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Joe Cocker
Joe Cocker was born in Sheffield, England on May 20, 1944, the youngest son of a civil servant. In 1961, Joe became Vance Arnold, working by day as an apprentice gas fitter and by night (dark-suited and bow-tied) singing with The Avengers in pubs. Their repertoire included songs by mentor Ray Charles, What'd I Say and Georgia On My Mind. The band's highlight was in 1963 when they supported The Rolling Stones at Sheffield City Hall, and brought the house down.
He took a year off till he met the man whom A demo soon ended up with Denny Cordell, the producer of The Moody Blues, Georgie Fame, and Procul Harum. Cordell liked what he heard and Joe moved to London and a residency at The Marquee. His first single with Cordell-Marjorine showed promise and only a few months later, With A Little Help From My Friends was number one in the British charts and a hit all over Europe. America loved Joe Cocker from his first television appearance on the Ed Sullivan show in 1969. The Press couldn't say enough about him : "The voice of all those blind criers and crazy beggars and maimed men who summon up a strength we'll never know to bawl out their souls in the streets" said Life magazine. But Joe wasn't singing in the streets. He was in all the major rock festivals of that summer, culminating in the filmed triumph of Woodstock before half a million people, which was a powerful testimony to Joe Cocker in his absolute prime. Of the ensuing Mad Dogs and Englishmen, Joe has said : "My thoughts were off to Venus, heading for Outer Space." Joe, accompanied by a whole tribe, went on to play forty-eight cities in fifty-six days, to rapturous receptions everywhere.
He has sung theme songs for movies 9 1/2 Weeks, Harry and The Hendersons, Bull Durham, and An Innocent Man and in 1991 recorded Sorry Seems To Be The Hardest Word on the Elton John/Bernie Taupin tribute Two Rooms which has sold over 3 Million world wide.
Joe Cocker is a survivor, a star, a rock legend. He has had hit records in the 1960's, 70s, 80, and 90s. Success has brought with it a gruelling schedule of recording and touring, fans and detractors, but, after more than twenty-five years on the road he has no plans to ease up. And the future? "As long as being on stage is fun," says Joe, "as long as I enjoy that part and still get a buzz out of performing- then I'll keep going out there." Discography
With A Little Help From My Friends A&M 1969 Joe Cocker! A&M 1969 Mad Dogs & Englishmen A&M 1970 Joe Cocker A&M 1972 I Can Stand A Little Rain A&M 1974 Jamaica Say You Will A&M 1975 Stingray A&M 1976 Greatest Hits A&M 1977 Luxury You Can Afford Asylum 1978 Sheffield Steel Island 1982 Civilized Man Capitol 1984 Cocker Capitol 1986 Unchain My Heart Capitol 1987 One Night Of Sin Capitol 1989 Joe Cocker Live Capitol 1990 Night Calls Capitol 1992
Have A Little Faith Sony 550 1994 The Long Voyage Home A&M 1995 The Top 40 Hits "She Came In Through The Bathroom Window" #30 1969 "The Letter" #7 1970 "Cry Me A River" #11 1970 "High Time We Went"/"Black-Eyed Blues" #22 1971 "Feeling Alright" #33 1972 "Midnight Rider" #27 1972 "You Are So Beautiful" #5 1975 "Up Where We Belong" (w/Jennifer Warnes) #1 (3 weeks) 1982 "When The Night Comes" #11 1989 The Movie Songs "Up Where We Belong" An Officer And A Gentleman 1982 "Edge Of A Dream" Teachers 1984 "You Can Leave Your Hat On" 9 1/2 Weeks 1986 "We Stand Alone" Wildcats 1986
"When A Woman Loves A Man" Bull Durham 1988 "When The Night Comes" An Innocent Man 1990 "Feels Like Forever" The Cutting Edge 1992 "Trust In Me" The Bodyguard 1992 "Can't Find My Way Home" Benny And Joon 1993 "Take Me Home" (w/Bekka Bramlett) Blown Away Songs :
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"In
the beginning was emotion !" wrote L F Céline. Then : in the
beginning was Joe Cocker. His is truly one of the most remarkable rock
voices. Its grittiness, its gutsiness and the sense of urgency it conveys
is unique. When I hear it, I feel the emotions with such intensity that
I can't help but stop what I am doing (except if I'm driving, of course)
and lose myself in his music completely. The man is also a survivor
in a press-eats-star-eats-public-eats-star world, which is to be admired.
The
following year Joe left the Gas Board and released his first single,
a cover of The Beatles' I'll Cry Instead. His band became
known as Joe Cocker's Big Blues, with a large following
in the north of England and a 2-month gig in France, playing on American
air bases. The servicemen, many from the Deep South, loved Joe, while
the French called him "Le Petit Ray Charles". But on his return home,
the local scene had faded and the band split up.
Joe
has called the greatest musician in the world - Chris Stainton
- and The Grease Band was formed. 
However,
the tour left him battered and exhausted and, far from Venus, he ended
up, in his own words, in heap in Los Angeles, very disillusioned with
the rock business. That year- 1970 - Joe sold $3 million worth of records
in America alone. His first three albums went Platinum and Playboy voted
him number one vocalist in their annual jazz and rock poll. Yet he kept
on making albums and songs like Guilty, The Moons A Harsh
Mistress and You Are So Beautiful, all of which have become
Cocker classics in the mid-70's. As the 80's dawned Joe was invited
by The Crusaders to join them on a song they had written specially
for him, I'm So Glad I'm Standing Here Today. The lyrics spoke
for themselves and Joe received a standing ovation when he sang the
song at the Grammy Awards. His duet with Jennifer Warnes on Up Where
We Belong, the theme from An Officer And A Gentleman, brought
an appearance at the Oscars ceremony and a hit world-wide, including
Joe's first ever American number one. 
From
thereon, Joe has gone from strength to strength, aided undoubtedly by
the love and support of his wife, Pam, whom he married in 1987. His
Capitol albums from Civilized Man onwards have been tremendously
successful. Cocker, Unchain My Heart, and One Night
Of Sin all went Platinum, the latter also delivering Joe most recent
US Top Ten song When The Night Comes, written by Bryan Adams.
Joe's album Night Calls turned Gold and headed towards Platinum
all across Europe within weeks of its release in the Autumn of 91. 
The
Albums
The
Best Of Joe Cocker Capitol 1993
"Love
Lives On" Harry And The Hendersons 1987
Song
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