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Joe Cocker

From HitStory, the pop encyclopedia of School of Rock · Artist

Joe Cocker was an English singer, known for his rough, bluesy voice and his frenzied performances, in which he waved his arms and played air guitar. He was born in Sheffield in 1944. His idols were Ray Charles and Lonnie Donegan. At twelve he sang in front of an audience for the first time, at a gig by his brother's skiffle group. With his first groups he played mainly in pubs, and in 1963 he supported the Rolling Stones. His first single, a recording of the Beatles' I'll Cry Instead, flopped in 1964.

Music and breakthrough

In 1966 he formed the Grease Band with Chris Stainton. In 1968 he broke through with a new arrangement of the Beatles' With a Little Help from My Friends, with Jimmy Page on guitar. The song reached number one in the United Kingdom. In 1969 he played at Woodstock and at the Isle of Wight Festival. His second album, Joe Cocker!, included Delta Lady. The big Mad Dogs and Englishmen tour followed, with Leon Russell and more than twenty musicians, with The Letter as his first American top ten hit. Later came Unchain My Heart in 1987, among others.

Influence

Many of his best-known songs were covers of other people's songs, such as Feelin' Alright. In 2008 Cocker received an OBE and he was on Rolling Stone's list of the hundred greatest singers. He died in 2014. He showed that a singer with a rough voice can make a familiar song sound completely different.

Listening

Listening tip. Listen to With a Little Help from My Friends and notice how Cocker turns the cheerful Beatles song into a slow, screaming soul ballad.

Discography

Studio albums

See also

Categories: Artists