Talk:Joe Cocker

Nickname

The nickname, "Sheffield Soul Shouter", appears in this article with no explanation or prior reference.Jkolak (talk) 06:16, 8 May 2008 (UTC)

Cerebral Palsy

This is in the realm of discussing a person's history, rumored history as I am finding out.

But it had been reported for many years that Joe Cocker had Cerebral Palsy. I can't verify this at all. But I am beggining to think he didn't and it was just his way.

Any thoughts?

Joe Cocker does not and has never suffered from cerebral palsy. He is in fact conducting the other musicians with his hand movements his style of movement has been satarised,

Seems like the article ought to address whether or not he had cerebral palsy or another disorder. After watching Belusi's amazing impression of him on SNL, I came here to see just what Cocker's apparent affliction was/is. I'm pretty surprised that there's no mention of anything. If he has CP or another condition, the article should say this. If he never did, the article should mention that a lot people thought he did. Either way, it seems like a pretty major omission. I'm sure I'm not alone in remembering Joe Cocker as that spastic guy who did a rippin' cover of A Little Help From My Friends at Woodstock. Yilloslime 18:14, 17 September 2007 (UTC)

I always thought he just had way too much fun back in the 60s, never heard he had cerebral palsy —Preceding unsigned comment added by 24.188.240.123 (talk) 03:42, 23 June 2008 (UTC)

Watch the woodstock performance. He is clearly playing air-guitar.

I agree the issue should be clarified but unfortunately a definitive answer not forthcoming from a search.

• this source says he made a comment about it, which sounds like a snide remark and not a factual one, but truth of claim not discussed
• Rollingstone bio talks about his drug/alcohol problem which evidently the real problem.
• A bunch of NON-WP:RS talk about him not having it. CarolMooreDC (talk) 15:36, 8 June 2009 (UTC)

Jarvis Cocker

Cocker denies (Later with Jools Holland, BBC Television 18/5/2007) having ever met Jarvis Cocker.

Yes, there are a number of references supporting this. But there is a popular misconception that they are related, especially here in Australia, and both are from Sheffield. (Another myth is that Joe babysat for Jarvis). It seems that Jarvis Cocker's father Mack Cocker, who was a DJ with Triple J in Sydney in the 80s, allowed people to think he was Joe's brother. The reference for this is here, it also says that Joe and Mack did once meet, when they did a gig together in northern England in the sixties (which I would have thought Joe would not remember in any way shape or form). Rexparry sydney 01:47, 11 September 2007 (UTC)

[Air Guitar]

I've beentold by a few people (including one professor of music history) that Joe "invented" air guitar, with his faux playing with the band. Any real validity to this? Just an idiot would suggest this...... —Preceding unsigned comment added by 71.58.167.238 (talk) 23:40, 1 September 2007 (UTC)

Pictures

Wikipedia has to be the least flattering biography featuring site on the internet. It's very unfortuante that due to the likelihood of only recent photos being under a free licence that every older singer ends up getting the geriactric picture treatment. Supposed (talk) 20:25, 5 April 2008 (UTC)

I have to agree, the photo at the top of the article is really unkind. And doesn't pin down the time period of his heyday at all! Rousse (talk) 22:35, 5 April 2009 (UTC)

Signing

I seem to remember hearing a story that Cocker was signed after someone had spotted him doing a sound check for some band. Anyone else heard this? Can it be verified? --Setanta747 (talk) 15:42, 15 August 2008 (UTC)

WP:BIOGRAPHY reassessment

I'm going to keep this as Start-Class for now. The article is essentially just an overview of his career, not what I would regard as "substantial" and certainly not "mostly complete". A single citation is no good for B-Class, so I think the WP:SHEFFIELD assessment is unduly generous. PC78 (talk) 16:17, 24 November 2008 (UTC)

Steve Winwood

As I've pointed out on the Talk page for Steve Winwood, it looks as if there's a common misconception that Winwood played on the song With a Little Help from My Friends. It seems he certainly played on the album of the same name (contributing organ to two tracks, but the title track was not one of them). This needs correcting on both artist's pages (and explaining carefully so that this easy mistake does not get repeated). The page for the album gives what looks like the correct listing, which agrees with http://www.winwoodfans.com/cs/cssess02.htm#Cocker1 (which is linked from the 'Sessions' page on Winwood's official website). Can anyone find a better reference to confirm this? --82.25.111.182 (talk) 02:22, 10 September 2009 (UTC)

Opinion

I plan to remove 'On 3rd June,2002 Joe produced arguably[by whom?] one of the greatest live performances of modern time at the Queen's Jubilee Concert at Buckingham Palace gardens.' unless someone can provide a reliable source. At present this is an opinion. Wodawik (talk) 11:05, 25 September 2010 (UTC)

Agreed - it needs a reliable source, and I suspect that there is not one available, merely someone's personal opinion.

Derek R Bullamore (talk) 12:55, 25 September 2010 (UTC)

Touring

How was the 1975 tour to Australia "made possible by the country's new Labor government"? Incidentally, new is presumably used in a relative sense, since the Labour government was elected in 1972. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 124.197.15.138 (talk) 23:44, 11 March 2011 (UTC)

Singing

How would Coker's strangled and forced - or distinctive and character-filled - style of singing be categorised? Is there a recognised style here?

Incidentally, am I the only person on the planet who thinks that the ending of Coker's You are so Beautiful is so poor as to be unprofessional? I wouldn't have thought a recognised singer could get away with releasing a record with such an obvious failure of his voice. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 124.197.15.138 (talk) 23:53, 11 March 2011 (UTC)

I know this is not the place to discuss such opinions, but... regarding the prior person's statement re "unprofessional failure of his voice" at the end of "You are so beautiful" -- that is an unusual and perhaps shocking choice Cocker made, but it was a choice, and it is very touching, suggesting fragility and that one cannot always truly express strong feeling smoothly. It is clearly intentional, as there was no need for him to sing so high at the end. When performing it live with Ray Charles he also did the same (I haven't listened to other live versions). I have no idea whether he could have sung the high end notes more smoothly if he wanted to, but he made the choice to do it as he did it and for many of us it is perhaps the most striking and memorable aspect of his performance.David Couch (talk) 04:33, 4 January 2015 (UTC)

There is a citation for the claim the Lennon and McCartney 'allowed' Cocker to record on of their songs. I have no idea what this means - you record the song and you pay royalties, there is no 'allowing.' The same book is the source for many citations in this article, but there is no quote verifying it, of course. I suggest that 'approved' would be more accurate than 'allowed.'

I was stunned by a book/article I read that claimed they'd written 'With a Little Help' FOR Cocker. The days of LenMac writing 'bespoke' songs were long gone by Pepper-time. And why Cocker ? How did he become a Beatle mate ? He certainly wasn't part of the later Apple scene, which was very matesy. Just more hearsay instead of history, I guess ? More reliable sources say Lennon wrote it with Ringo in mind, using just a handful of notes for the melody; Richie was no vocalist. It's also asserted that Macca wrote 'She Came In Through the Bathroom Window', if not expressly for Cocker, then at least with Cocker in mind. Why ? Anyone ? — Preceding unsigned comment added by 2001:44B8:3102:BB00:6586:4F98:96A:236A (talk) 10:58, 22 April 2018 (UTC)

MarkinBoston (talk) 01:29, 24 February 2012 (UTC)

Joe recorded The Beatles' "I'll Cry Instead" Shemp Howard, Jr. (talk) 22:10, 10 October 2012 (UTC)

On-stage bowel movement

Joe Cocker was the first rocker I ever heard accused of taking a bowel movement on stage. Allegedly, the Rolling Stone broke this story in the early 1970s. Probably just an urban legend — Frank Zappa was accused of it too. But why has this famous urban legend not been included in his bio?Shemp Howard, Jr. (talk) 22:12, 10 October 2012 (UTC)

It hasn't been — and won't be — without verifiable documentation, in keeping with Wikipedia policies. — Quicksilver^{T @} 18:59, 22 December 2014 (UTC)

Birthplace disputed

In the boxed text on the right of the page, Joe Cocker is said to have been born in Sheffield in "the West Riding of Yorkshire." That is not correct.

The county of Yorkshire, the largest in England, is divided into four areas. Three of them are known as the North Riding, the East Riding, and the West Riding. As 'riding' is an Olde English word for a third, it is not possible to have a South Riding. Therefore, the remaining piece of the county is simply known as South Yorkshire.

So, the steelmaking city of Sheffield is in South Yorkshire.

This is the sort of confidently asserted yet ill-informed drivel that makes Wikipedia the joke that it is. As the contributor below correctly states, Sheffield was in The West Riding of Yorkshire in 1974. Lord save us!! — Preceding unsigned comment added by 78.148.192.14 (talk) 16:54, 20 April 2014 (UTC)

122.57.32.251 (talk) 21:48, 16 March 2014 (UTC)

Before 1974' in the West Riding.--Egghead06 (talk) 00:00, 17 March 2014 (UTC)

Yorkshire is 4 administrative regions: North Yorkshire, West Yorkshire, South Yorkshire and the East riding of Yorkshire. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 202.45.43.207 (talk) 06:50, 8 October 2015 (UTC)

Yes, today. But in 1944 - when Cocker was born - Sheffield was in West Riding of Yorkshire. This was changed to South Yorkshire in 1974. Joe Cocker was 30 years old then. So to say he was born in South Yorkshire when that county did not exist at that time, is both historically and factually incorrect. Karst (talk) 10:09, 8 October 2015 (UTC)

Date of death

Joe Cocker died in Colorado, USA on Sunday evening, ie 21st December, not 22nd. 'His agent Barrie Marshall said Cocker, who died after battling lung cancer, was "simply unique". Mr Marshall said it was with "the heaviest hearts we heard that our beloved Joe Cocker passed away last night". http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-30582761 109.152.192.127 (talk) 22:45, 22 December 2014 (UTC)

Other sentences in the Death section

After re-reading, I'm still not certain who was "performing a concert," Billy Joel or Cocker. I think it means it was Joel's concert, but this ambiguity could be fixed by simply saying "While Billy Joel was performing a concert... he stated that..." Or was it Cocker's performance, and Billy Joel was there?

Awkward to continue a sentence with "...and endorsed Cocker for induction into..." Make it a new sentence.

Also awkward to begin a sentence, "The two remaining living ex-Beatles. Better to start with their names, then add the parenthetical with commas.

Hate to sound nit-picky, but it just doesn't sound like very good writing.

Under "Personal life," a date is given for when he moved into Fonda's ranch, but not the other one. It is inferred that the Mad Dog Ranch is not the name of the Fonda ranch, since Crawford and Santa Barbara are surely different places. A lot could be tightened up in this article.

ChicagoLarry (talk) 19:22, 5 August 2017 (UTC)

Infobox photo

The infobox photo should be a young Joe Cocker, not an old man. The Joe Cocker 1970 photo shows him in his prime. -- SWTPC6800 (talk) 03:39, 23 December 2014 (UTC)

Infobox uses the most recent (and clearest quality) image.-- Carlos Rojas77 (talk) 03:45, 23 December 2014 (UTC)

Showing celebrities in their prime is encouraged on Wikipedia. The non-free content policy states:

"For some retired or disbanded groups, or retired individuals whose notability rests in large part on their earlier visual appearance, a new picture may not serve the same purpose as an image taken during their career, in which case the use would be acceptable."

Joe Coker was known for bouncing all over the stage, showing an overweight pensioner does not convey his spirit. I didn't see anything on the "Template:Infobox person" page that said to use the newest picture. -- SWTPC6800 (talk) 04:46, 23 December 2014 (UTC)

And picture quality? There isn't any that match the more recent images.-- Carlos Rojas77 (talk) 04:54, 23 December 2014 (UTC)

What's the matter with the quality on the 1970 picture, which was at the peak of his fame and how he is remembered? It's black-and-white, OK, but it's not messy and it definitely has him in focus. '''tAD''' (talk) 04:27, 27 December 2014 (UTC)

Surname Cooper?

I've reverted this edit, which gives his birth surname as Cooper rather than Cocker, in line with this Independent obituary. That seems to be the only reliable source giving that surname - official records like this give it as Cocker. Any thoughts? Ghmyrtle (talk) 11:46, 24 December 2014 (UTC)

External links modified

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Edward Heath

I can't find a copy of J P Bean's biography to verify the claim (referenced 25) that Joe Cocker composed the overture that Edward Heath conducted "on the occasion the Prime Minister famously conducted a live orchestra while in office.", but this surely is complete nonsense. As Edward Heath's own biographical entry makes clear, the piece (at the invitation of Andre Previn) was Edward Elgar's Cockaigne Overture. I used to have the EMI recording HMV ASD2784, I think subsequently rereleased as a compilation on Heath's 80th birthday. Even if J P Bean appears to confirm this story, I think it's clear that either someone's misheard (Cocker/Cockaigne), or that a sly joke is being played. There is a complete absence anywhere else of any evidence this piece of music, its title, or any other pieces that Cocker ever composed, as he surely would have if his abilities extended in this direction. That they didn't is no discredit to perhaps Britain's greatest RnB singer. I understand that Elgar's "Nimrod funky remix" was a failure too. — Preceding unsigned comment added by Sol-ray (talk • contribs) 13:34, 10 September 2017 (UTC)

I boggled at that, and having a copy of the reference in question, double-checked. It's not mentioned on that page, which also doesn't correspond to the time period discussed. Just in case there was a paperback/hardback discrepancy, I also checked the index and there's no Edward Heath there. It is absolute nonsense, and I'm deleting it. 2001:8A0:7517:DA00:2E6D:C1FF:FE2B:D36A (talk) 04:13, 30 January 2024 (UTC)

External links modified

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Had he had children?

It's not mentioned in the article. Any children of him?

Changes in Joe Cocker page

I made changes on Joe Cocker's main page in virtue of contribute in the knowledge of his music and career. What I wrote was just a short resume of his career so people can have a short idea of his life and carrer previous to read the rest. I did not put anything that is not on the rest of the page. The resume of his career on the main page was uncomplete. Anyway I based my edit on what is said on the book The Authorised biography of Joe Cocker wrote by J.P Bean. — Preceding unsigned comment added by Joracajorarz (talk • contribs) 00:38, 30 May 2021 (UTC)

Joe Cocker

Sheffield is in South Yorkshire, not the West Riding 81.139.239.139 (talk) 21:58, 23 June 2022 (UTC)

Handedness

Today, I came upon an article in Quanta magazine remarking that Joe Cocker was a left-handed air guitar player. As you can see clearly in the picture for this Wiki entry. Although a lot of gifted musicians, actors and other artists happen to be left-handed, it is seldom mentioned in Wikipedia. My guess is, that lefties are the only minority on this planet that are still ignored or discriminated like they were fifty years ago. --2003:E5:170A:6ED7:5580:BE2:B6CA:C8FF (talk) — Preceding undated comment added 09:36, 29 August 2023 (UTC)