Joe Cocker Facts for Kids

Quick facts for kids Joe Cocker OBE
Cocker in 1969
Background information
Birth name	John Robert Cocker
Also known as	Vance Arnold The Sheffield Soul Shouter
Born	(1944-05-20)20 May 1944 Sheffield, West Riding of Yorkshire, England
Died	22 December 2014(2014-12-22) (aged 70) Crawford, Colorado, United States
Genres	Rock, blues, soul, pop
Occupation(s)	Singer, musician
Instruments	Vocals harmonica piano
Years active	1961–2013,
Labels	Regal Zonophone, A&M, Capitol, EMI, Decca
Associated acts	The Grease Band

John Robert "Joe" Cocker, OBE (20 May 1944 – 22 December 2014) was an English singer and musician. He was known for his gritty voice, spasmodic body movement in performance and definitive versions of popular songs of varying genre.

In 1993, Cocker was nominated for the Brit Award for Best British Male, in 2007 was awarded a bronze Sheffield Legends plaque in his hometown and in 2008 he received an OBE at Buckingham Palace for services to music. Cocker was ranked number 97 on Rolling Stone's 100 greatest singers list.

Early life
Career
Personal life
Death
Accolades
Discography
- Studio albums
Images for kids
See also

Early life

Sheffield Legends plaque in Cocker's home city of Sheffield, England

Cocker was born on 20 May 1944 at 38 Tasker Road, Crookes, Sheffield. He was the youngest son of a civil servant, Harold Norman Cocker (1907–2001), at the time of his son's birth serving as an aircraftman in the Royal Air Force, and Madge (née Lee). According to differing family stories, Cocker received his nickname of Joe either from playing a childhood game called "Cowboy Joe", or from a local window cleaner named Joe.

Cocker's main musical influences growing up were Ray Charles and Lonnie Donegan. Cocker's first experience singing in public was at age 12 when his elder brother Victor invited him on stage to sing during a gig of his skiffle group. In 1960, along with three friends, Cocker formed his first group, the Cavaliers. For the group's first performance at a youth club, they were required to pay the price of admission before entering. The Cavaliers eventually broke up after a year and Cocker left school to become an apprentice gasfitter working for the East Midlands Gas Board, later British Gas Corporation, while simultaneously pursuing a career in music.

Career

In 1968, Cocker found commercial success with a rearrangement of "With a Little Help from My Friends", the Beatles song, which, many years later, was used as the opening theme for The Wonder Years. The recording features lead guitar from Jimmy Page, drumming by B. J. Wilson, backing vocals from Sue and Sunny, and Tommy Eyre on organ. The single remained in the top ten of the UK Singles Chart for thirteen weeks before eventually reaching number one, on 9 November 1968. It also reached number 68 on the US charts.

He performed the song live at Woodstock in 1969 and performed the same year at the Isle of Wight Festival, and at the Party at the Palace concert in 2002 for the Golden Jubilee of Queen Elizabeth II.

His 1974 cover of "You Are So Beautiful" reached number five in the US.

In 1982 Cocker recorded the duet "Up Where We Belong" with Jennifer Warnes for the soundtrack of the film An Officer and a Gentleman. The song was an international hit, reaching number 1 on the Billboard Hot 100, and winning a Grammy Award for Best Pop Performance by a Duo. The duet also won an Academy Award for Best Original Song, and Cocker and Warnes performed the song at the awards ceremony.

Cocker kept recording and touring throughout his later years. 2012's Fire it up, which would turn out to be Cocker's last studio album, was followed by an extensive tour, consisting of a US leg in 2012 and a European run in 2013. He played 25 shows in Germany alone on the European leg of the tour, which reflects the popularity Cocker enjoyed there. The full show of 22 April at Cologne's Lanxess Arena was recorded and released on CD and DVD under the title Fire it up Live later in 2013. The last concert on the tour, which was to be Cocker's final live performance, was at the Loreley Open Air Theatre in Sankt Goarshausen on 7 September 2013.

Personal life

Joe Cocker 2013

In 1963, Cocker began dating Eileen Webster, also a resident of Sheffield. The couple dated intermittently for the next 13 years, and separated permanently in 1976.

In 1978, Cocker moved onto a ranch owned by Jane Fonda in Santa Barbara, California. Pam Baker, a local summer camp director and fan of Cocker's music, persuaded the actress to lend the house to Cocker. Baker began dating Cocker, and they married on 11 October 1987. The couple resided on the Mad Dog Ranch in Crawford, Colorado.

Death

Cocker died from lung cancer on 22 December 2014 in Crawford, Colorado, at the age of 70. He had smoked 40 cigarettes a day until 1991. The two remaining living ex-Beatles, Paul McCartney and Ringo Starr, were among those who paid tribute to the singer, while Cocker's agent, Barrie Marshall, said that Cocker was "without doubt the greatest rock/soul singer ever to come out of Britain."

Accolades

1983: 25th Annual Grammy Award, Best Pop Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal, with Jennifer Warnes for "Up Where We Belong"
1988 Nominee: Grammy Award for Best Solo Rock Vocal Performance
1989, 1990, 1991 Nominees: Grammy Award for Best Male Rock Vocal Performance
1993 Nominee: Brit Award for Best British Male
1994 Honorary Doctorate: Sheffield Hallam University
1996, 2013: Goldene Kamera
1998, 1999, 2013, 2014 Nominees: Echo
2007: Order of the British Empire (OBE)

Publication	Country	Accolade	Year	Rank
Mojo	United Kingdom	"Top 100 Singers Of All Time"	1999	58
Rolling Stone	United States	"100 Greatest Singers of All Time"	2008	97
Billboard	United States	Artist 100	2015	84
Billboard	United States	Social 50	2015	14