Joe Cocker
Joe Cocker is an English blues and rock singer. Knight Commander of the Order of the British Empire.
The singer was the youngest son of a civil servant, Harold Cocker, who lived in Sheffield. Due to financial difficulties, Joe left school early and went to work as an assistant fitter. However, in 1961 he began his singing career in small pubs in Sheffield, performing under the pseudonym Vance Arnold with The Avengers. The repertoire consisted mainly of songs by Chuck Berry and Ray Charles.
In 1963, Cocker and his crew performed at the Sheffield City Hall before the Rolling Stones concert. According to eyewitnesses, their performance was very convincing.
In 1966, Joe Cocker formed the Grease Band with Chris Stainton and performed frequently in Sheffield and toured the north of England playing African American R&B and soul.
In 1968 he recorded his own version of the Beatles' "With a Little Help from My Friends", which reached the top of the national charts in November.
In the spring of 1969 the Grease Band embarked on their first US tour. The album "With a Little Help from My Friends" was released shortly after arriving in America and peaked at No. 35 on the US charts.
In August 1969, his performance became one of the highlights of the Woodstock Festival. The following year, the singer toured America. For 56 days, along with his retinue, consisting of more than forty people, Cocker traveled to 48 cities and gave 52 concerts.
In the 70s, Cocker experienced problems with a repertoire, which was dominated by re-singing songs by other artists. In addition, he became addicted to drugs and alcohol, regularly appearing on stage in a state of light drinking. Due to alcohol abuse, his once powerful voice has become an extremely hoarse baritone. This did not stop him in 1982, in a duet with Jennifer Warnes, to conquer the American charts with the slow ballad "Up Where We Belong", which was followed by other songs in a similar style. The song "Up Where We Belong" was featured in the film "The Officer and the Gentleman" and was nominated for an Academy Award.
Cocker was one of the few Woodstock "veterans" to perform (and successfully) at the 1994 festival.
