Hear Joe Cocker Cover Marvin Gaye, The Beatles and Procol Harum on This Day in 1982
Photo by Central Press/Getty Music Features Joe Cocker
Joe Cocker became a worldwide phenomenon after performing at Woodstock in 1969. The English vocalist had one of the most powerful, gritty voices in rock ‘n’ roll history, and he shared it with the world until his death in 2014. His best-known songs included renditions of The Beatles’ “With A Little Help From My Friends,” Billy Preston’s “You Are So Beautiful,” Leonard Cohen’s “Bird on the Wire” and Leon Russell’s “Delta Lady.”
On this day in 1982, Cocker performed in New York, ripping into covers like Procol Harum’s “A Whiter Shade of Pale,” Bob Dylan’s “Watching The River Flow” and Bobby Charles’ “The Jealous Kind.” Most notably, he also broke into Marvin Gaye’s “I Heard It Through The Grapevine” and his signature live tune, The Beatles’ “With A Little Help From My Friends.”
Listen to Cocker’s full show from this day in 1982 below via the Paste vault.