BY: GURU JAY
Growing up The Wonder Years was my favorite TV show. Boy, it had one hell of a theme song, didn’t it? Joe Cocker’s version of With a Little Help From My Friendshelped fuel my addiction to the show. What’s more, that’s how I learned about Joe Cocker.
I had to know who possessed that powerful voice in the beginning. The more I familiarized myself with the legend, the more I started feeling legendary. Joe Cocker= Legend.
He sings You Are So Beautiful, Come Together, and Up Where We Belong in heaven. He didn’t make pop songs; his music was spiritual. What would Woodstock be without Cocker? Joe was a rare find because he was a classic singer.
Most entertainers are made in a bakery. They’re cookie cutter. What you see is what you get. Joe Cocker sang from the bottom of his belly.
The Wonder Years of Joe Cocker
Photos By: Wikimedia Commons
It all started when John Robert Cocker, OBE took Vance Arnold as his penname in 1961. Later he formed a band adding “and the Avengers” to his gig. Then there was the Grease Band and the rest is history…
Like the Beatles, Joe Cocker created seismic waves. Throughout Joe Cocker’s career, he received well-deserved recognition. In 2008, Rolling Stone named him 1 of the 100 Greatest Singers of All Time. Billboard gave him 2 other accolades- #84 Artist 100 and #14 Social 50 in 2015.
I’m New School by date of birth, but I’m actually Old School by tradition. Bob Seger couldn’t have said it any better than this: “Today’s music ain’t got the same soul, I like that old time rock ‘n’ roll.” Moreover, Joe Cocker rocked to the limit. He lived his life up and that’s what counts. Don’t die bitter by living inhibited; die happy by living uninhibited.
I am Guru Jay launching into orbit in 5-4-3-2-1!
