Paul McCartney has mentioned how he was blown away when first hearing Joe Cocker’s version of “With A Little Help From My Friends”, and which he said the man from Sheffield turned into a “soul anthem”.
What Joe Cocker brought to music and how his extraordinary performance at Woodstock introduced many to this wild looking man in a tie-dye t-shirt and caught in the moment of his performance and the passion of the song without any thought of Rock Star poses is firmly etched into many minds.
Everything that can be written about Mr Joe Cocker is out there and there’s nothing I can say that would matter. But reading the tributes and background checks, a few things caught my eye and jogged the old memory bank: That Jimmy Page played guitar on “With A Little Help From My Friends”. That Cocker Power also tackled the Beatles’ “She Came In Through The Bathroom Window”.
That the documentary, “Joe Cocker and Mad Dogs And Englishmen” was really the Leon Russell Show after the star attraction gave himself up to drugs for misguided salvation.
There lives on his incredible recording of Dave Mason’s “Feeling Alright”. That voice singing about Rita Coolidge- the “Delta Lady”- and something I never knew: Beach Boy Dennis Wilson, though uncredited, co-wrote “You Are So Beautiful” with Billy Preston.
Thanks for the memories, music and honesty through your music, Joe Cocker. There are so many songs I wish you could have turned into your own- but none more so than another Billy Preston song, “That’s The Way God Planned It”. And He did. Rest In Peace, Brother.
Hans Ebert Chairman and CEO We-Enhance Inc and Fast Track Global Ltd www.fasttrack.hk
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