NIPP: Joe Cocker

Joe Cocker

Artist Website	Bio
British soul singer Joe Cocker parlayed Ray Charles-type vocals and an eccentric stage presence into a string of late-‘60s hits, suffered in the mid-’70s, and went from tragic figure to well-respected interpreter in the ’80s and ’90s. His gritty, powerful voice remains one of the most distinctive in rock & roll today. After leaving school early to become an apprentice gas fitter in Sheffield, England, Cocker joined his first group in 1959, the Cavaliers, playing drums and harmonica. When he moved to lead vocals in 1961 the band changed its name to Vance Arnold (Cocker’s stage name) and the Avengers. They released regional singles and toured locally in England with the Hollies and the Rolling Stones during the early 60s. Decca offered Cocker a contract in 1964, and he took a six-month leave of absence from the gas company. Cocker released his first single, a cover of The Beatles’ “I’ll Cry Instead” with a new band, Joe Cocker Big Blues, that ventured as far as France where they played on American air bases. After a lull, the raspy crooner teamed up with keyboardist Chris Stainton, guitarists Henry McCullough and Alan Spenner and two other musicians to form The Grease Band in 1966. They played Motown covers in northern England pubs until 1967, when producer Denny Cordell became Cocker’s manager and persuaded him to move the band to London. After minor success 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. His explosive performance of the song at Woodstock in 1969 was a festival highlight. Throughout 1969 he was featured on variety TV shows like The Ed Sullivan Show and “This Is Tom Jones.” Onstage, he exhibited a physical intensity, flailing his arms and playing air guitar, occasionally giving superfluous cues to his band. Cocker later performed “Feelin’ Alright” on Saturday Night Live where John Belushi joined him on stage doing his famous impersonation of Cocker’s stage movements. During a U.S. tour, Cocker met Leon Russell, who penned his next big hit, “Delta Lady.” Russell also pulled together a crew for the boisterous Mad Dogs and Englishmen tour Cocker made in 1970, resulting in a #2 live double album that yielded a pair of hits – “The Letter” (#7, 1970) and “Cry Me a River” (#11, 1970) – and a film. A few years later, Cocker had one of the biggest hits of his career; the achingly tender modern standard “You Are So Beautiful” (#5, 1975), written by Billy Preston. Cocker’s career took a big upward turn in 1982 when a duet with Jennifer Warnes, “Up Where We Belong,” from the movie An Officer and a Gentleman, hit #1. Since then, several other Cocker songs have graced films, including his version of Randy Newman’s “You Can Leave Your Hat On” (91/2 Weeks, 1986) and “When the Night Comes” (An Innocent Man, 1990). The latter, a dramatic hard-rock ballad co-written by Bryan Adams, hit #11 in 1990. The “Sheffield Soul Shouter” 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. His 1994 album, Have a Little Faith, hit the U.K. Top 10, and at the request of his German label he revisited several songs from his own catalogue, including “You Are So Beautiful” and “Delta Lady,” on 1996’s Organic album. Cocker was awarded an OBE (Order of the British Empire) in the Queen’s 2007 Birthday Honours list for services to music. To celebrate receiving his award, Cocker played two concerts in London and in his home town of Sheffield in mid-December. In 2007 Cocker also appeared in the Revolution Studios/Columbia Pictures film, Across the Universe, with a cameo as the lead singer on another Beatles hit, “Come Together.” Cocker’s latest CD, “Hymn for My Soul,” was released on May 13, 2008 in the States. Cocker continues to record and tour and currently lives on the Mad Dog Ranch in Crawford, Colorado, with his wife, Pam.

Bio

British soul singer Joe Cocker parlayed Ray Charles-type vocals and an eccentric stage presence into a string of late-‘60s hits, suffered in the mid-’70s, and went from tragic figure to well-respected interpreter in the ’80s and ’90s. His gritty, powerful voice remains one of the most distinctive in rock & roll today.

After leaving school early to become an apprentice gas fitter in Sheffield, England, Cocker joined his first group in 1959, the Cavaliers, playing drums and harmonica. When he moved to lead vocals in 1961 the band changed its name to Vance Arnold (Cocker’s stage name) and the Avengers. They released regional singles and toured locally in England with the Hollies and the Rolling Stones during the early 60s. Decca offered Cocker a contract in 1964, and he took a six-month leave of absence from the gas company. Cocker released his first single, a cover of The Beatles’ “I’ll Cry Instead” with a new band, Joe Cocker Big Blues, that ventured as far as France where they played on American air bases.

After a lull, the raspy crooner teamed up with keyboardist Chris Stainton, guitarists Henry McCullough and Alan Spenner and two other musicians to form The Grease Band in 1966. They played Motown covers in northern England pubs until 1967, when producer Denny Cordell became Cocker’s manager and persuaded him to move the band to London. After minor success 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. His explosive performance of the song at Woodstock in 1969 was a festival highlight.

Throughout 1969 he was featured on variety TV shows like The Ed Sullivan Show and “This Is Tom Jones.” Onstage, he exhibited a physical intensity, flailing his arms and playing air guitar, occasionally giving superfluous cues to his band. Cocker later performed “Feelin’ Alright” on Saturday Night Live where John Belushi joined him on stage doing his famous impersonation of Cocker’s stage movements.

During a U.S. tour, Cocker met Leon Russell, who penned his next big hit, “Delta Lady.” Russell also pulled together a crew for the boisterous Mad Dogs and Englishmen tour Cocker made in 1970, resulting in a #2 live double album that yielded a pair of hits – “The Letter” (#7, 1970) and “Cry Me a River” (#11, 1970) – and a film. A few years later, Cocker had one of the biggest hits of his career; the achingly tender modern standard “You Are So Beautiful” (#5, 1975), written by Billy Preston.

Cocker’s career took a big upward turn in 1982 when a duet with Jennifer Warnes, “Up Where We Belong,” from the movie An Officer and a Gentleman, hit #1. Since then, several other Cocker songs have graced films, including his version of Randy Newman’s “You Can Leave Your Hat On” (91/2 Weeks, 1986) and “When the Night Comes” (An Innocent Man, 1990). The latter, a dramatic hard-rock ballad co-written by Bryan Adams, hit #11 in 1990.

The “Sheffield Soul Shouter” 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. His 1994 album, Have a Little Faith, hit the U.K. Top 10, and at the request of his German label he revisited several songs from his own catalogue, including “You Are So Beautiful” and “Delta Lady,” on 1996’s Organic album.

Cocker was awarded an OBE (Order of the British Empire) in the Queen’s 2007 Birthday Honours list for services to music. To celebrate receiving his award, Cocker played two concerts in London and in his home town of Sheffield in mid-December. In 2007 Cocker also appeared in the Revolution Studios/Columbia Pictures film, Across the Universe, with a cameo as the lead singer on another Beatles hit, “Come Together.”

Cocker’s latest CD, “Hymn for My Soul,” was released on May 13, 2008 in the States. Cocker continues to record and tour and currently lives on the Mad Dog Ranch in Crawford, Colorado, with his wife, Pam.