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Joe Cocker is a British singer who first came to popularity in the late 60s.
In 1971 after his huge Mad Dogs & Englishmen tour Joe Cocker returned to the UK, where he lay low for a while to recover. Meanwhile A&M Records released the single "High Time We Went" in the US, and it became a #22 hit. He re-emerged in 1972 and went back on tour with a new band organized by his long-term musical partner Chris Stainton. They toured both the US and Europe, and recorded material for a new record in between. The self-titled album came out in late '72, featuring two live recordings alongside eight studio cuts. It was a fine collection of blues-rock tunes, almost entirely written by Cocker and Stainton, with the three exceptions being covers of Gregg Allman's "Midnight Rider", Dan Penn's "Do Right Woman" and the folk/blues classic "St James Infirmary". "High Time We Went" was included, and "Midnight Rider" gave him another hit when released as a single, getting to #27.
Mad Dogs & Englishmen (1971) <|> I Can Stand A Little Rain (1974)
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Joe Cocker is a British singer who first came to popularity in the late 60s.
1969 had been a busy and successful year for Joe Cocker, with two massively successful albums, a US tour, a memorable performance at the Woodstock festival, and numerous TV show appearances. However at the end of the year he was unwilling to tour the US again, and dissolved his backing group, The Grease Band.
Nevertheless, a US Tour was already booked, and he had to put together a new band to fulfill his contractual obligations. He turned to his friend Leon Russell, who had worked with him on his second album (and written his #10 hit "Delta Lady"), and had recently finished work on his own solo debut album. Russell put together a massive twenty-piece band to back him, featuring many of the musicians he had worked with through his Delaney & Bonnie and Friends experience. The band consisted of Russell himself (piano/guitar), Chris Stainton (organ/piano), Don Preston (guitar), Bobby Keys (sax), Jim Price (trumpet), Carl Radle (bass), Jim Gordon (drums), Jim Keltner (drums), Chuck Blackwell (drums), Sandy Konikoff (percussion), and a full choir of backing vocalists (including Rita Coolidge). Calling the group Mad Dogs & Englishmen, he went on tour across 48 US cities to great acclaim.
Recordings from the tour were put together into a double live album, which was released in August 1970 and got to #2. It showcased the group's big, bluesy, soul-rock sound, with plenty of diverse covers including The Rolling Stones' "Honky Tonk Women", Arthur Hamilton's "Cry Me A River", Dave Mason's "Feelin' Alright", Otis Redding's "I've Been Loving You Too Long", The Box Tops' "The Letter", and several Ray Charles numbers. Bandleader Leon Russell was also given a chance to shine, most notably on Bob Dylan's "Girl From The North Country", which he sang as a duet with Cocker accompanied just by the piano. Rita Coolidge also got a solo spot, singing "Superstar" (written by Russell and Bonnie Bramlett). "The Letter" was released a single and became Cocker's first US Top 10 hit at #7.
Unsurprisingly the tour was an exhausting affair, and by its end Cocker had become depressed and was drinking heavily. After it ended, Cocker spent a few months in L.A. before returning home to England, where he lay low for over a year.
Joe Cocker! (1969) <|> Joe Cocker (1972)
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Joe Cocker is a British singer who first came to popularity in the late 60s.
Cocker quickly followed his fantastic debut with a second album the same year. Like its predecessor, it followed the formula of creative re-inventions of pop and rock songs, which included those by The Beatles ("She Came In Through The Bathroom Window" and "Something"), Bob Dylan ("Dear Landlord"), Leonard Cohen ("Bird On The Wire") and John Sebastian ("Darling Be Home Soon"). It also featured two songs from Leon Russell ("Delta Lady" and "Hello Little Friend"), who at the time had not begun his solo career and was working as a session musician. He co-produced the album with Denny Cordell. "Delta Lady" was released as a single and got to #10 in the UK. Russell's own version came out the next year on his debut album.Among the musicians that appear on the album are keyboardist Chris Stainton, guitarist Clarence White, bassist Allen Spenner, drummer Bruce Rowland, pedal steel guitarist Pete Kleinow, percussionist Milt Holland, and Russell himself (on piano, organ and guitar).
With A Little Help From My Friends (1969) <|> Mad Dogs And Englishmen (1970)
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Joe Cocker is a British singer who came to popularity in the late 60s.
Joe Cocker was born in Sheffield, England, and in the early 60s he gained experience as a singer through playing pub gigs with his group The Avengers. This eventually led to a job as support act for a Rolling Stones gig in 1964, and Cocker was subsequently signed to Decca records as a solo artist. He released a single in 1964, a cover of The Beatles’ “I’ll Cry Instead”, but it went nowhere, and he was dropped from Decca. After a few more years he teamed up with keyboard player Chris Stainton, and they formed the Grease Band, eventually moving to London, where they set up residency at the Marquee Club. Finally Cocker’s big break came when his slowed-down version of The Beatles’ “With A Little Help From My Friends” became a massive hit, breaking into the Top 10 in the UK and finally getting to #1 in November 1968. He toured both the UK and the US with the Grease Band, and his debut album came out in 1969, riding on the success of his hit single.With A Little Help From My Friends consisted almost entirely of cover songs, and Cocker soon became known for his dramatic and creative reworkings of other artists’ material. As well as the title track, the album featured “Feelin’ Alright” (by Traffic), “Don’t Let Me Be Misunderstood” (Nina Simone/The Animals), “I Shall Be Released” and “Just Like A Woman” (Bob Dylan), “Do I Still Figure In Your Life” (Pete Dello), the old standard “Bye Bye Blackbird” and three Cocker / Stainton originals. The song arrangements were driven by Cocker’s gritty and soulful vocals, but were also notable for some really fantastic playing from the huge list of session musicians behind him (including guitar from Jimmy Page and organ from Steve Winwood). The album was a success, reaching #35 in the US, and effectively kick-started Cocker’s singing career.
|> Joe Cocker! (1969)
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