Joe Cocker was a once-in-a-century artist – a songwriter’s dream come true. When Joe Cocker took a great melody and a sympathetic lyric – all bets were off. He didn’t so much as interpret the tune — as he UNVEILED it. Ideas and notes that a composer hadn’t even thought of as they slaved over their song came to life once it came bursting out of Joe Cocker’s lungs. That’s the difference between being a singer and an artist. Cocker changed the air.
Over the course of his career, Joe Cocker was able to take iconic pieces by his generation’s greatest songsmiths and reinvent them into something unique and many times more powerful than the originals. Cocker’s versions have an added layer of passion and pathos that moves the song’s narrative in a way the originals simply did not. Aside from all that incredible music, Joe Cocker held his own as a self-contained performer. Joe Cocker proved himself to be a man for all seasons and a voice for all emotions. It’s a legacy he wore with pride and a body of work that will survive us all.