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: The Beatles – together and apart (“With A Little Help From My Friends,” “She Came In Through The Bathroom Window,” “Give Peace A Chance,” and so many more. All these 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 self-contained performer with his peerless work with the great Leon Russell on “Delta Lady,” “Cry Me A River,” “The Letter,” and The Mad Dogs And  Englishman tour and film. He generated such seminal hits as “Feelin’ Alright,” “Let’s Go Get Stoned,” “The Jealous Kind,” “You Are So Beautiful,” “Up Where We Belong,” “When The Night Comes,” “Unchain My Heart,” and then unforgettable “High Time We Went,” which was co-written by Cocker himself.

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.

By Howie Edelson