Joe Cocker

Biography

John Robert "Joe" Cocker (20 May 1944 – 22 December 2014) was an English singer known for his gritty, bluesy voice and dynamic stage performances that featured expressive body movements. Most of his best known singles were interpretations of songs written by others, such as "Feelin' Alright" and "Unchain My Heart×Unchain My Heart1987 · Studio albumSpotifyYouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 10 tracks1Unchain My Heart5:052Two Wrongs4:043I Stand in Wonder4:234The River’s Rising4:105Isolation3:526All Our Tomorrows4:247A Woman Loves a Man4:168Trust in Me4:159The One4:3710Satisfied3:28", though Cocker composed original songs for most of his albums as well, often in conjunction with songwriting partner Chris Stainton.
His debut album featured a recording of the Beatles' "With a Little Help from My Friends×With a Little Help From My Friends23 April 1969 · Studio albumSpotifyYouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 10 tracksA1Feeling Alright4:14A2Bye Bye Blackbird3:30A3Change in Louise3:25A4Marjorine2:16A5Just Like a Woman5:19B1Do I Still Figure in Your Life?4:03B2Sandpaper Cadillac3:19B3Don’t Let Me Be Misunderstood4:44B4With a Little Help From My Friends5:14B5I Shall Be Released4:36", which was featured as its title track and brought him to near-instant stardom. The song reached number one in the UK in 1968, became a staple of his many live shows (Woodstock and the Isle of Wight in 1969, the Party at the Palace in 2002) and was also known as the theme song for the late 1980s American TV series The Wonder Years. He continued his success with his second album, which included a second Beatles song, "She Came In Through the Bathroom Window×She Came in Through the Bathroom Window1992 · Album · LiveSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 12 tracks1Hitchcock Railway4:002She Came in Through the Bathroom Window2:593Cry Me a River3:594Love the One You're With6:405Dear Landlord3:226High Time We Went3:587Space Captain4:538St. James Infirmary6:109The Letter4:2910Honky Tonk Woman3:4311Midnight Rider5:0112Delta Lady5:40". A hastily thrown-together 1970 US tour led to the live double-album Mad Dogs & Englishmen×Mad Dogs & EnglishmenAugust 1970 · Album · LiveSpotifyYouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 19 tracks · 2 discsDisc 1A1Introduction0:45A2Honky Tonk Women3:35A3Introduction0:18A4Sticks and Stones2:30A5Cry Me a River3:50A6Bird on the Wire6:15B1Feelin' Alright5:30B2Superstar4:55B3Introduction0:15B4Let's Go Get Stoned7:15Disc 2C1Blue Medley: (a) I'll Drown in My Own Tears, (b) When Something Is Wrong With My Baby, (c) I've Been Loving You Too Long12:47C2Introduction0:30C3Girl From the North Country2:30C4Give Peace a Chance4:20D1Introduction0:40D2She Came In Thru the Bathroom Window2:50D3Space Captain4:55D4The Letter4:20D5Delta Lady5:35, which featured an all-star band organised by Leon Russell. His 1974 recording of "You Are So Beautiful×You Are So Beautiful1992 · SingleSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 4 tracks1You Are So Beautiful2:432The Letter4:303Hitchcock Railway3:524Let's Go Get Stoned5:13" reached number five in the US, and became his signature song. Cocker's best-selling song was the US number one "Up Where We Belong", a duet with American singer-songwriter Jennifer Warnes that earned a 1983 Grammy Award. He released a total of 22 studio albums over a 43-year recording career.
In 1993, Cocker was nominated for the Brit Award for Best British Male Solo Artist. He was awarded a bronze Sheffield Legends plaque in his hometown in 2007, and received an OBE the following year for services to music. Cocker was ranked number 97 on Rolling Stone's 100 greatest singers list. Cocker was posthumously inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in November 2025.

Early life (1944–1960)

Cocker was born on 20 May 1944 at 38 Tasker Road, Crookes, Sheffield. He was the youngest son of a civil servant, Harold Norman Cocker (1907–2001), at the time of his son's birth serving as an aircraftman in the Royal Air Force, and Madge (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.
Cocker's main musical influences growing up were Ray Charles and Lonnie Donegan. Cocker's first experience singing in public was at age 12 when his elder brother Victor invited him on stage to sing during a gig of his skiffle group. In 1960, along with three friends, Cocker formed his first group, the Cavaliers. For the group's first performance at a youth club, they were required to pay the price of admission before entering. The Cavaliers eventually broke up after a year and Cocker left school to become an apprentice gasfitter working for the East Midlands Gas Board, later British Gas Corporation, while simultaneously pursuing a career in music.
Cocker is not related to fellow Sheffield-born musician Jarvis Cocker, despite a rumour circulated by Jarvis's father, Australian radio presenter Mac Cocker, who allowed listeners to believe that he was Joe's brother. However, Joe was a friend of the family and even did some babysitting for Jarvis when the latter was an infant.

Early career and the Grease Band (1961–1969)

In 1961, under the stage name "Vance Arnold", Cocker started a new group, Vance Arnold and the Avengers. The name was a combination of Vince Everett (Elvis Presley's character in Jailhouse Rock, which Cocker misheard as Vance) and country singer Eddy Arnold. The group mostly played in the pubs of Sheffield, performing Chuck Berry and Ray Charles songs. Cocker developed an interest in blues music and sought out recordings by John Lee Hooker, Muddy Waters, Lightnin' Hopkins and Howlin' Wolf. In 1963, they booked their first significant gig when they supported the Rolling Stones at Sheffield City Hall.
In 1964, Cocker signed a recording contract as a solo act with Decca and released his debut single, a recording of the Beatles' "I'll Cry Instead×I'll Cry Instead4 September 1964 · SingleSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 2 tracksAI'll Cry InsteadBPrecious Words" (with Big Jim Sullivan and Jimmy Page playing guitars). Despite extensive promotion from Decca lauding his youth and working-class roots, the record was a flop and his recording contract with Decca lapsed at the end of 1964. After Cocker recorded the single, he dropped his stage name and formed a new group, Joe Cocker's Blues Band. There is only one known recording of Joe Cocker's Blues Band on an EP given out by The Sheffield College during Rag Week and called Rag Goes Mad at the Mojo.
In 1966, after a year-long hiatus from music, Cocker teamed up with Chris Stainton, whom he had met several years before, to form the Grease Band. The Grease Band was named after Cocker read an interview with jazz keyboardist Jimmy Smith, where Smith positively described another musician as "having a lot of grease". Like the Avengers, Cocker's group mostly played in pubs in and around Sheffield. The Grease Band came to the attention of Denny Cordell, the producer of Procol Harum, the Moody Blues and Georgie Fame. Cocker recorded the single "Marjorine" without the Grease Band for Cordell in a London studio. He then moved to London with Chris Stainton, and the Grease Band was dissolved. Cordell set Cocker up with a residency at the Marquee Club in London, and a "new" Grease Band was formed with Stainton and keyboardist Tommy Eyre.
In 1968, Cocker found commercial success with a rearrangement of "With a Little Help from My Friends×With a Little Help From My Friends23 April 1969 · Studio albumSpotifyYouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 10 tracksA1Feeling Alright4:14A2Bye Bye Blackbird3:30A3Change in Louise3:25A4Marjorine2:16A5Just Like a Woman5:19B1Do I Still Figure in Your Life?4:03B2Sandpaper Cadillac3:19B3Don’t Let Me Be Misunderstood4:44B4With a Little Help From My Friends5:14B5I Shall Be Released4:36", another Beatles song. The recording features lead guitar from Jimmy Page, drumming by B. J. Wilson, backing vocals from Sue and Sunny, and Tommy Eyre on organ. The single remained in the top ten of the UK Singles Chart for thirteen weeks before eventually reaching number one, on 9 November 1968. It also reached number 68 on the US charts.
The new touring line-up of Cocker's Grease Band featured Henry McCullough on lead guitar, who would go on to briefly play with McCartney's Wings. After touring the UK with the Who in autumn 1968 and Gene Pitney and Marmalade in early winter 1969, the Grease Band embarked on their first tour of the US in spring 1969. Cocker's album With a Little Help from My Friends was released soon after their arrival and made number 35 on the American charts, eventually going gold.

During his US tour, Cocker played at several large festivals, including the Newport Pop Festival and the Denver Pop Festival. In August, Denny Cordell heard about the planned concert in Woodstock, New York and convinced organiser Artie Kornfeld to book Cocker and the Grease Band for the Woodstock Festival. The group had to be flown into the festival by helicopter due to the large crowds. They performed several songs, including "Feelin' Alright?", "Something's Comin' On", "Let's Go Get Stoned", "I Shall Be Released" and "With a Little Help from My Friends". Cocker would later say that the experience was "like an eclipse ... it was a very special day."
Directly after Woodstock, Cocker released his second album, Joe Cocker!×Joe Cocker!1 November 1969 · Studio albumSpotifyYouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 10 tracksA1Dear Landlord3:26A2Bird on the Wire4:30A3Lawdy Miss Clawdy2:15A4She Came in Through the Bathroom Window2:38A5Hitchcock Railway4:39B1That's Your Business Now2:57B2Something3:32B3Delta Lady2:52B4Hello, Little Friend3:51B5Darling Be Home Soon4:42 Impressed by his version of "With a Little Help from My Friends", Paul McCartney and George Harrison allowed Cocker to use their songs "She Came In Through the Bathroom Window×She Came in Through the Bathroom Window1992 · Album · LiveSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 12 tracks1Hitchcock Railway4:002She Came in Through the Bathroom Window2:593Cry Me a River3:594Love the One You're With6:405Dear Landlord3:226High Time We Went3:587Space Captain4:538St. James Infirmary6:109The Letter4:2910Honky Tonk Woman3:4311Midnight Rider5:0112Delta Lady5:40" and "Something" for the album. Recorded during a break in touring in the spring and summer, the album reached number 11 on the US charts and garnered a second UK hit with the Leon Russell song, "Delta Lady×Delta Lady1969 · SingleSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 2 tracksADelta Lady2:58BShe's So Good To Me2:44".
In August 1969, Cocker performed at the Isle of Wight Festival at Wootton Bridge, Isle of Wight, England. Throughout 1969 he was featured on variety TV shows like The Ed Sullivan Show and This Is Tom Jones. Onstage, he exhibited an idiosyncratic physical intensity, flailing his arms and playing air guitar. At the end of the year Cocker was unwilling to embark on another US tour, so he dissolved the Grease Band.

Mad Dogs & Englishmen (1970–1971)

Despite Cocker×Cocker13 June 1986 · Studio albumSpotifyYouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 10 tracks1Shelter Me5:412A to Z4:203Don’t You Love Me Anymore5:264Living Without Your Love4:125Don’t Drink the Water3:286You Can Leave Your Hat On4:157Heart of the Matter4:218Inner City Blues5:539Love Is on a Fade4:0610Heaven4:34's reluctance to venture out on the road again, an American tour had already been booked so he had to quickly form a new band to fulfill his contractual obligations. It proved to be a large group of more than 20 musicians, including pianist and bandleader Leon Russell, three drummers – Jim Gordon, Jim Keltner, and Chuck Blackwell, and backing vocalists Rita Coolidge and Claudia Lennear. Denny Cordell christened the new band "Mad Dogs & Englishmen×Mad Dogs & EnglishmenAugust 1970 · Album · LiveSpotifyYouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 19 tracks · 2 discsDisc 1A1Introduction0:45A2Honky Tonk Women3:35A3Introduction0:18A4Sticks and Stones2:30A5Cry Me a River3:50A6Bird on the Wire6:15B1Feelin' Alright5:30B2Superstar4:55B3Introduction0:15B4Let's Go Get Stoned7:15Disc 2C1Blue Medley: (a) I'll Drown in My Own Tears, (b) When Something Is Wrong With My Baby, (c) I've Been Loving You Too Long12:47C2Introduction0:30C3Girl From the North Country2:30C4Give Peace a Chance4:20D1Introduction0:40D2She Came In Thru the Bathroom Window2:50D3Space Captain4:55D4The Letter4:20D5Delta Lady5:35", after the Noël Coward song of the same name (with its refrain, "Mad dogs and Englishmen go out in the midday sun"). Cocker's music evolved into a more bluesy type of rock, comparable to that of the Rolling Stones.
During the ensuing Mad Dogs & Englishmen tour (later described by drummer Jim Keltner as "a big, wild party"), Cocker toured 48 cities, recorded a live album, and received positive reviews from Time and Life for his performances. However, the pace of the tour was exhausting. Russell and Cocker had personal problems; Cocker became depressed and began drinking excessively as the tour wound down in May 1970. Meanwhile, he enjoyed several chart entries in the United States with cover versions of "Feelin' Alright" (originally recorded by Traffic) and "Cry Me a River×Cry Me A RiverDecember 1970 · SingleSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 2 tracksACry Me a River3:50BGive Peace a Chance4:20".
His version of the Box Tops' hit "The Letter", which appeared on the live album and film, Mad Dogs & Englishmen, became his first US Top Ten hit. After spending several months in Los Angeles, Cocker returned home to Sheffield, where his family became increasingly concerned with his deteriorating physical and mental health. In the summer of 1971, A&M Records released the single "High Time We Went". This became a hit, reaching number 22 on the US Billboard Hot 100 chart, but was not issued on an album until November 1972 on Cocker's self-titled album.

On the road (1972–1979)

In early 1972, after nearly two years away from music, Cocker went on tour with a group that Chris Stainton had formed. He opened with a performance in Madison Square Garden which was attended by about 20,000 people. After touring the United States, he embarked on a European tour where he played to large audiences in Milan and Germany. He then returned to the United States for another tour in autumn 1972. During these tours the group cut the songs that would be part of his newest album, a self-titled release. A mixture of live songs and studio recordings, the album peaked at number 30 on the US charts.

In October 1972, when Cocker toured Australia, he and six members of his entourage were arrested in Adelaide for possession of marijuana. The next day, in Melbourne, assault charges were laid after a brawl at the Commodore Chateau Hotel, and the Australian Federal Police gave Cocker 48 hours to leave the country. This caused huge public outcry in Australia, as Cocker was a high-profile overseas artist and had a strong support base, especially among the baby boomers who were coming of age and able to vote for the first time. It sparked hefty debate about the use and legalisation of marijuana in Australia, and gained Cocker the nickname "the Mad Dog".
Shortly after the Australian tour, Stainton retired from his music career to establish his own recording studio. After his friend's departure and his estrangement from his longtime producer Denny Cordell, Cocker sank into depression and began using heroin. In June 1973, he kicked the habit but continued to drink heavily.
At the end of 1973, Cocker returned to the studio to record a new album, I Can Stand a Little Rain×I Can Stand a Little RainAugust 1974 · Studio albumSpotifyYouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 10 tracksA1Put Out the Light4:11A2I Can Stand a Little Rain3:32A3I Get Mad3:41A4Sing Me a Song2:29A5The Moon Is a Harsh Mistress3:30B1Don't Forget Me3:19B2You Are So Beautiful2:39B3It's a Sin When You Love Somebody3:46B4Performance4:43B5Guilty2:54. The album, released in August 1974, was number 11 on the US charts and one single, a recording of Billy Preston's "You Are So Beautiful×You Are So Beautiful1992 · SingleSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 4 tracks1You Are So Beautiful2:432The Letter4:303Hitchcock Railway3:524Let's Go Get Stoned5:13", reached the number 5 slot. Despite positive reviews for the album, Cocker×Cocker13 June 1986 · Studio albumSpotifyYouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 10 tracks1Shelter Me5:412A to Z4:203Don’t You Love Me Anymore5:264Living Without Your Love4:125Don’t Drink the Water3:286You Can Leave Your Hat On4:157Heart of the Matter4:218Inner City Blues5:539Love Is on a Fade4:0610Heaven4:34 struggled with live performances, largely due to his problems with alcohol. One such instance was reported in a 1974 issue of Rolling Stone, which said that during two West Coast performances in October of that year he threw up onstage.
In January 1975, he released a second album that had been recorded at the same time as I Can Stand a Little Rain, Jamaica Say You Will. To promote his new album, Cocker embarked on another tour of Australia, made possible by the country's new Labor government. In late 1975, he contributed vocals on a number of the tracks on Bo Diddley's The 20th Anniversary of Rock 'n' Roll all-star album. He also recorded a new album in a Kingston, Jamaica studio, Stingray×StingrayApril 1976 · Studio albumSpotifyYouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 10 tracksA1The Jealous Kind3:48A2I Broke Down3:26A3You Came Along3:48A4Catfish5:20A5Moon Dew5:50B1The Man in Me2:40B2She Is My Lady4:34B3Worrier3:15B4Born Thru Indifference6:15B5A Song for You6:29. However, record sales were disappointing; the album reached only number 70 on the US charts.
In May 1976, Cocker headlined an 11-date tour of Canada, and on 2 October, Cocker performed "Feelin' Alright" on Saturday Night Live. John Belushi joined him onstage doing his famous impersonation of Cocker's stage movements. At the time, Cocker was $800,000 in debt to A&M Records and struggling with alcoholism. Several months later, he met producer Michael Lang, who agreed to manage him on the condition that he stay sober. With a new band, Cocker embarked on a tour of New Zealand, Australia and South America. He then recorded a new album with session work by Steve Gadd and Chuck Rainey. In the autumn of 1978, Cocker toured North America promoting his album, Luxury You Can Afford×Luxury You Can AffordAugust 1978 · Studio albumSpotifyYouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 11 tracksA1Fun Time2:36A2Watching the River Flow3:12A3Boogie Baby3:50A4A Whiter Shade of Pale5:22A5I Can't Say No2:49A6Southern Lady3:13B1I Know (You Don't Want Me No More)3:08B2What You Did to Me Last Night3:25B3Lady Put the Light Out4:45B4Wasted Years4:48B5I Heard It Through the Grapevine4:30. Despite this effort, it received mixed reviews, selling around 300,000 copies.
In 1979, Cocker joined the "Woodstock in Europe" tour, which featured musicians like Arlo Guthrie and Richie Havens who had played at the 1969 Woodstock Festival. He also performed in New York's Central Park to an audience of 20,000 people. The concert was recorded and released as the live album, Live in New York.

1980s (1980–1989)

In 1982, Cocker recorded two songs with the jazz group the Crusaders on their album Standing Tall. One song, "I'm So Glad I'm Standing Here Today", was nominated for a Grammy Award and Cocker performed it with the Crusaders at the awards ceremony. The Crusaders wrote this song with Cocker in mind to sing it. Cocker then released a new reggae-influenced album, Sheffield Steel×Sheffield Steel22 May 1982 · Studio albumSpotifyYouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 10 tracks1Look What You’ve Done4:132Shocked3:173Sweet Little Woman4:024Seven Days5:225Marie2:346Ruby Lee4:257Many Rivers to Cross3:448So Good, So Right2:349Talking Back to the Night4:5010Just Like Always3:28, recorded with the Compass Point All Stars, produced by Chris Blackwell and Alex Sadkin.
Also in 1982, Cocker recorded the duet "Up Where We Belong" with the American singer Jennifer Warnes for the soundtrack of the 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. Several days later, he was invited to perform "You Are So Beautiful×You Are So Beautiful1992 · SingleSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 4 tracks1You Are So Beautiful2:432The Letter4:303Hitchcock Railway3:524Let's Go Get Stoned5:13" with Ray Charles in a television tribute to the musician. In 1983, Cocker joined a star-studded line-up of British musicians, including Jimmy Page, Eric Clapton, Jeff Beck, Steve Winwood and Bill Wyman for singer Ronnie Lane's 1983 tour to raise money for the London-based organisation Action for Research into Multiple Sclerosis, in particular because Lane was beginning to suffer from the degenerative disease.
While on another tour that year, Cocker was arrested by Austrian police after refusing to perform because of inadequate sound equipment. The charges were eventually dropped and Cocker was released. Shortly after the incident, he released his ninth studio album, Civilized Man×Civilized Man1984 · Studio albumSpotifyYouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 10 tracks1Civilized Man3:562There Goes My Baby3:473Come On In3:494Tempted4:155Long Drag Off a Cigarette2:356I Love the Night3:497Crazy in Love3:528A Girl Like You3:099Hold On (I Feel Our Love Is Changing)3:4210Even a Fool Would Let Go3:52. His next album Cocker×Cocker13 June 1986 · Studio albumSpotifyYouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 10 tracks1Shelter Me5:412A to Z4:203Don’t You Love Me Anymore5:264Living Without Your Love4:125Don’t Drink the Water3:286You Can Leave Your Hat On4:157Heart of the Matter4:218Inner City Blues5:539Love Is on a Fade4:0610Heaven4:34 was dedicated to his mother, Madge, who died when he was recording in the studio with producer Terry Manning. A track from the album, a cover of Randy Newman's "You Can Leave Your Hat On×You Can Leave Your Hat On1986 · SingleSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 2 tracksAYou Can Leave Your Hat On4:14BLong Drag Off A Cigarette2:33", was featured in the 1986 film 9½ Weeks. The album eventually went Platinum on the European charts. His song "Love Lives On" was featured in the 1987 film Harry and the Hendersons. His 1987 album Unchain My Heart×Unchain My Heart1987 · Studio albumSpotifyYouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 10 tracks1Unchain My Heart5:052Two Wrongs4:043I Stand in Wonder4:234The River’s Rising4:105Isolation3:526All Our Tomorrows4:247A Woman Loves a Man4:168Trust in Me4:159The One4:3710Satisfied3:28 was nominated for a Grammy Award, although it did not win. One Night of Sin was also a commercial success, surpassing Unchain My Heart in sales and yielding his final Top 20 hit in the United States, "When The Night Comes×When the Night Comes1989 · SingleSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 4 tracks1When the Night Comes5:192You've Got to Hide Your Love Away5:023Tempted4:144I Still Can't Believe It's True4:23", written by Bryan Adams, Jim Vallance and Diane Warren that peaked at number 11 in January 1990.
In 1984, Cocker released the song "Edge of a Dream", which was included on the soundtrack of the film Teachers. In Brazil, the song became popular as part of the soundtrack of the soap opera Corpo a Corpo, broadcast on Rede Globo in 1985.
Throughout the 1980s, Cocker continued to tour around the world, playing to large audiences in Europe, Australia and the United States. In 1986, he met the Italian singer Zucchero Fornaciari, who dedicated a song (Nuovo, meraviglioso amico, in Rispetto) to the English bluesman. After that Cocker took part in some concerts of the promotional tours for the albums Blue's (1987) and Oro Incenso & Birra (1989). In 1988, he performed at London's Royal Albert Hall and appeared on The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson. After Barclay James Harvest and Bob Dylan, Cocker was the first to give rock concerts in the German Democratic Republic, in East Berlin and Dresden. The venue, the Blüherwiese, next to the Rudolf–Harbig–Stadion, bears the vernacular name Cockerwiese ('Cocker meadow') today. He also performed for US President George H. W. Bush at an inauguration concert in 1989.

Later career (1990–2014)

In 1992, Cocker×Cocker13 June 1986 · Studio albumSpotifyYouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 10 tracks1Shelter Me5:412A to Z4:203Don’t You Love Me Anymore5:264Living Without Your Love4:125Don’t Drink the Water3:286You Can Leave Your Hat On4:157Heart of the Matter4:218Inner City Blues5:539Love Is on a Fade4:0610Heaven4:34's version of Bryan Adams' "Feels Like Forever×Feels Like ForeverSingle · DemoSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 3 tracks1Feels Like Forever4:422When the Night Comes4:493Not Too Young to Die of a Broken Heart4:18" made the UK Top 40. Also in 1992, Cocker teamed with Canadian rocker Sass Jordan to sing "Trust in Me", which was featured on The Bodyguard soundtrack. At the 1993 Brit Awards, Cocker was nominated for British Male Solo Artist. Cocker performed the Saturday opening set at Woodstock '94 as one of the few alumni who played at the original Woodstock Festival in 1969 and was well received.

On 3 June 2002, Cocker performed "With A Little Help From My Friends×With a Little Help From My Friends23 April 1969 · Studio albumSpotifyYouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 10 tracksA1Feeling Alright4:14A2Bye Bye Blackbird3:30A3Change in Louise3:25A4Marjorine2:16A5Just Like a Woman5:19B1Do I Still Figure in Your Life?4:03B2Sandpaper Cadillac3:19B3Don’t Let Me Be Misunderstood4:44B4With a Little Help From My Friends5:14B5I Shall Be Released4:36" accompanied by Phil Collins on drums and Queen guitarist Brian May at the Party at the Palace concert in the grounds of Buckingham Palace, an event in commemoration of the Golden Jubilee of Elizabeth II. In 2007, Cocker appeared playing minor characters in the film Across the Universe, as the lead singer on another Beatles' hit, "Come Together". Cocker was awarded an OBE in the Queen's 2007 Birthday Honours list for services to music. To celebrate receiving his award in mid December 2007, Cocker played two concerts in London and in his home town of Sheffield where he was awarded a bronze Sheffield Legends plaque outside Sheffield Town Hall.

In April and May 2009, Cocker conducted a North American tour in support of his album Hymn for My Soul×Hymn for My Soul29 March 2007 · Studio albumSpotifyYouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 10 tracks1You Haven’t Done Nothin’3:502One Word (Peace)2:493Love Is for Me4:054Don’t Give Up on Me4:065Long as I Can See the Light3:356Beware of Darkness3:517Just Pass It On4:408Rivers Invitation3:319Ring Them Bells3:0510Hymn 4 My Soul3:54. He sang the vocals on "Little Wing" for the Carlos Santana album, Guitar Heaven: The Greatest Guitar Classics of All Time, released on 21 September 2010. In the autumn of 2010, Cocker toured Europe promoting his studio album Hard Knocks×Hard Knocks1 October 2010 · Studio albumSpotifyYouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 10 tracks1Hard Knocks3:242Get On3:273Unforgiven4:144The Fall3:495So It Goes3:206Runaway Train3:267Stay the Same4:398Thankful4:009So3:5510I Hope4:46.
In 2000, Cocker was the opening act in select cities in the United States and Europe for Tina Turner's Twenty Four Seven Tour.
He returned to Australia in 2008 and again in 2011, the latter of which featured George Thorogood and the Destroyers as an opening act.
On 20 March 2011, Cocker took part in a benefit concert for Cornell Dupree at B.B. King's Blues Club in New York City. Dupree played on four Cocker albums: I Can Stand A Little Rain×I Can Stand a Little RainAugust 1974 · Studio albumSpotifyYouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 10 tracksA1Put Out the Light4:11A2I Can Stand a Little Rain3:32A3I Get Mad3:41A4Sing Me a Song2:29A5The Moon Is a Harsh Mistress3:30B1Don't Forget Me3:19B2You Are So Beautiful2:39B3It's a Sin When You Love Somebody3:46B4Performance4:43B5Guilty2:54 (1974), Jamaica Say You Will×Jamaica Say You WillApril 1975 · Studio albumSpotifyYouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 10 tracksA1(That's What I Like) In My Woman3:28A2Where Am I Now4:15A3I Think It's Going to Rain Today4:00A4Forgive Me Now3:27A5Oh Mama4:13B1Lucinda3:55B2If I Love You4:00B3Jamaica Say You Will4:19B4It's All Over but the Shouting3:57B5Jack-A-Diamonds3:40 (1975), Stingray (1976) and Luxury You Can Afford (1978). Dupree's band Stuff was also Cocker's backing band on a tour promoting Stingray in 1976.
Cocker kept recording and touring throughout his later years. 2012's Fire it up, which would turn out to be Cocker's last studio album, was followed by an extensive tour, consisting of a US leg in 2012 and a European run in 2013. He played 25 shows in Germany alone on the European leg of the tour, which reflects the popularity Cocker enjoyed there. The full show of 22 April at Cologne's Lanxess Arena was recorded and released on CD and DVD under the title Fire it up Live later in 2013. The last concert on the tour, which was to be Cocker's final live performance, was at the Loreley Open Air Theatre in Sankt Goarshausen on 7 September 2013.

Tributes and acclaim

In 1994, fellow Yorkshire musician Philip Oakey, on behalf of his group, the Human League, said that Cocker was their "hero".
The two remaining living ex-Beatles, Paul McCartney and Ringo Starr, were among those who paid tribute to the singer following his death, while Cocker's agent, Barrie Marshall, said that Cocker was "without doubt the greatest rock/soul singer ever to come out of Britain". McCartney commented:

He was a lovely northern lad who I loved a lot and, like many people, I loved his singing. I was especially pleased when he decided to cover 'With a Little Help from My Friends×With a Little Help From My Friends23 April 1969 · Studio albumSpotifyYouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 10 tracksA1Feeling Alright4:14A2Bye Bye Blackbird3:30A3Change in Louise3:25A4Marjorine2:16A5Just Like a Woman5:19B1Do I Still Figure in Your Life?4:03B2Sandpaper Cadillac3:19B3Don’t Let Me Be Misunderstood4:44B4With a Little Help From My Friends5:14B5I Shall Be Released4:36' and I remember him and (producer) Denny Cordell coming round to the studio in Savile Row (central London) and playing me what they'd recorded and it was just mind-blowing, totally turned the song into a soul anthem and I was forever grateful to him for doing that.
On 11 September 2015, a "Mad Dogs & Englishmen×Mad Dogs & EnglishmenAugust 1970 · Album · LiveSpotifyYouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 19 tracks · 2 discsDisc 1A1Introduction0:45A2Honky Tonk Women3:35A3Introduction0:18A4Sticks and Stones2:30A5Cry Me a River3:50A6Bird on the Wire6:15B1Feelin' Alright5:30B2Superstar4:55B3Introduction0:15B4Let's Go Get Stoned7:15Disc 2C1Blue Medley: (a) I'll Drown in My Own Tears, (b) When Something Is Wrong With My Baby, (c) I've Been Loving You Too Long12:47C2Introduction0:30C3Girl From the North Country2:30C4Give Peace a Chance4:20D1Introduction0:40D2She Came In Thru the Bathroom Window2:50D3Space Captain4:55D4The Letter4:20D5Delta Lady5:35" tribute concert to Joe Cocker was performed at the Lockn' Festival featuring Tedeschi Trucks Band, Chris Stainton, Leon Russell, Rita Coolidge, Claudia Lennear, Pamela Polland, Doyle Bramhall II, Dave Mason, John Bell, Warren Haynes and Chris Robinson, among others. In commemoration, a Joe Cocker Mad Dogs and Englishmen Memory Book was created by Linda Wolf to celebrate the event. In late 2021, the feature-length documentary Learning to Live Together was released documenting the reunion concert.
In 2017, a feature-length documentary film about Cocker titled Joe Cocker: Mad Dog with Soul was released.

Personal life and death

In 1963, Cocker began dating Eileen Webster, also a resident of Sheffield. The couple dated intermittently for the next 13 years.
In 1978, Cocker moved onto a ranch owned by Jane Fonda in Santa Barbara, California. Pam Baker, a local summer camp director and fan of Cocker×Cocker13 June 1986 · Studio albumSpotifyYouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 10 tracks1Shelter Me5:412A to Z4:203Don’t You Love Me Anymore5:264Living Without Your Love4:125Don’t Drink the Water3:286You Can Leave Your Hat On4:157Heart of the Matter4:218Inner City Blues5:539Love Is on a Fade4:0610Heaven4:34's music, had persuaded the actress to lend the house to Cocker. Baker began dating Cocker, and they married on 11 October 1987.
While performing a concert at Madison Square Garden on 17 September 2014, fellow pop 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 his tribute performance of "With a Little Help from My Friends×With a Little Help From My Friends23 April 1969 · Studio albumSpotifyYouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 10 tracksA1Feeling Alright4:14A2Bye Bye Blackbird3:30A3Change in Louise3:25A4Marjorine2:16A5Just Like a Woman5:19B1Do I Still Figure in Your Life?4:03B2Sandpaper Cadillac3:19B3Don’t Let Me Be Misunderstood4:44B4With a Little Help From My Friends5:14B5I Shall Be Released4:36".
Cocker died from lung cancer on 22 December 2014 in Crawford, Colorado, at the age of 70. He smoked two packs of cigarettes a day until he quit in 1991.
In November 2025, Cocker was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame by Bryan Adams.

General sources

Bean, Julian P. (2003). Joe Cocker: The Authorised Biography. London: Virgin Books. ISBN 1-85227-043-8.
Logan, Nick; Woffinden, Bob (1975). The New Musical Express Book of Rock. Star Books. ISBN 0-352-30074-4.