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Joe Cocker OBE (born John Robert Cocker, 20 May 1944, Sheffield) 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.
Joe Cocker was born in Sheffield, England, on May 20, 1944, 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. 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, producer of Procul Harum, the Moody Blues
and Georgie Fame. Cordell set Cocker up with a residency at The Marquee in
London.
After minor success in the USA 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.
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 a 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 was awarded an OBE in the Queen's 2007 Birthday Honours list for services to
music.
 Australian
controversy in 1972
In October 1972, Joe 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 rule of conservative governments in
Australia.
Source : Some of the information on this page came
from a Wikipedia article and is licensed under the GNU Documentation
License. ©2008 www.geneticmatrix.com.
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Joe
Cocker - Generator - Biography
