Cocker, Joe

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Joe Cocker

Vocalist

Powerful, raw, and full of anguish, Joe Cocker’s voice is perfectly suited to sing the blues, and it was by doing so that he became well known in the late 1960s and early 1970s. Personal and professional problems rivalling those described in any blues song have plagued him since then, and at times it seemed that his career was finished. In recent years, however, Cocker has not only returned to music, he has expanded his range and established a presence as a romantic balladeer as well as a blues shouter.

Born into a working-class family, Cocker studied plumbing at a trade school and worked at that profession for several years before his musical efforts began to pay off. As a teen, he was heavily influenced by the music of Ray Charles, which led him to begin playing harmonica in a local group, The Cavaliers. When The Cavaliers reorganized and became Vance Arnold and The Avengers, Cocker was transformed into the lead vocalist. In this role, he made his first recording, a 1963 version of The Beatles’ “I’ll Cry Instead.” Soon afterwards he was offered a solo contract with British Decca, but this venture led nowhere; before long, Cocker was back to plumbing.

In 1966, he resurfaced as the leader of The Grease Band, which included Chris Stainton on keyboards, Alan Spenner on bass, Henry McCullough on Guitar, and Bruce Rowlands on drums. Producer Denny Cordell signed The Grease Band to the Regal Zenophone label. Their first single, “Marjorine,” was a moderate success in the United Kingdom and gave Cocker’s powerful voice its first notable exposure. The Grease Band followed “Marjorine” with a slow version of the Beatle’s “With a Little Help from My Friends”; it went to Number 1 in Britain, and was a hit in the United States as well as in many other countries. An album of the same name was recorded, featuring the likes of Jimmy Page, Albert Lee, and Steve Winwood.

The Grease Band played the United States in 1969, winding up their tour with an appearance at Woodstock. Cocker met musician and songwriter Leon Russell at the festival, where the two became fast friends. Russell penned Cocker’s next hit, “Delta Lady,” and supervised the recording of the album Joe Cocker! When The Grease Band dropped out as Cocker’s backup band, Russell organized a forty-day tour of the United States for his friend. Over twenty musicians were involved, including the Delanie and Bonnie Band. The “Mad Dogs and English men” tour was a terrific success, leading to a live album that went gold and a film that made Cocker’s strange, spastic stage presence as familiar as his rasping voice. Russell was propelled to major star status as a result of “Mad Dogs and Englishmen.” Ironically, the only major casualty of the tour was

For the Record…

Given name, John Robert Cocker; born May 20, 1944, in Sheffield, England.

Began musical career playing harmonica with The Cavaliers; band reorganized in the early 1960s as Vance Arnold and the Avengers, with Cocker as lead singer. Leader of The Grease Band, 1966-70; tours and records as solo artist, 1972—.

Addresses: Record company —Capitol Records, Inc., 1750 Vine, Hollywood, Calif. 90028.

its star, Joe Cocker. By some accounts, he made only $800 from the entire event. Physically, mentally, and emotionally drained, he recorded one more song—“High Time We Went”—before returning to England and retiring from performing.

By 1972, Cocker was attempting a comeback, but legal disputes, drinking, health problems, and a noticeable deterioration in his vocal prowess all plagued his efforts. He toured the United States and then Australia, where repeated arrests finally caused him to be deported. He jumped from one record company to another and put himself in the hands of many different producers and writers, resulting in a catalog of recordings that is now considered wildly uneven. Despite all his difficulties, he persisted in recording and touring, and by 1975 he had climbed back into the U.S. Top 10 charts with the uncharacteristic ballad “You Are So Beautiful.” The rest of the decade was rocky, with albums such as Stingray and Luxury You Can Afford being largely overlooked despite some good performances.

It wasn’t until 1982 that Cocker had another significant hit. Again, it was a ballad—“Up Where We Belong,” a duet with Jennifer Warnes, which gained wide exposure through its use in the popular film An Officer and a Gentleman. Thereafter, Cocker’s managers seemed determined to change his image from that of a boozy bluesman into that of a gentle crooner. The change led to some moderately successful recordings, but proved puzzling and disappointing to some, such as the Stereo Review writer who complained about the “cautious and polite” renditions of “mild love songs, sung with only a trace of Cocker’s famous rasp and guttural fury” that are found on the 1982 release Sheffield Steel. Other commentators were less critical, believing that a mellower style was an appropriate indication Cocker’s maturation. “A certain world-weary calm seems to have settled into his music,” noted Ralph Novak in his People review of Civilized Man, “and it combines with the raggedy-edged blues that made him famous to produce a uniquely affecting sound.”

Cocker’s voice has improved markedly since its low point in the 1970s, and today he continues to exercise his greatest gift: that of reading meaning into others’ words. “At his most inspired, Cocker is truly a masterful interpreter,” stated High Fidelity writer Steven X. Rea. “He has transformed material like the Beatles’ cutesy-poo ‘With a Little Help from My Friends’ and the schmaltzy ‘You Are So Beautiful’ into ragged, soulful numbers of his own creation…. Few singers are as readily identifiable; fewer interpreters are as adept at making outside material sound like their own creation. It’s good to hear Cocker in fine form again.”