[msb-alumni] Joe Cocker Dies at 70, More Complete Article
- From: Steve <pipeguy920@xxxxxxxxx>
- To: <msb-alumni@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- Date: Wed, 24 Dec 2014 15:09:38 -0500
BlankLoved his versions of A Little Help From My Friends and The Letter.
Lung cancer claims life of singer Cocker British singer Joe Cocker, 70, dies
of lung cancer British artist reached No. 1 with 'Little Help' rendition By
David Bauder Associated Press NEW YORK Joe Cocker, the raspy-voiced British
singer known for his frenzied cover of "With a Little Help From My Friends,"
the teary ballad "You Are So Beautiful" and a contorted performing style
uncannily parodied by John Belushi on "Saturday Night Live," has died. He
was 70. His London-based agent, Barrie Marshall, said Cocker died Monday of
lung cancer in Colorado, where he has lived for the past two decades.
Cocker, an interpreter more than a writer, became a star through his
dazzling transformation of the Beatles' "With a Little Help From My Friends.
Featuring a gospel-styled arrangement and furious call and response between
Cocker and the backup singers, the song became a No. 1 hit in England and
the highlight of his characteristically manic set at the Woodstock festival
in 1969. In a statement Monday, Paul McCartney remembered hearing Cocker's
cover of the song he and John Lennon co-wrote for Ringo Starr and finding it
"just mind blowing," a "soul anthem. Cocker's "Mad Dogs & Englishmen" tour
and traveling party of 1970, featuring Leon Russell and numerous top session
musicians, produced a film and a recording that went gold. But future
success was more sporadic, and Cocker suffered from both drug and financial
problems. He had a top-10 hit in 1975 on "You Are So Beautiful," his voice
cracking on the final, emotional note, and won a Grammy Award in 1983 for
his "Up Where We Belong" duet with Jennifer Warnes, the theme of the movie
"An Officer and a Gentleman. Cocker, who received an Order of the British
Empire in 2011 for his contribution to music, released 40 albums. His other
popular covers included "Feelin' Alright," "The Letter" and "Cry Me a
River," a song previously recorded by one of Cocker's greatest influences,
Ray Charles. .
Steve
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