Tuesday
Dec232014
Farewell Joe Cocker
Tuesday, December 23, 2014 at 12:01AM
Singer Joe Cocker died yesterday after a battle with cancer. He was 70. The link is to the New York Times obit. Here's Joe's greatest hits. So good.
Reader Comments (6)
I strongly recommend reading the New York Times Obit, if any of you have not already done so. It's a superbly encapsulating tribute to this great man.
Sadly, a buddy of mine from my hometown in Maryland was Joe Cocker's valet in the early nineties when he was recording in NYC. My friend, also named Joe, told me many tales of Cocker's demons getting the better of him. Cocker's quote from a previous interview is reprised in the New York Times obit as a reminder to us all about life's fragility and the importance of taking care of oneself.
p.s. I reveal my spaciness once again, having long forgotten that's Jimmy Page on the studio version of "With A Little Help From My Friends", recorded in 1968. A one-two punch upon listening, now hearing Page so clearly, it makes one wonder what Cocker and Page could have done once Plant's voice began to wane in the late '70's and by the early 80's, when Plant made it clear Led Zeppelin would be no more save for the occasional reunion and sub-par output. I feel this notion is a fitting tribute to Cocker, as it makes one realize what a much more legit path Page could have taken had he teamed up with him rather than the route he took instead.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nCrlyX6XbTU
Don't know is work other than the obvious.
I do recall Brian Johnson of ACDC mentioning that Cocker was huge influence on him. That stuck with me considering that they share similar "but different" styles.
Yes, his issues with drugs and alcohol have been well-documented, and he has spoken candidly about them many times, but let's also remember that he had some very bad and greedy people handling him once he got famous. The Mad Dogs and Englishmen tour is a prime example. I am quoting now from an excellent piece written by C. Michael Bailey upon the release of the complete Mad Dogs and Englishmen Fillmore East concerts CD box set.
"The 1970 Mad Dogs & Englishmen tour was a late-in-the- day, hastily organized appendage to a longer tour Cocker was due to complete early in the year in support of his With A Little Help From My Friends and Joe Cocker! albums. Since late 1969, Cocker and his Grease Band, anchored by Chris Stainton, had been engaged in grueling promotional road work for the albums. At the end of the tour, Cocker and the Grease band parted on amiable terms, each to pursue other creative avenues.
Cocker arrived in Los Angeles on March 11th, 1970 for some rest and relaxation after the stressful and decadently excessive tour. While in LA, Cocker intended to spend his time hanging out and assembling a new band.
As legend has it, however, on March 12th, Cocker's manager Dee Anthony revealed other plans. Anthony announced that he had booked a seven-week (48 nights in 52 cities) tour set to commence in eight days. Anthony further explained that should Cocker not agree to the tour, the Musicians' Union, immigration authorities and concert promoters involved would be disinclined to allow him back into the States to tour in the future. Needless to say, Cocker was caught flat-footed, exhausted, and perhaps a bit burned out."
If you'd like to read the whole piece, the link is
http://www.allaboutjazz.com/the-colossal-triumph-of-joe-cockers-mad-dogs-and-englishmen-joe-cocker-by-c-michael-bailey.php?width=1024
It is to his credit that, despite all of these things that he went through, he was eventually able to clean himself up and, miraculously, regain almost all of his vocal power. My wife and I saw him live in about 1998. As my wife described it to me, he just came out wearing a pair of dockers -- looking like someone's Father. but then, when he opened his mouth, it sounded like the ferocious roar of an old lion who suddenly felt like he could take on the world again. Cocker simply blew the place away for two hours -- sounding better than he had in years.
I don't know if there is a Heaven or not, but if there is, I hope he is hanging out with Bobby Keys, showing the great beyond the right way to play, "The Letter." R.I.P. Mr. Cocker. Your raspy roar will never be replaced.