Joe Cocker

Though his gravelly voice and bluesy stylings may seem to belie his British heritage, Yorkshire’s Joe Cocker is one of the great British rock legends of our time, having performed everywhere from Woodstock to SNL.

Cocker’s career began in the mid-1960s when he became the singer for the Grease Band, with whom Cocker performed at the Woodstock Festival. Soon after the band fell apart, Cocker began performing with Mad Dogs and Englishmen, a massive band during whose performances Cocker’s spastic movements became famous -- and which were just as famously parodied by John Belushi. In 1982, Cocker recorded the Grammy-winning duet “Up Where We Belong” with Jennifer Warnes for the film An Officer and a Gentleman, earning him a place in the hearts of soft radio fans everywhere.

Joe Cocker's live shows are something to behold -- the singer’s expressive, out-of-control stage moves are the stuff of legend, and his band can involve up to thirty musicians at once. Still, there's always a classic rock and roll vibe that's impossible to hate, and a true shame to miss.

Though his career has been long and fruitful, and dotted by the occasional drug arrest, Joe Cocker shows no sign of stopping as he's still dedicated to bringing rock music to the masses – with a little help from his friends, of course.