Joe Cocker

Joe Cocker (born May 20, 1944) is an English rock/blues singer who came to popularity in the 1960s and is most known for his raspy voice and his cover versions of other performers' songs. Born John Robert Cocker in Sheffield, England. He dropped out of high school and never obtained the equivalent of a high school diploma. After minor success in the UK with the single "Marjorine", his big break came with a groundbreaking rearrangement of "With A Little Help From My Friends," a Beatles cover from the Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band album, featuring lead giutar from Jimmy Page, which topped the UK Singles charts in November 1968 for one week. In 1969 he appeared at the Woodstock Music Festival. 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. The first time I heard of him and his blue-eyed soul was his 1969 performance on the Ed Sullivan Show. I remember that onstage, he exhibited a physical intensity, flailing his arms around and playing an air guitar, occasionally giving superfluous cues to his band. I saw the movie Woodstock and saw his extraordinary showmanship onstage there too but it’s the Joe on Ed Sullivan that I’ll always remember. I’ve kept up with his career ever since. It has been a rough one. In the beginning of 1970s the "Sheffield Soul Shouter" had problems with drug abuse including alcohol. He even managed to make a comeback in the 1980s and 1990s with several hits including “You Are So Beautiful”, “You Can Leave Your Hat On”, and “When The Rain Comes”. 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. His official website is: www.cocker.com

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