The image of Joe Cocker on the rock stage spanned a great period of time, starting with his worldwide acclaim in the late 60’s. Ever since, the soothing and mighty voice of the artist kept us spellbound and delighted by both music and musical poetry, but 22 December 2014 is the day which sadly marks the passage of Joe Cocker as a consequence of a battle against lung cancer and so, people around the world become deprived of the enchanting performance of a life-long artist. Although away from the stages of life, Joe Cocker will unmistakably be kept into our minds and souls through his records and through the remembrance of his live performances.
The official statement of the death of Joe Coker was released by Sony Music on 22 December and reads: ‘’John Robert Cocker, known to family, friends, his community and fans around the world as Joe Cocker, passed away on December 22, 2014 after a hard fought battle with small cell lung cancer. Mr Cocker was 70 years old’’.
The early performances of the artist remember of small crowds in his homeland England, but only at the end of the 60’s would he reach worldwide acclaim and appreciation. It was the help of the path-openers The Beatles, their offering music and the personal touch of Coker to their musical universe the one which propelled him to fame. Joe Cocker’s cover of ‘’With a Little Help from My Friends’’ brought the artist a number one position in the UK of 1968 and it was a year later, in 1969, when he performed the same tune at Woodstock and introduced himself to the public as a unique, unforgettable on sage performer.
His musical legacy is closely linked to the artistic inheritance left by his generation and by those before him, as the rock and blues singer was very much appreciated for his covers, especially for those influenced by the already mentioned Beatles. Numerically, Joe Cocker left the world an appreciated career which spanned 40 years and a great deal of recordings but maybe his most heartfelt tribute to music was his declaration (via Daily Mail) in 1971’s Mad Dogs and Englishmen ‘’that music served as his release and mused that he could have been a murderer if he had not been a singer.’’