Joe Cocker , the man and the voice

John Robert Cocker ( known as Joe Cocker) was born on 20 May 1944, in Crookes, Sheffield, as the youngest son of Harold Cocker and Madge Cocker. His father was a civil servant.

He loved listening to music from a young age and was influenced by the singers  Lonnie Donegan and (the legendary) Ray Charles .

Joe Cocker adopted a stage name, Vance Arnold, in 1961 and formed another group, Vance Arnold and the Avengers. The group basically performed covers of the songs of Ray Charles and Chuck Berry.

here is a cover version of “Georgia on my mind” by Vance Arnold and the Avengers:

another notable cover version of “Georgia on my mind” and probably the most famous one is by ray charles:

in the following years Joe Cocker spent preforming in pubs around Sheffield.

In 1968, he released the single that would make him really famous. It was a cover version of the single “With a Little Help from My Friends” originally performed by the Beatles. This single peaked at No.1 in the U.K. and was also a minor success in the U.S. This song not only reached the No.1 spot in the U.K, but also established him as a popular rock and blues singer.

His career really took off after he sang that song at Woodstock in August 1969.

here is the original Beatles song

which one sounds better?

Joe Cocker died from lung cancer on 22 December 2014 in Crawford, Colorado, at the age of 70.

He was a rock and blues singer characterized by his gritty voice and peculiar body movements while giving performance. He was a multiple award winning singer who was best known for his cover versions of popular songs,especially those of the iconic rock group, The Beatles.

Great cover of Elton John’s “sorry seems to be the hardest word”

if we are talking about the sixties, here’s a cover version by Joe Cocker of a famous sixties song

It would have been a sin if i haven’t mentioned this wonderful song