Joe Cocker was musical, and cultural icon. A soulful, blues shouter from England, who burst on the scene, and nearly burned out just a couple years later. Thankfully, he endured, and his career lasted over 50 years. Along the way, he won nearly every award there is, leaving an indelible imprint on the world. In honor of his upcoming birthday, we offer 10 things you may not know about the Sheffield Soul Shouter. Born John Robert Cocker in , he took the name Joe from a childhood game.
The term skiffle, while widely used in the UK, actually has its musical roots in early 20th Century African-American culture. A skiffle was a rent party, as well as how blues singer Ma Rainey described her repertoire. It was also associated with early jug bands who used homemade instruments. Since the s, in the UK, skiffle has been used to describe a musical genre made up of blues, jazz, and folk.
His own first group was called the Cavaliers. In , they played their first gig at a local youth club. One year later, Cocker took the stage name, Vance Arnold. Mr Marshall described Cocker as a "true star" who was also "a kind and humble man who loved to perform. The former Beatle said: "I knew him through the years as a good mate and I was so sad to hear that he had been ill and really sad to hear today that he had passed away.
Aerosmith singer Steve Tyler tweeted : "We loved you forever, we will miss you always. RIP Joe Cocker. Another to pay tribute on Twitter was singer-songwriter Frank Turner, who wrote : "Wow. Sad to hear of Joe Cocker's passing. Incredible singer. Bryan Adams tweeted : "Joe Cocker has died. RIP my good friend, you were one of the best rock singers ever.
Meanwhile, Edgar Berger, chairman and chief executive of Sony Music Entertainment International, who signed Cocker, said he was "one of the most humble men I've ever met. He said his voice "will forever be etched in our memories". Cocker duly assembled the piece collective known as Mad Dogs and Englishmen and undertook a punishing date campaign packed into only 57 days.
It spawned a bestselling double live album and accompanying feature film, but the sprawling and chaotic project left Cocker exhausted and facing a crippling pile of bills. He lapsed into a long period of hard drinking and heroin addiction, and it was not until that he returned to the stage as part of the piece line up known as Joe Cocker and the Chris Stainton Band.
However, he was having difficulty keeping control, and was drinking so heavily that often he was barely capable of performing. Cocker stumbled through the rest of the s as a shadow of his former self, still touring and knocking out uneven albums, including Jamaica Say You Will , Stingray and Live in Los Angeles Better still was his release on Island records, Sheffield Steel, which featured powerful performances of songs by Jimmy Webb, Bob Dylan and Steve Winwood and remains arguably the definitive Joe Cocker album.
Cocker confirmed his resurgence with his duet with Jennifer Warnes on the schlocky power ballad Up Where We Belong , from the hit movie An Officer and a Gentleman The song won a Grammy and an Oscar. Subsequently, his career saw him coasting along comfortably, enjoying respect from his peers and loyalty from a broad international audience, though somewhat lacking in further artistic landmarks.
In his determination to stay on the wagon, he received unstinting support from his wife Pam, whom he married in Through the 80s and 90s, Cocker released a string of albums including Unchain My Heart , One Night of Sin and Night Calls , all of which sold respectably if unspectacularly.
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