Joe Cocker's Real Name: John Robert Cocker

Quick answer: Joe Cocker was born John Robert Cocker on May 20, 1944, in Sheffield, England, according to Encyclopaedia Britannica, AllMusic, and The Guardian's obituary. He died of lung cancer on December 22, 2014, in Crawford, Colorado, at age 70.

Real name and early life

The Guardian says he grew up in Sheffield, the son of Harold and Marjorie Cocker, in a working-class household. After leaving school at 16, he worked as a fitter for the East Midlands Gas Board; his mother later said she thought he would make gas fitting his career.

His brother, Victor, gave him his start. Joe sang with Victor's band the Headliners at a youth club and played drums in Victor's skiffle group, the Cavaliers. By 1963 the group had become Vance Arnold & the Avengers, and Joe billed himself as the vocalist Cowboy Joe, The Guardian says.

Career highlights

A Decca deal in 1964 produced a cover of the Beatles' "I'll Cry Instead," which failed to chart. In 1965 he and bassist Chris Stainton formed the first Grease Band. In 1968 his version of "With a Little Help From My Friends," with future Led Zeppelin guitarist Jimmy Page on the session, topped the UK chart, The Guardian says. Britannica says his performance of the song at Woodstock in 1969 made him internationally famous.

The 1970 Mad Dogs & Englishmen tour visited 48 U.S. cities, the BBC says, and produced a live album and a 1971 concert film. Britannica says "The Letter" reached the U.S. top 10 and "You Are So Beautiful," co-written by Billy Preston, was a major hit in 1975. The Guardian says he also went through long periods of heavy drinking and drug use in the 1970s.

His comeback peaked with "Up Where We Belong," a duet with Jennifer Warnes from An Officer and a Gentleman. It reached No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 and won an Academy Award and a Grammy in 1983. His cover of Randy Newman's "You Can Leave Your Hat On" appeared in 9½ Weeks (1986). His final studio album, Fire It Up, came out in 2012. Britannica says he was selected for posthumous induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2025.

Death

The BBC reported in December 2014 that Cocker had died after battling lung cancer, quoting his agent, Barrie Marshall, who called him "simply unique." Paul McCartney said Cocker turned the Beatles' song "into a soul anthem."

Name notes for searchers

Joe was a nickname; his given names were John Robert. The Guardian says he briefly billed himself as Cowboy Joe. Sources differ on his OBE: Britannica dates it to 2007, while the BBC's obituary says 2011.