tour in autumn 1972. During these tours the group cut the songs that would be part of his newest album, Joe Cocker. A mixture of live songs and studio recordings, the album peaked at number 30 on the US charts.
In October 1972, when Cocker toured Australia, he and six members of his entourage were arrested in Adelaide for possession of marijuana. The next day, in Melbourne, assault charges were laid after a brawl at the Commodore Chateau Hotel, and the Australian Federal
Police gave Cocker 48 hours to leave the country. 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, and gained Cocker the nickname "the Mad Dog".
Shortly after the Australian tour, Stainton retired from his music career to establish his own recording studio. After his friend's departure and estrangement from longtime producer Denny Cordell, Cocker sank into depression and began using heroin. In June 1973, he kicked the habit but continued to drink heavily.
At the end of 1973, Cocker returned to the studio to record a new album, I Can Stand A
Little Rain. The album, released in August 1974, was number 11 on the US charts and one single, a cover of
Dennis Wilson and Billy Preston's "
You Are So Beautiful", which reached the number 5 slot. Despite positive reviews for the album, Cocker struggled with live performances, largely due to his problems with alcohol. One such instance was reported in a 1974 issue of Rolling Stone, which reported that during two West Coast performances in October of that year he threw up onstage.
In January 1975, he released a second album that had been recorded at the same time as I Can Stand a
Little Rain,
Jamaica Say You Will. To promote his new album, Cocker embarked on another tour of Australia, made possible by the country's new Labor government. In late 1975, he contributed vocals on a number of the tracks on Bo Diddley's The 20th Anniversary of Rock 'n' Roll all-star album. He also recorded a new album in a Kingston,
Jamaica studio, Stingray. However, record sales were disappointing; the album reached only number 70 on the US charts.
In 1976, Cocker performed "Feelin' Alright" on Saturday Night Live. John Belushi joined him onstage doing his famous impersonation of Cocker's stage movements. At the time, Cocker was $800,000 in debt to A&M Records and struggling with alcoholism. Several months later, he met producer Michael Lang, who agreed to manage him on the condition that he stay sober. With a new band, Cocker embarked on a tour of New Zealand, Australia, and South America. He then recorded a new album with session work by Steve Gadd and Chuck Rainey, and a new, young bassist from Scotland, Rob Hartley. Hartley also toured briefly with Cocker's friends in 1977. In the autumn of 1978, Cocker toured North
America promoting his album, Luxury You Can Afford. Despite this effort, it received mixed reviews and only sold around 300,000 copies.
In 1979, Cocker joined the "Woodstock in Europe" tour, which featured musicians like
Arlo Guthrie and Richie Havens who had played at the 1969 Woodstock Festival. He also performed in New York's Central Park to an audience of 20,000 people. The concert was recorded and released as the live album, Live in New York. Cocker also toured
Europe and appeared on the German television recording amphitheatre, Rockpalast, the first of many performances on the show. In 1982, Cocker recorded two songs with the jazz group the Crusaders on their album Standing Tall. One song, "I'm So Glad I'm Standing Here Today", was nominated for a Grammy Award and Cocker performed it with the Crusaders at the awards ceremony. The Crusaders wrote this song with Cocker in mind to sing it. Cocker then released a new reggae-influenced album, Sheffield Steel, recorded with the Compass Point All Stars, produced by Chris Blackwell and Alex Sadkin.
Later career (1982-2014)
In 1982, at the behest of producer Stewart Levine, Cocker recorded the duet "Up Where We Belong" with Jennifer Warnes for the soundtrack of the 1982 film An Officer and a Gentleman. The song was an international hit, reaching number 1 on the Billboard Hot 100, and winning a Grammy Award for Best Pop Performance by a Duo. The duet also won an Academy Award for Best Original Song, and Cocker and Warnes performed the song at the awards ceremony. Several days later, he was invited to perform "
You Are So Beautiful" with
Ray Charles in a television tribute to the musician. He then joined singer Ronnie Lane's 1983 tour to raise money for the London-based organisation Action for Research into Multiple Sclerosis, in particular because Lane was beginning to suffer from the degenerative disease. Musicians such as Pete Townshend, Eric Clapton, Jimmy Page,
Jeff Beck and Chris Stainton also participated in the tour which included a performance at New York City's Madison
Square Garden. While on another tour that year, Cocker was arrested by Austrian police after refusing to perform because of inadequate sound equipment. The charges were eventually dropped and Cocker was released. Shortly after the incident, he released his ninth studio album, Civilized Man. His next album Cocker was dedicated to his mother, Madge, who died when he was recording in the studio with producer Terry Manning. A track from the album, "You Can Leave Your Hat On" was featured in the 1986 film 9½ Weeks. The album eventually went Platinum on the European charts. His 1987 album Unchain My
Heart was nominated for a Grammy Award, although it did not win. One Night of Sin was also a commercial success, surpassing Unchain My
Heart in sales.
Throughout the 1980s, Cocker continued to tour around the world, playing to large audiences in Europe, Australia and the United States. In 1988, he performed at London's Royal Albert Hall and appeared on The
Tonight Show. After Barclay
James Harvest and Bob Dylan, Cocker was the first to give rock concerts in the German Democratic Republic, in East Berlin and Dresden. The venue, the Blüherwiese, next to the Rudolf-Harbig-Stadion, bears the vernacular name Cockerwiese (Cocker meadow) today. He also performed for President
George H. W. Bush at an inauguration concert in February 1989. In 1992, his version of Bryan Adams' "Feels Like Forever" made the UK Top 40.
In 1992,
Joe Cocker teamed with Canadian rocker Sass Jordan to sing
Trust in Me, which was featured on the 45 million selling CD, The Bodyguard (soundtrack).
At the 1993 Brit Awards, Cocker was nominated for Best British Male. 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.
On 3 June 2002, Cocker performed "With A
Little Help From My Friends" accompanied by
Phil Collins on drums and
Queen guitarist Brian May at the Party at the Palace concert in the grounds of Buckingham Palace, an event in commemoration of the Golden Jubilee of
Elizabeth II. In 2007, Cocker appeared playing minor characters in the film Across the Universe, as the lead singer on another Beatles' hit, "
Come Together". Cocker was awarded an OBE in the Queen's 2007 Birthday Honours list for services to music. To celebrate receiving his award in mid December 2007, Cocker played two concerts in London and in his home town of Sheffield where he was awarded a bronze Sheffield
Legends plaque outside Sheffield Town Hall.
In April and May 2009, Cocker conducted a North American tour in support of his album Hymn for My Soul. He sang the vocals on "Little Wing" for the
Carlos Santana album, Guitar Heaven: The Greatest Guitar Classics of All Time, released on 21
September 2010. In the autumn of 2010, Cocker toured
Europe promoting his studio album Hard Knocks.
Cocker returned to Australia in 2008 and again in 2011, the latter of which featured
George Thorogood and the Destroyers as an opening act.
On 20 March 2011, Cocker took part in a benefit concert for Cornell Dupree at B.B. King's Blues Club in New York. Dupree played on two Cocker albums: Stingray (1976) and Luxury You Can Afford (1978). Dupree's band Stuff was also Cocker's backing band on a tour promoting Stingray in 1976.
Illness and death
While performing a concert at Madison
Square Garden on 17
September 2014, fellow musician
Billy Joel stated that Cocker was "not very well right now" and asked that he be inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.
Cocker died of lung cancer on 22 December 2014 in Crawford, Colorado. The two living Beatles,
Paul McCartney and Ringo Starr, were among those who paid tribute to the singer, while Cocker's agent, Barrie Marshall, said that Cocker was "without doubt the greatest rock/soul singer ever to come out of Britain."
Personal life
In 1963, Cocker began dating Eileen Webster, also a resident of Sheffield. The couple dated intermittently for the next 13 years, and separated permanently in 1976.
In 1978, Cocker moved onto a ranch Jane Fonda owned in
Santa Barbara, California. Pam Baker, a local summer camp director and fan of Cocker's music, persuaded the actress to let the house to Cocker. Baker began dating Cocker, and they married on 11 October 1987. The couple resided on the Mad Dog Ranch in Crawford, Colorado.
Accolades
Mojo: United Kingdom - "Top 100 Singers Of All Time" (1999)
Rolling Stone: United States - "100 Greatest Singers of All Time" (2008)
Discography:
Studio albums:
• With a Little Help from My Friends (1969)
• Joe Cocker! (1969)
• Joe Cocker (1972/EU: 1973)
• I Can Stand a Little Rain (1974)
• Jamaica Say You Will (1975)
• Stingray (1976)
• Luxury You Can Afford (1978)
• Sheffield Steel (1982)
• Civilized Man (1984)
• Cocker (1986)
• Unchain My Heart (1987)
• One Night of Sin (1989)
• Night Calls (1991/US: 1992)
• Have a Little Faith (1994)
• Organic (1996)
• Across from Midnight (1997)
• No Ordinary World (1999/US: 2000)
• Respect Yourself (2002)
• Heart & Soul (2004/US: 2005)
• Hymn for My Soul (2007/US: 2008)
• Hard Knocks (2010/US: 2012). 
