Lunch with Joe Cocker this afternoon – recorded live at The Fillmore West in San Francisco on October 19, 1969 for KSAN-FM, San Francisco. He’s joined by the infamous Grease Band, consisting of Neal Hubbard on rhythm guitar, Henry MCullough on lead guitar – Chris Stainton on keyboards, Alan Spenner on Bass and Bruce Rowland on drums.
His debut album featured a recording of the Beatles‘ “With a Little Help from My Friends“, which was featured as its title track and brought him to near-instant stardom. The song reached number one in the UK in 1968, became a staple of his many live shows (Woodstock and the Isle of Wight in 1969, the Party at the Palace in 2002) and was also known as the theme song for the late 1980s American TV series The Wonder Years. He continued his success with his second album, which included a second Beatles song, “She Came In Through the Bathroom Window“. A hastily thrown-together 1970 US tour led to the live double-album Mad Dogs & Englishmen, which featured an all-star band organised by Leon Russell. His 1974 recording of “You Are So Beautiful” reached number five in the US, and became his signature song. Cocker’s best-selling song was the US number one “Up Where We Belong“, a duet with American singer-songwriter Jennifer Warnes that earned a 1983 Grammy Award. He released a total of 22 studio albums over a 43-year recording career.
In 1993, Joe Cocker was nominated for the Brit Award for Best British Male Solo Artist. He was awarded a bronze Sheffield Legends plaque in his hometown in 2007, and received an OBE the following year for services to music.[2][3] Cocker was ranked number 97 on Rolling Stone‘s 100 greatest singers list. Cocker was posthumously inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in November 2025. He died in 2014.
If you aren’t already familiar, by all means press Play and have a seat. This soundboard mix is a bit strange in places, but it settles down and is smooth sailing after a few minutes.
Enjoy.
