After starting out as an unsuccessful pop singer (working under the name Vance Arnold), Joe Cocker found his niche singing rock and soul in the pubs of England with his superb backing group, the Grease Band. He hit number one in the U.K. in November 1968 with his version of the Beatles' With a little help from my friends. His career really took off after he sang that song at the Woodstock festival in August 1969. A second British hit came with a version of Leon Russell's Delta lady in the fall of 1969 (by then, Russell was Cocker's musical director) and both of his albums, With a little help from my friends (April 1969) and Joe Cocker! (November 1969), went gold in America. In 1970, his cover of the Box Tops' hit The letter became his first U.S. Top Ten. Cocker's first peak of success came when Russell organized the Mad dogs & Englishmen tour of 1970, featuring Cocker and over 40 others, and resulting in a third gold album and a concert film. Subsequent efforts were less popular, and personal problems ruled his life. But he returned to the U.S. Top Ten with the romantic ballad You are so beautiful in 1975 and topped the charts in a duet with Jennifer Warnes on Up where we belong, the theme from the 1982 film An officer and a gentleman. He has survived, still charting into the '90s, albeit with less frequency than he did in the '70s and '80s. He also continued to work throughout the new millennium. No ordinary world was his first release since 1997's Across from midnight. Respect yourself appeared in 2002.

1 Civilized man (R. Feldman, P. Robinson) 2 There goes my baby (G. Treadwell, B. Nelson, L. Patterson) 3 Come on in (B. Telson) 4 Tempted (C. Difford, G. Tilbrook) 5 Long drag off a cigarette (L.J. McNally) 6 I love the night (T. Seals, M. Reid) 7 Crazy in love (R. McCormick, E. Stevens) 8 A girl like you (T. Seals, W. Jennings) 9 Hold on (W. Jennings, J. Sample) 10 Even a fool would let go (T. Snow, K.Chater) Musicians: Joe Cocker - vocals Steve Lukather - guitar (1) (2) (3) (4) Mary Davis - vocals Rob Mounsey - synthesizer, piano, keyboards Domenic Troiano - guitar Larry John McNally - guitar Jon Goin - guitar Jim Keltner - drums Bob Telson - organ, synthesizer, horn arrangements Dave Bargeron - trombone Pete Bordonali - guitar Randy Brecker - trumpet Bobbie Butler - vocals Sam Butler - vocals Sam Butler, Jr. - vocals James W. Carter - vocals Cissy Houston - vocals Paulinho Da Costa - percussion Shane Keister - synthesizer Nathan East - bass Jim Horn - saxophone Dann Huff - guitar David Hungate - bass Larry Londin - drums Randy McCormick - Fender Rhodes David Paich - piano Jeff Porcaro - drums Dean Parks - guitar Greg Phillinganes - synthesizer, keyboards Lenny Pickett - saxophone Zachary Sanders - vocals Julia Tillman Waters - vocals Sid Sharp - strings James Stroud - drums David Tofani - saxophone Deirdre Tuck Corley - vocals Starz Vander Lockett - percussion Maxine Willard Waters - vocals Luther Waters - vocals Oren Waters - vocals Heart and soul

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