Joe Cocker - An Ordinary Man In 'No Ordinary World'

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Joe Cocker

An Ordinary Man In 'No Ordinary World'

By Kris Engelhardt

Joe Cocker's an ordinary man in most ways. He's down to earth and forthright when one speaks with him. It's due, no doubt, to his working class background as a pipe fitter in the northern English industrial town of Sheffield where he was born some 56 years ago. Early on Joe discovered his real talent lay in the set of pipes with which he was born. In 1968, he had a hit with his cover of The Beatles' "With A Little Help From My Friends." Cocker's break Stateside came in 1969, when he performed at
"Woodstock" which made him a huge international star. Cocker has been adapting other artists' songs into hits ever since. His covers of Dave Mason's "Feeling Alright," the Box Tops' "The Letter" and Billy Preston's "You Are So Beautiful," are just some of the musical highlights of his 35 year career.

Cocker's legendary traveling minstrel show in 1970, dubbed Mad Dogs and

Englishmen, included Leon Russell and nearly two-dozen other top session

musicians. His more recent chart successes were "Up Where We Belong," a

duet with Jennifer Warnes from the film "An Officer And A Gentlemen" and

"When The Night Comes," from the film "An Innocent Man." His latest album

"No Ordinary World" is receiving huge critical praise.

Cocker, who now lives on his Mad Dog Ranch in Western Colorado, has  come

quite a distance from Sheffield, England. When recently asked about

retirement he responded, "Look at these blues cats, like Ray Charles, who

have been going for every. As long as I can keep singing in the right key,

I'll just keep bopping along."

The Review caught up with Cocker recently for an extensive interview.

Engelhardt: So, do you want to talk about the album and the processes you

went through recording it?

Cocker: Certainly, yes. Well basically when I make albums, because of my

success in Europe, in Germany and places, I make albums to suit Europe.

This time I wanted to do something soft, not so hard edged as some of my

albums in the past. So the idea was working with [producer] Steve Power to

give it just a softer approach. It was very hard going for me.  I'm so used

to doing albums where I get like five great musicians on the studio floor,

and we do about ten takes and then I'll do the vocals. But this was like a

whole different process. We choose the songs, we got the keys and then I

more or less left it up to Steve to build the tracks. He kind of built them

one instrument at a time -- painstakingly -- three months almost. So I felt

a bit sidetracked, like I didn't have as much control as I normally do. At

the same time I could tell he was making it into a different kind of - I

don't know, maybe more radio friendly, album should I put it?

Engelhardt: There's not a loser on it! "Naked Without You," "My Father's

Son," "First We Take Manhattan" Great, great songs. How do you pick - who

picks the songs? Is it a collaboration between you and the producer?

Cocker: Since Roger Davis has been managing me for about the last three

albums each time about a month before we go into the studio we have a

meeting and start tossing songs around with the producer. I don't mind

where I get input. It's still a very strange process. You know when your

56-years old you're not gonna get pop hit writers sending you tunes, so

it's kind of a digging process. You've got to kind of look and obviously

ask some new writers. It's always a tough kind of thing to go through.

There's no set format.

Engelhardt: We'll it's a tremendous album! It's like your 19th or 20th

album. How would you rate or compare it to the others - as a personal

favorite or a professional piece?

Cocker: You know it astounds me that I've only made like 20 albums. Bob

Dylan's probably made like 45! I never quite know until time has passed a

bit how they hold up - stack up to the rest of them. But I was pleased with

the end result!

Engelhardt: What surprised me most is you've got four

different producers on album and yet the whole thing

still seems to have continuity to it.

Cocker: Yeah, and it wasn't like we had one person

to mix it either. I don't know, maybe it was because

it was all recorded within a certain time period. Maybe

that's what you hear.

Engelhardt: Let's shift gears a bit. What possessed you to move to Western

Colorado and get into the ranch and restaurant gig [laughter]?

Cocker: [laughter] It does seem a bit weird. It's just an odd series of

coincidences. We played a gig in Telluride about nine years ago and I ran

into this old friend who'd gone into real estate. My wife and I thought

we'd just get this little place up there as a vacation retreat and then we

ended up buying the 250 acre ranch and we built a big house. I love it

there when I'm off the road -- it's hard to explain.

Engelhardt: It's a beautiful state. I have family out there. I've been

there many times.

Cocker: You know it! You know how beautiful and clean the air is. I mean I

know it's not very rock and roll.

Engelhardt: I hear you're a trout fisherman.

Cocker: I do a bit of trout fishing.

Engelhardt: Yeah,  well we have some pretty good fishing on Saginaw Bay

here in Michigan.

Cocker: Really? What sort of bait do you use?

Engelhardt: We mostly use minnows to fish for Perch. We also fish for

Walleyes. But there is lot of good trout fishing in Michigan too.

Cocker: Really?

Engelhardt: You're involved in some children's charities. You want to talk

a little about that?

Cocker: Well it's called the Cocker Kids Foundation. We live in Delta

County, Colorado. A lot of people there don't make much money. They're

farmers and as you know a lot of the farmers are having a hard time. It was

my wife's idea to get the charity started with a panel of other people. I

raise money and we have a house tour. But I always make sure I'm not

around when she shows people the house [laughter]!

Engelhardt: Pick up the socks Joe! [laughter]

Cocker: [laughter]. So we raise this money. The kids write in or the

schools write in for what they would like the money for.  If there's a

young girl who would like the money for a violin scholarship or someone who

is really talented or whatever -- the whole gamut. I'm not actually on the

board because I'm always away so long. But obviously I'm a cosponsor.

Engelhardt: That's great!

Engelhardt: You tour Europe a lot more than you do here right?

Cocker: Ya, right.

Engelhardt: How would you compare audiences in Europe, say Germany or

Holland, as oppose to touring in the States?

Cocker: It's a strange thing really. I hate to sound egotistical but I'm a

bit of a legend in Europe, you know - apart from surviving. We did a gig

just outside Warsaw to over 200,000 people! In Germany we play shows to

50,000 people. It's a whole different world for me there than in the States

with the passion I get from the fans - some of whom have been coming and

following my music for 30 years! Then we get these kids who come along and

are just 15 - some are even younger. It's kind of an odd phenomenon I can't

explain. It's a European thing and me. Not many artists really nurtured the

European scene back in the '70s and '80s. Obviously there are people like

Phil Collins but I'm just an odd kind of survivor of that early time and

they've kind of stuck with me you know? To compare it to the States is kind

of hard to do.

Engelhardt: Any producers or writers you haven't worked with yet that you'd

like to?

Cocker:  I'm not too sure on that 'cause you know obviously now days people

are throwing new names at me. I did the album "Organic" with [producer] Don

Was.

Engelhardt: He's from Detroit originally. He's a Michigan boy.

Cocker: Ahh yes! We may actually get together and do something else again.

I'm talking of doing a duet album next year 'cause I don't want to go on

the road as much.

Engelhardt: Anybody in mind?

Cocker: I know Tom Jones and a lot of people are doing them now. Wynonna

Judd told me she wants to do a song with me.

Engelhardt: But mostly females?

Cocker: Ya, that's it. I think mostly females.

Engelhardt: You mentioned Chris Stainton earlier and of course he's

certainly a legend you've worked with for years. You've also worked with

Leon Russell and Jim Price and all those crazy guys years ago under the

moniker of Mad Dogs and Englishmen. Do you still see or talk to any of

those guys?

Cocker: It's very odd because just before I went out [on tour] it was

suggested that I do Mad Dogs and Englishmen again and  I'd get paid all

this money. And I said, 'but what was it - what is it?' I mean the people

who survived - you couldn't put something like that together again! It's

not like The Eagles you know.  I ended up in a pretty sad state at the end

of that tour. So the idea of putting that together wouldn't be that much of

a happy reunion.

Engelhardt: I heard it was a pretty grueling tour.

Cocker: I'm enjoying working the way I do now anyway. But, no I haven't

seen Jim Price in ages.

Engelhardt: Anybody or bands out there right now - it could be Rap, it

could be anything -- that really have your juices flowing and are

influencing you musically? When you go home at night and listen to music or

go to a record shop what are you pulling out of the racks?

Cocker: Not a lot! I'm sorry to disappoint you Kris. I've been listening to

Toni Braxton when I'm on the road. At home, when I'm with my friends or

whatever we always put on that satellite programmed blues channel. I listen

to Johnny Lang. I don't know these days. There really isn't anyone that

makes me want to leap out! I listened to that band Moby which is really

strange to me. Where's that going when you program a black guy's voice

singing the same thing 30 times. I don't know where we're headed!

Engelhardt: If there's anything on the Joe Cocker story you could rewrite

what would you change?

Cocker: You know if I could start again I would probably learn to play

guitar and piano. I would have been a bit more studious, you know? But you

know, you can't rewrite those things.

Engelhardt: How would you contrast the changes in the music or record

business today from when you first started?

Cocker: I think it's still very cold. It's very merciless when things

aren't selling. It's the same with the people who run the companies.  For

once they are really at a loss and don't know what to do with the Internet.

It's got everybody freaked! Nobody knows which way to move!

Engelhardt: Can you recall or recount any bizarre or humorous events in

your musical career?

Cocker: That's an odd thing to just throw at me [tremendous laughter by

both]! You know you'll still find that I usually have to have a couple of

drinks to.

Engelhardt [laughter] OK, OK! If you could have an interviewer ask you a

question what would it be?

Cocker: God, again, if we'd start drinking I'd probably know what to -

you've got me stuck Kris. It's too early in the day!

Engelhardt: Well I probably should stop here. It's been a great interview.

I'll let you go but I wouldn't be surprised if there's a Grammy out of this

new album.

Cocker: Well after a year on the road and just doing these dates with Tina

[Turner] I'm just trying to hold focus.

Cocker Kids Foundation

PO Box 404

Crawford, CO  81415

(970) 921-4855

The mission of the Cocker Kids Foundation (CKF), as a non-profit

organization, is to foster a community based and supported foundation. The

purpose of the Foundation is to provide a community resource that assists

youth up to the age of 21 in the areas of education, recreation, the arts,

athletics, medical emergencies and other needs which provide opportunities,

primarily for the youth of the North Fork Valley.

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