The Anniversary of the Day: Joe Cocker

[altmariusmusic]

Biography

by Cub Koda & William Ruhlmann

After starting out as an unsuccessful pop singer (working under the name Vance Arnold), Joe Cocker found his niche singing rock and soul in the pubs of England with his superb backing group, the Grease Band. He hit number one in the U.K. in November 1968 with his version of the Beatles' "A Little Help from My Friends." His career really took off after he sang that song at the Woodstock festival in August 1969. A second British hit came with a version of Leon Russell's "Delta Lady" in the fall of 1969 (by then, Russell was Cocker's musical director) and both of his albums, With a Little Help from My Friends (April 1969) and Joe Cocker! (November 1969), went gold in America. In 1970, his cover of the Box Tops hit "The Letter" became his first U.S. Top Ten. Cocker's first peak of success came when Russell organized the "Mad Dogs & Englishmen" tour of 1970, featuring Cocker and over 40 others and resulting in a third gold album and a concert film. Subsequent efforts were less popular, and problems with alcohol (both on- and off-stage) reduced Cocker's once-powerful voice to a croaking rasp. But he returned to the U.S. Top Ten with the romantic ballad "You Are So Beautiful" in 1975 and topped the charts in a duet with Jennifer Warnes on "Up Where We Belong," the theme from the 1982 film An Officer and a Gentleman. He still charted during the '90s, albeit with less frequency than he did in the '70s and '80s, and has also continued to work throughout the new millennium. No Ordinary World was his first release since 1997's Across from Midnight. Respect Yourself appeared in 2002, and the covers album Heart & Soul followed in 2004. The European release Hymn for My Soul, which features cover versions of songs by Stevie Wonder, George Harrison, Bob Dylan, and John Fogerty, was issued on Parlophone in 2007. His complete Live at Woodstock performance was released on CD in 2009.     1969 With a Little Help from My Friends A&M AMG Track Picks Feelin' Alright, With a Little Help from My Fr 1969 Joe Cocker! A&M AMG Track Picks She Came in Through the Bathr, Delta Lady 1970 Mad Dogs & Englishmen [live] Mobile Fidelity Sound Lab AMG Track Picks Feelin' Alright, She Came in Through the Bathr, Letter, Delta Lady 1973 Something to Say A&M 1974 I Can Stand a Little Rain A&M AMG Track Picks Put Out the Light, You Are So Beautiful 1975 Jamaica Say You Will Castle Music Ltd. 1976 Stingray Import 1976 Live in L.A. Castle Music Ltd. 1978 Luxury You Can Afford Wounded Bird Records AMG Track Picks Fun Time, Watching the River Flow, I Can't Say No, Wasted Years 1982 Sheffield Steel Mobile Fidelity Sound Lab 1984 Civilized Man Capitol Records 1984 Off the Record Sierra 1986 Cocker EMI Music Distribution 1987 Unchain My Heart Capitol Records AMG Track Picks Unchain My Heart 1989 One Night of Sin Capitol Records AMG Track Picks When the Night Comes 1990 Joe Cocker Live Capitol Records 1992 Night Calls Capitol Records 1994 Have a Little Faith 550 Music/Epic 1996 Organic Sony Music Distribution 1997 Across from Midnight Joe Cocker USA 2000 No Ordinary World Red Ink Records 2002 Respect Yourself Red Ink Records 2004 Heart & Soul EMI Music Distribution 2007 Hymn for My Soul EMI Music Distribution AMG Track Picks You Haven't Done Nothin', Long as I Can See the Light, Just Pass It On