Joe Cocker - vocals; Gordon Edwards - bass; Steve Gadd - drums; Eric Gale - guitar; Cornell Dupree - guitar; Richard Tee - keyboards
Kicking off with a high energy, piano-driven instrumental jam, Joe Cocker and his backing band brings down the house at the Tower Theater in Philadelphia back in '76. This show, recorded originally for broadcast on the King Biscuit Flower Hour, is a nearly hour and a half long set of Cocker favorites and tracks off his most recent album, Stingray.
Stingray was an attempt by Cocker to mix reggae music with his signature bluesy rock sound, and the songs included here from that new album include "I Broke Down," "Catfish," "The Jealous Kind," and "A Song For You," among others. The Cocker songs that made him a household name and an institution on FM rock stations are, of course, those classic covers, a remake of Billy Preston's "You Are So Beautiful" and the Beatles' "With A Little Help From My Friends."
Cocker is known across the globe for his raspy vocals which translate exceptionally well with the brand of soul he chooses to sing. Born in Sheffield, Cocker got his start with an English pub band, and an appearance at Woodstock with his cover "A Little Help From My Friends" followed by a subsequent sting with Leon Russell's Mad Dogs and Englishmen tour in 1970.
At the time of this show, he was on his way back into the rock 'n' roll world after a critical and commercial decline due to problems with alcohol. However, it was with the release of his gorgeous 1975 cover "You Are So Beautiful" that brought Cocker back to the attention of the masses. Cocker again found his way back into mainstream success with the duet "Up Where We Belong" that was featured in the movie An Officer and a Gentlemen.
After nearly 40 years on the rock circuit, Joe Cocker continues to be involved with music, most recently releasing Hymn for My Soul in 2007, which includes covers by Stevie Wonder, Bob Dylan, and George Harrison.