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| Joe Cocker |
Today, The Grandma is still visiting Vienna. The Christmas Markets are very popular in the city and she's buying some presents, especially, music and books. In a little old stand, The Grandma has bought an exclusive single of Joe Cocker's With a little help from my friends. Two years ago, in a day like today, Joe Cocker left us but we continue enjoying his beautiful music and his broken voice.
John Robert Cocker (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.
Cocker was born on 20 May 1944 at 38 Tasker Road, Crookes, Sheffield. He was the youngest son of a civil servant, Harold Cocker, and Madge Cocker, 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.
More information: Joe Cocker Official Site
Cocker entered the big time with a groundbreaking rearrangement of With a Little Help from My Friends, another Beatles cover, which, many years later, was used as the opening theme for The Wonder Years.
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| Joe Cocker's single cover |
In 1982, at the behest of producer Stewart Levine, Cocker recorded the duet Up where we belong with Jennifer Warnes for the soundtrack of the 1982 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.
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.
More information: Up where we belong wins Oscar, 1983
While performing a concert at Madison Square Garden on 17 September 2014, fellow musician Billy Joel stated that Cocker was not very well right now and endorsed Cocker for induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame before impersonating the singer in a take on With a little help from my friends.
Cocker died from lung cancer on 22 December 2014 in Crawford, Colorado at the age of 70. 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.
I have one message for young musicians around the world: Stay true to your heart, believe in yourself, and work hard.
Joe Cocker
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