Citizendia
Your Ad Here

Joe Cocker

Background information
Birth name John Robert Cocker
Born May 20, 1944 (1944-05-20) (age 64)
Sheffield, England
Genre(s) Blues
Rock
Occupation(s) Singer, composer
Instrument(s) Vocals
Harmonica
Years active 1960s-present

Joe Cocker OBE (born 20 May 1944) 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, particularly those of The Beatles. Events 325 - The First Council of Nicaea &ndash the first Ecumenical Council of the Christian Church is held Year 1944 ( MCMXLIV) was a Leap year starting on Saturday (link will display full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. Sheffield ( is a city and Metropolitan borough in South Yorkshire, England England is a Country which is part of the United Kingdom. Its inhabitants account for more than 83% of the total UK population whilst its mainland A music genre is a categorical and typological construct that identifies musical sounds as belonging to a particular category and type of music that can be distinguished from other The Blues is a vocal and instrumental form of Music based on the use of the Blue notes It emerged as an accessible form of self-expression Rock music is a genre of Popular music often though not necessarily employing Electric guitar, Bass guitar, and Drums. A composer (literally meaning 'one who puts together' is a person who creates Music, usually in the medium of notation, for Interpretation and Performance A musical instrument is a device constructed or modified for the purpose of making Music. A harmonica is a free reed Wind instrument which is played by blowing air into it or drawing air out by placing lips over individual holes (reed chambers or The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British Order of chivalry established on 4 June 1917 by King George V. Events 325 - The First Council of Nicaea &ndash the first Ecumenical Council of the Christian Church is held Year 1944 ( MCMXLIV) was a Leap year starting on Saturday (link will display full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. England is a Country which is part of the United Kingdom. Its inhabitants account for more than 83% of the total UK population whilst its mainland Rock music is a genre of Popular music often though not necessarily employing Electric guitar, Bass guitar, and Drums. The Blues is a vocal and instrumental form of Music based on the use of the Blue notes It emerged as an accessible form of self-expression In Popular music, a cover version, or simply cover, is a new rendition ( Performance or Recording) of a previously recorded commercially released The Beatles were a pop and rock band from Liverpool, England formed in 1960

Contents

Biography

Early life

Cocker was born John Robert Cocker at 20 Tasker Road, Crookes, Sheffield, the youngest son of a civil servant. Crookes is a Suburb of the City of Sheffield, England, about 2 Sheffield ( is a city and Metropolitan borough in South Yorkshire, England See also Bureaucrat The term civil service has two distinct meanings Branch of governmental service in which individuals are hired on the basis He left school early and became an apprentice gas fitter. In 1961, he started his musical career in the pubs of Sheffield.

Career

Under the stage name Vance Arnold, Cocker began his career with Vance Arnold and the Avengers. In 1963 the band supported The Rolling Stones at Sheffield City Hall. Sheffield City Hall is a Grade II* Listed building in Sheffield, England, containing several venues ranging from the Oval Concert Hall which In 1964 Cocker released his first single, a cover of The Beatles' "I'll Cry Instead" with a new band, Joe Cocker Big Blues. " I'll Cry Instead " is a John Lennon composition credited to Lennon/McCartney, and recorded by The Beatles for the Soundtrack to This band ventured as far as France, where they played on American air bases. This article is about the country For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic France topics. The United States of America —commonly referred to as the An airbase, sometimes referred to as an Air Force Station, a military Airport or airfield, provides basing and support of Military After a lull, Cocker teamed up with Chris Stainton, to form The Grease Band, in 1966. Christopher 'Chris' Stainton (born 22 March 1944, in Woodseats, Sheffield, South Yorkshire, England) is a keyboard The Grease Band was a rock band that evolved out of Joe Cocker 's backing band They were noticed by Denny Cordell, the producer of Procol Harum, The Moody Blues and Georgie Fame. Denny Cordell (born Dennis Cordell-Laverack 1 August 1943, Buenos Aires, Argentina — died 18 February 1995, Dublin In the Music industry, a record producer or music producer has many roles among them controlling the recording sessions coaching and guiding the musicians organizing Procol Harum are a British rock band formed in the 1960s which built an important foundation for what would become Progressive rock, or perhaps more The Moody Blues are an English psychedelic rock band originally from Erdington in the city of Birmingham. Georgie Fame (born Clive Powell 26 June 1943, Leigh) is a British Rhythm and blues and Jazz Singer and Cordell set Cocker up with a residency at The Marquee Club in London. The Marquee is a legendary music club first located at 165 Oxford Street, London, England when it opened in 1958 with a range of jazz and Skiffle London ( ˈlʌndən is the capital and largest urban area in the United Kingdom.

Cover of single "With A Little Help from My Friends"
Cover of single "With A Little Help from My Friends"

After minor success in the U.S. 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. With a Little Help from My Friends is the first Album by singer Joe Cocker, released in 1969 (see 1969 in Music) The United States of America —commonly referred to as the " With a Little Help from My Friends " (originally titled A Little Help from My Friends) is a song written by John Lennon and Paul McCartney, released Sgt Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band is the eighth studio album by the British rock band The Beatles. Lead guitar refers to the use of a Guitar to perform Melody lines instrumental fill passages, and Guitar solos within a song structure James Patrick Page, OBE (born 9 January 1944 is an English Guitarist, Composer and record producer The eventual original touring line up of Cocker's Grease band featured Henry McCullough on lead guitar who would go on to briefly play with McCartney's Wings.

In 1969 he appeared at the Woodstock Music Festival. His performance included the following songs:

  1. "Delta Lady"
  2. "Something's Comin' On"
  3. "Let's Go Get Stoned"
  4. "I Shall Be Released"
  5. "With a Little Help from My Friends"

Cocker then had a second UK hit with the Leon Russell song, "Delta Lady". The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom, the UK or Britain,is a Sovereign state located In Popular music, a chart-topper is an extremely popular recording, identified by its inclusion in a ranked list&mdasha Chart &mdashof top Leon Russell (born Claude Russell Bridges on April 2 1942 in Lawton Oklahoma, United States) is a Singer, Songwriter A song is a Musical composition. Songs contain vocal parts that are performed 'sung' and generally feature Words ( Lyrics) commonly followed 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. " She Came in Through the Bathroom Window " is a song written by Paul McCartney (although credited to Lennon/McCartney) and performed by The Beatles Abbey Road is the eleventh official album released by The Beatles. 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. The United States of America —commonly referred to as the This article is about the original "Cry Me a River"For the song with the same title by Justin Timberlake see "Cry Me a River" (Justin Timberlake Dave Mason version " Feelin' Allright " is a song by Dave Mason of the English rock band Traffic from their eponymous album Traffic David Thomas Mason (born 10 May 1944) is an English Musician, singer songwriter, and Guitarist from Worcester In 1970, his cover of the Box Tops' hit "The Letter", which appeared on the live album and film, Mad Dogs & Englishmen, became his first U. The Box Tops were a Memphis Pop music group of the late 1960s " The Letter " is a song written by Wayne Carson Thompson and made famous by The Box Tops and their singer Alex Chilton, released in 1967 A live album &ndash commonly contrasted with a Studio album &ndash is a recording consisting of material (usually music recorded during stage performances Mad Dogs and Englishmen is Joe Cocker's 1970 Live album, featuring a fusion of rock and soul. S. Top Ten hit. The Top Forty or Top 40 is a music industry shorthand for the currently most-popular songs in a particular genre. A Hit record is a Sound recording, usually in the form of a single or Album, that sells a large number of copies or otherwise becomes broadly popular or Cocker was backed in the film, soundtrack album and subsequent tour by a then unheard of band of more than 30 players (including three drummers, backing vocalist Rita Coolidge and pianist/bandleader Leon Russell). A backing vocalist or backing singer (or especially in the US Rita Coolidge (born May 1, 1945, in Lafayette Tennessee) is a Grammy Award-winning American singer A pianist (/'piənɪst/ is a Musician who plays the Piano. A professional pianist can perform solo pieces play with an ensemble or Orchestra A bandleader is the leader of a band of Musicians The term is most commonly though not exclusively used with a group that plays Popular music as Leon Russell (born Claude Russell Bridges on April 2 1942 in Lawton Oklahoma, United States) is a Singer, Songwriter

Throughout 1969 he was featured on variety TV shows like The Ed Sullivan Show and "This Is Tom Jones. Edward Vincent "Ed" Sullivan ( September 28, 1901 – October 13, 1974) was an American Entertainment Writer " Onstage, he exhibited an idiosyncratic physical intensity, flailing his arms and playing air guitar, occasionally giving superfluous cues to his band. Playing air guitar is a form of dance and movement in which the performer pretends to play rock or heavy metal -style Electric guitar solos In 1976, Cocker performed "Feelin' Alright" on Saturday Night Live. Saturday Night Live ( SNL) is a weekly late-night 90-minute American Sketch comedy / Variety show based in New York City John Belushi joined him on stage doing his famous impersonation of Cocker's stage movements. John Adam Belushi ( January 24, 1949 – March 5, 1982) was an American Comedian, Actor and Musician

In late 1975, he contributed vocals on a number of the tracks on Bo Diddley's The 20th Anniversary of Rock 'n' Roll all-star album. Bo Diddley ( December 30 1928 &ndash June 2 2008, born Ellas Otha Bates) was an original and influential American

In the beginning of the 1970s the "Sheffield Soul Shouter" dealt with drug abuse including alcohol. Drug abuse has a wide range of definitions related to taking a Psychoactive drug or Performance enhancing drug for a non-therapeutic or non-medical effect He managed to make a comeback in the 1980s and 1990s with several hits, including:

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. In Popular music, a chart-topper is an extremely popular recording, identified by its inclusion in a ranked list&mdasha Chart &mdashof top " You Are So Beautiful " is a song written by Billy Preston and Bruce Fisher. Randall Stuart “Randy” Newman (born November 28 1943 is an Academy Award –winning American Singer/songwriter, arranger, Composer ‎ 9½ Weeks is a 1986 erotic drama film directed by Adrian Lyne and starring Mickey Rourke and Kim Basinger. {Otherpeople|Brian Adams}} Bryan Adams OC, OBC, (born Bryan Guy Adams on November 5, 1959) is a Canadian rock Steve DuBerry is a British Grammy nominated songwriter and producer co-writer of Tina Turner 's " I Don't Wanna Fight " (along with British pop icon Lulu " Unchain My Heart " is a song written by Bobby Sharp and recorded by Ray Charles. For other uses see Cutting edge The Cutting Edge is a 1992 Romantic comedy film directed by Paul Michael Glaser Woodstock '94 was a Music festival organized in order to commemorate the 25th anniversary of the original Woodstock Festival of 1969. He continues to tour sporadically, and currently lives on the Mad Dog Ranch in Crawford, Colorado, with his wife, Pam. The Town of Crawford is a Statutory Town in Delta County, Colorado, United States. The State of Colorado ( or chiefly by nonresidents) is a state located in the Rocky Mountain region of the United States of America. A wife is a Female spouse or participant in a Marriage, or Civil union or Civil partnership. Cocker was awarded an OBE in the Queen's 2007 Birthday Honours list for services to music. The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British Order of chivalry established on 4 June 1917 by King George V. [1] To celebrate receiving his award in mid December 2007, Cocker played two concerts in London and in his home town of Sheffield. A concert is a live Performance, usually of Music, before an Audience. London ( ˈlʌndən is the capital and largest urban area in the United Kingdom.

In 2007, Cocker appeared playing minor characters in the film, Across the Universe, as the lead singer on another Beatles hit, "Come Together". Across the Universe is a 2007 Musical film directed by Julie Taymor, produced by Revolution Studios, and distributed by Columbia Pictures " Come Together " is a song by The Beatles written primarily by John Lennon and credited to Lennon/McCartney.

Australian controversy in 1972

In October 1972, Cocker toured Australia on his Mad Dogs & Englishmen tour. For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic Australia topics. Mad Dogs and Englishmen is Joe Cocker's 1970 Live album, featuring a fusion of rock and soul. Cocker and six of his entourage were arrested in Adelaide by police for possession of marijuana. Adelaide is the capital and most populous city of the Australian state of South Australia, and is the fifth largest city in Australia with a Cannabis, also known as marijuana or marihuana, or ganja (from Hindi / Sanskrit: गांजा gānjā hemp) is a 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. Melbourne ( is the second most populous city in Australia, with a Metropolitan area population of approximately 3 The Australian Federal Police (AFP is the Federal police agency of the Commonwealth of Australia. 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 of rule by conservative governments. Issues The 1972 Election was largely focused on domestic policy issues and the role of the federal government in resolving these issues Edward Gough Whitlam, AC, QC (born 11 July 1916 known as Gough Whitlam (ˈɡɒf goff is an Australian former politician and 21st

Discography

Albums

Singles

Year Month Title UK Singles Chart U.S. Billboard Hot 100 Album
1968 October "With A Little Help From My Friends" 1 68 '
1969 September "Delta Lady" 10 69 '
1969 December "She Came In Through the Bathroom Window" 30 '
1970 April "The Letter" 39 7 '
1970 October "Cry Me a River" 11 '
1971 May "High Time We Went" 22 '
1972 "Feelin' Alright" 33 '
1972 August "Midnight Rider" 27 '
1975 "You Are So Beautiful" 5 I Can Stand a Little Rain
1983 January "Up Where We Belong" 7 1
1989 November "When the Night Comes" 11 '
1992 March "(All I Know) Feels Like Forever" 25 '
1992 May "Now That The Magic Has Gone" 28 '
1992 July "Unchain My Heart" 17 '
1994 August "The Simple Things" 17 '
1994 December "Let The Healing Begin" 32 '

Further reading

Notes

  1. ^ Rushdie and Eavis lead honours, BBC News, 15 June, 2007

References

External links

British Hit Singles & Albums is a Music Reference book published in the United Kingdom by Hit Entertainment Linda Wolf, (born March 17, 1950) is an American -born Photographer and Writer, and founder of several nonprofit organizations to benefit
© 2009 citizendia.org; parts available under the terms of GNU Free Documentation License, from http://en.wikipedia.org
 Dapyx Software network: MP3 Explorer | Ebook Manager | Zenithic