Few voices in rock are as distinctive as Joe Cocker’s soulful sand ‘n’ gravel growl.
He first took to the stage in his native Sheffield in the early 1960s styling himself as Vance Arnold & The Avengers. But it was his 1968 cover of The Beatles’ ‘With A Little Help From My Friends’ that really propelled him into the big time.
More hits followed including versions of Leon Russell’s ‘Delta Lady’, The Box Tops' ‘The Letter’ and Traffic’s ‘Feelin’ Alright’. Though his recording career has had its ups and downs, he remains a hugely popular live draw. His latest album, the Ethan John-produced Hymn For The Soul is seen as a return to form. It features versions of Stevie Wonder’s 'You Haven’t Done Nothin'' Solomon Burke’s ‘Don’t Give Up On Me’ and John Fogerty’s ‘As Long As I Can See The Light’. Clearly this is an artist who likes his cover versions.
“I’ve been described as the grandmaster of covers,” says Cocker. “And that’s fine by me. Paul [McCartney] said my version of ‘...Friends’ was the definitive version, which for me was a real compliment. I adored The Beatles back then. When I was living in London about ‘67/‘68 they let me into their circle. George played me ‘She Came In Through the Bathroom Window’ and I brought it out myself before their own version of it was released on Abbey Road.”
Cocker’s reputation rocketed in the US following his blistering appearance at Woodstock in 1969 – his performance of ‘With A Little Help From My Friends’ being one of the highlights of the subsequent movie.
“I remember Woodstock clearly,” he says. “I flew in on a chopper and the first thing that struck me was the sheer size of the crowd. We weren’t particularly nervous about playing, as we’d done a couple of big shows just before that. It was well organised and the stage was solidly built. Yeah, we had a good day at Woodstock, unlike some of the other acts who later said they hated it.”
Cocker makes a rare appearance in this country when he performs at Malahide Castle in July along with soul legend Al Green. Does he still enjoy touring?
“Yeah, there’s an intensity level about playing live that I still love,” he enthused. “I never dreamed of lasting this long but the blues guys and jazz guys are still doing it, so why not? We do nearly two hours on stage and we try and play all the hits.”
Finally, what about the rumour that he used to babysit his “nephew” Jarvis Cocker?
“I’m constantly being asked this but there’s absolutely no truth in it whatsoever,” he laughs. “He’s not my nephew and I never babysat for him. Put it down to the power of the internet.”