River Medlock
River
River Medlock running under Oxford Road/Oxford Street, Manchester
Country	England
Source
- location	between Oldham and Saddleworth, Pennines
Mouth
- location	River Irwell
- coordinates	53°28′26.67″N 2°15′12.31″W / 53.474075°N 2.2534194°W / 53.474075; -2.2534194

The River Medlock is a river of Greater Manchester in North West England. It rises near Oldham and flows, south and west, for ten miles to join the River Irwell in the extreme southwest of Manchester city centre.

Source[link]

Rising in the hills that surround Strinesdale just to the east of Oldham it flows through the steep-sided wooded gorge that separates Lees from Ashton-under-Lyne and the Daisy Nook Country Park with its 19th century aqueduct carrying the disused Hollinwood Branch Canal over the shallow river. Along its course, the valley provides a welcome respite from the urban sprawl of the east Manchester suburbs, and is perennially popular with locals.

Lower reaches[link]

The final miles of the river flowing to the River Irwell have been extensively modified. The river is culverted underneath the car park of the City of Manchester Stadium (the site of a former gasworks), beneath the former UMIST campus (London Road (A6) to Princess Street), and again at Hulme Street, appearing briefly at Gloucester Street before flowing under the former gasworks at Gaythorn, reappearing at City Road East. At the point where Deansgate and Chester Road (A56) meet (under the Bridgewater Viaduct) the river meets the Bridgewater Canal head on, where a sluice gate (a listed structure) allowed water to feed the canal, until the water quality of the Medlock became too polluted for canal use. Normally the level of the river is several feet below the level of the canal, and the river is carried in a tunnel under the Castlefield canal basin, reappearing at Potato Wharf, where it is supplemented by excess canal water draining into a circular weir. When the river is in spate the tunnel cannot cope and river water enters the canal, flows across the basin, and exits via the weir and manually operated gates. A quarter of a mile further on the Medlock enters the Irwell adjacent to the bottom gate of the disused Hulme Locks.

Navigation[link]

In the latter part of the 18th century the river was navigable at least between the Bridgewater Canal (at Deansgate) and the site of India House (on Whitworth Street). At India House was the entrance to a tunnel used to carry coal to a wharf at Store Street (by Piccadilly station).^[1][2] The tunnel mouth is still visible. The tunnel was rendered obsolete by silting of the river and the construction of the Rochdale Canal.

Notable features[link]

The area just south of Oxford Road railway station enclosed by the railway line and the loop in the river was known as "Little Ireland", and was described by Friedrich Engels as the worst of the slums of the township.^[3] It is commemorated by a blue plaque in Cambridge Street near New Wakefield Street.^[4][5]

Tributaries[link]

• River Tib
• Shooter's Brook
• Newton Brook
• Thornley Brook
• Taunton Brook
• Lumb Clough Brook
• Lord's Brook
• Sheep Washers Brook

References[link]

This biographical article needs additional citations for verification. Please help by adding reliable sources. Contentious material about living persons that is unsourced or poorly sourced must be removed immediately, especially if potentially libelous or harmful. (February 2008)

Ben Fogle
Fogle presenting Crufts in 2008.
Born	Benjamin Myer Fogle[1] (1973-11-03) 3 November 1973 (age 38) London
Occupation	Television presenter
Title	Lord of Sealand[2]
Spouse	Marina Fogle[3]
Children	Ludo Fogle, Iona Fogle[3]
Parents	Julia Foster Bruce Fogle
Website
http://www.benfogle.com/

Ben Fogle (born 3 November 1973) is an English television presenter, adventurer and writer.^[4]

Early life[link]

Fogle is the son of British actress Julia Foster and Bruce Fogle. He was educated at two independent schools: The Hall School in Hampstead in London, and Bryanston School^[5] in Blandford Forum, Dorset, followed by the University of Portsmouth and the University of Costa Rica.^[6] Fogle became a Midshipman in the Royal Naval Reserve, serving as an officer on HMS Blazer.

Career[link]

[edit] Castaway

Fogle first came to public notice by participating in the BBC reality show Castaway 2000, which followed a group of thirty-six people marooned on the Scottish island of Taransay for a year starting 1 January 2000. The social experiment aimed to create a fully self-sufficient community within a year.

Presenting[link]

Fogle has since become a regular television presenter for the BBC, hosting Crufts, One Man and His Dog, Countryfile, Country Tracks, Extreme Dreams With Ben Fogle, Animal Park, Wild on the West Coast, Wild in Africa, and "Ben Fogle's Escape in Time". He made a film about the facial deforming disease Noma for a BBC 2 documentary "Make Me A New Face" which followed the work of the charity Facing Africa and Great Ormond Street Hospital. He has made films about naval History and the Royal National Lifeboat Institute (RNLI) for the History Channel and followed Princes William and Harry on their first joint Royal Tour in Botswana and made an exclusive documentary called Prince William's Africa. He marked the centenary of Captain Scott's expedition to the South Pole with The Secrets of Scott's Hut. He is popular on the motivational and corporate speaking circuit. His new series Swimming with Crocodiles will be on BBC2 and Storm City in 3D in Sky One and National Geographic. Fogle has recently become a special correspondent for NBC News in the United States.

[edit] Countryfile

Fogle appeared on the rural affairs programme alongside John Craven from 2001 until 2008, during which time he reported on a number of the UK's rural pastimes, including coracle racing, the worm charming championships, the lawn mower racing championship, world stinging nettle eating competition in Dorset, oyster eating championships in Northern Ireland, World Conker Championships in Northamptonshire, the alternative Scottish games, world tin bath racing on the Isle of Man, bog snorkelling and the Man versus Horse race in Wales, the Tough Guy Competition, cheese rolling in Gloucestershire, morris dancing, Tar Barrels in Devon, Up Helly Aa in Shetland, the Furry Dance in Cornwall and the British Open Crabbing Championships in Walberswick, Suffolk, and the World Coal Carrying Championships in Gawthorpe, West Yorkshire.

[edit] Extreme Dreams

He presented the BBC 2 series made by Ricochet in 2006 and 2007 in which he selected five members of the public to go on expeditions of a lifetime. Destinations included expeditions to the Kaiteur Falls in Guyana, Mount Kilimanjaro in Tanzania, Mount Baker in Uganda, Mount Roraima in Venezuela, the Black Cat trail in Papua New Guinea, the Inca ruins in Peru, the Sahara Desert of Libya, Across the Arctic tundra of Svalbard in the Arctic Circle and most recently a journey across the Andes of South America from the Equator in Ecuador to the tropic of Capricorn in Chile. The series is currently showing in South Africa, Australia, Norway, Sweden, New Zealand and the United States.

Sport[link]

Fogle was the first to cross the line in the pairs division of the 2005–2006 Atlantic Rowing Race in "Spirit of EDF Energy", partnered by Olympic rower James Cracknell^[7]. While competing in the 3000 mile race, the pair had their boat fully capsized by huge waves. They made landfall in Antigua at 07:13 GMT on 19 January 2006, a crossing time of 49 days, 19 hours, 8 minutes. After penalties, they were placed second in the pairs and fourth overall. The BBC series that followed the pair, Through Hell and High Water, won a RTS award in 2007.

Fogle has also completed the six-day Marathon des Sables for the World Wide Fund for Nature across 160 miles (260 km) of the Sahara Desert and the Safaricom Marathon in Kenya for the TUSK Trust, with Longleat Safari Park keeper Ryan Hockley. Fogle has completed the Bupa great North Run in 1 hour 33 minutes, the London Marathon and the Royal Parks Half marathon. He beat Eastenders actor Sid Owen in a three-round charity boxing match for BBC Sport Relief under the training of Frank Bruno, and he recently re-ran the Safaricom marathon in Kenya with the injured Battleback Soldiers.

In October 2009, Ben and James Cracknell cycled a rickshaw 423 miles from Edinburgh to London non stop. They took 60 hours to reach the capital, raising money for SSAFA (Soldiers, Sailors, Airmen and Families Association). The event was filmed for ITV's Pride of Britain Awards.

Fogle and Cracknell will be embarking on the infamous Tour Divide race in the Autumn, a 3000-mile mountain-bike race across the Rocky mountains, from Banff in Canada to the border of Mexico. The world record is held by American Matthew Lee and stands at 17 days. The race was put on hold after Cracknell received life threatening-injuries after being knocked from his bicycle while training.

Ben is currently filming a new series A Year of Adventures with lonely Planet and BBC Worldwide in which Ben travels the world in the pursuit of the ultimate adventure, from solo skydiving in Australia to flying in a cold war fighter jet in the Czech Republic. During the series he swam from Alcatraz to San Francisco and dived between the tectonic plates of North America and Europe in Iceland

South Pole[link]

Fogle teamed up with James Cracknell once again, together with Ed Coats, a Bristol-based doctor,^[8] as Team QinetiQ to take part in the inaugural South Pole Race. The team took 18 days, 5 hours and 10 minutes to complete the 770-kilometre (480 mi) race, coming second overall, over 20 hours^[9] behind the Norwegian Team, who commended them on making it "a fantastic race".^[10] Ben suffered hypothermia and frostbite to his nose and the team experienced temperatures as low as −40 °C (−40 Â°F).

The race was filmed by the BBC for the series On Thin Ice and was aired in Summer 2009.^[11] Macmillan published an account of their journey, Race to The Pole, which became a top-10 bestseller in the UK.

Writing[link]

Fogle has written five books; The Teatime Islands in search of the remaining islands in the British Empire in which he travels to Saint Helena, Ascension Island, the Falkland Islands, the British Indian Ocean Territories and Tristan da Cunha. He also tried to visit Pitcairn Island, but when the inhabitants learned that he was a journalist they refused to let him land. Fogle claims that they suspected that he was in fact a spy, and after some hours of interrogation he was refused permission to visit and deported. He was also accused of attempting to smuggle a breadfruit on to the island.^[12] The book was short-listed for the W H Smith's people's award for Best Travel Book.

He has also written Offshore published by Penguin in 2006 in which he travelled around Britain^[13] in search of an island of his own. He visited the Kingdom of Sealand and attempted to invade Rockall in the North Atlantic. In 2006 he published the hit Crossing, published by Atlantic books and co-written with Cracknell followed their Transatlantic rowing bid. In 2009, The Race to the Pole was published by Macmillan and spent ten weeks in the bestseller list.

Fogle writes a weekly Country Diary for the Sunday Telegraph and is a regular columnist for The Daily Telegraph and travel writer for The Independent and has contributed to the Evening Standard, New York Times, The Sunday Times and Glamour magazine. He has interviewed Gordon Brown and Prince William for the Mail on Sunday's LIVE magazine. He is guest director of Cheltenham Literary Festival and a regular at Hay-on-Wye.

Transworld published his first travel memoir The Accidental Adventurer in 2011 and his second will be published in 2012

Personal life[link]

In 2006 he married Marina Hunt, whom he met while walking his black Labrador Retriever, Inca.^[14] On 10 December 2009 Ben and Marina's first child, Ludo Fogle was born, weighing 7 lb (3.2 kg).^[15] Ben announced the birth of their second child on twitter, a baby girl named Iona Fogle, born on 26 May 2011 weighing in at 7 lb 6 oz (3.3 kg).

While filming the latest series of Extreme Dreams in Peru, Fogle caught leishmaniasis, which left him bedridden for three weeks on his return home. He was treated at London's Hospital for Tropical Diseases.^[16] Fogle went on to make a documentary, 'Make me a New Face", about children suffering from flesh eating bacteria called Noma in Ethiopia. The documentary was broadcast on BBC2.

Fogle is the President of the Campaign for National Parks,^[17] in which role he backs the Youth Hostels Association and National Parks Mosaic campaign to open up England's national parks to ethnic minorities. Fogle is also: an ambassador for the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) and Tusk; a supporter of the Duke of Edinburgh award scheme, and Hearing Dogs for Deaf People; and a fellow of the Royal Geographical Society. He is also a patron for the British Hedgehog Preservation Society, the Prince's Trust, the Royal Parks Foundation and ShelterBox. He is a patron, alongside the historian Philippa Gregory, of the UK Chagos Supporters Association fighting for the islanders' rights to return to the British Indian Ocean Territories

Fogle was awarded an honorary doctorate of letters by the University of Portsmouth in 2007.^[18] On the 13 August 2010 on the TV programme "Would I Lie To You?", Fogle admitted (and showed) that he had a tattoo of a nautical star on his right shoulder which he claimed to have acquired at the end of a drunken evening in a pub with the previously unknown tattooist. Fogle and his wife were invited to the Royal Wedding of Prince William and Kate Middleton. His waxwork was recently unveiled at Madame Tussauds. He has had an acting cameo on Hotel Babylon.

Television presenting credits[link]

• Countryfile (2001–2009)
• Animal Park (2002–2009)
• Big Screen Britain (2003)
• Death by Pets (2003)
• Sport Relief 2004 (2004)
• The Sand Marathon (2004)
• Animal Park: Wild in Africa (2005 & 2006)
• Through Hell and High Water (2006)
• Crufts (2006, 2007 & 2008)
• Cash in the Attic
• One Man and His Dog
• Animal Park: Wild on the West Coast (2007)
• Extreme Dreams With Ben Fogle (2007–2009)
• On Thin Ice (2009)
• Ben Fogle's Escape In Time (2009-)
• Country Tracks (2009-)
• Make Me A New Face: Hope For Africa's Hidden Children (2010)
• "Prince William's Africa" (2010)
• The Secrets of Scott's Hut (2011)
• The World's Most Dangerous Roads [1] (2011)
• Swimming With Crocodiles (2012)
• Lonely Planet's Year of Adventures (2012)

References[link]

External links[link]

• Official website
• Room54 Ltd Ben Fogle Biography Ben Fogle Corporate Speaking
• Ben Fogle at the Internet Movie Database
• Atlantic Rowing Race
• Ben Fogle Outdoor Sock Range

Joe Cocker
Joe Cocker in 2008
Background information
Birth name	John Robert Cocker
Also known as	Vance Arnold, "The Sheffield Soul Shouter"
Born	(1944-05-20) 20 May 1944 (age 68) Sheffield, West Riding of Yorkshire, England, UK
Genres	Blues, rock, blues-rock, blue-eyed soul
Occupations	Musician, songwriter, actor
Instruments	Vocals, harmonica, guitar, drums
Years active	1960–present
Labels	Regal Zonophone A&M Capitol EMI Decca
Associated acts	The Grease Band
Website	www.cocker.com www.columbia.de/joecocker/

John Robert "Joe" Cocker, OBE (born 20 May 1944) is an English rock and blues singer, who came to popularity in the 1960s, and is most known for his gritty voice, his idiosyncratic arm movements while performing, and his cover versions of popular songs, particularly those of the Beatles.

He is the recipient of several awards, including a 1983 Grammy Award for his #1 hit "Up Where We Belong", a duet he performed with Jennifer Warnes. He was ranked #97 on Rolling Stone's 100 greatest singers list.^[1]

Biography[link]

Early life[link]

Cocker was born on 20 May 1944 at 38 Tasker Road, Crookes, Sheffield, West Riding of Yorkshire. He is the youngest son of a civil servant, Harold Cocker, and Madge Cocker. According to differing family stories, Cocker received his nickname of Joe either from playing a childhood game called "Cowboy Joe" or from a local window cleaner named Joe.

Cocker's main musical influences growing up were Ray Charles and Lonnie Donegan. Cocker's first experience singing in public was at age 12 when his elder brother Victor invited him on stage to sing during a gig of his skiffle group. In 1960, along with three friends, Cocker formed his first group, the Cavaliers. For the group's first performance at a youth club, they were required to pay the price of admission before entering. The Cavaliers eventually broke up after a year and Cocker left school to become an apprentice gasfitter while he pursued a career in music.^[2]

Early career (1961–1966)[link]

In 1961, under the stage name Vance Arnold, Cocker continued his career with a new group, Vance Arnold and the Avengers.^[3] The name was a combination of Vince Everett, Elvis Presley's character in Jailhouse Rock, (which Cocker misheard as Vance) and country singer Eddy Arnold.^[4] The group mostly played in the pubs of Sheffield,^[3] performing covers of Chuck Berry and Ray Charles songs. In 1963, they booked their first significant gig when they supported the Rolling Stones at Sheffield City Hall. In 1964, Cocker signed a recording contract as a solo act with Decca and released his first single, a cover of the Beatles' "I'll Cry Instead" (with Jimmy Page playing backup guitar). Despite extensive promotion from Decca lauding his youth and working class roots, the record was a flop and his recording contract with Decca lapsed at the end of 1964.^[5] After Cocker recorded the single, he dropped his stage name and formed a new group, Joe Cocker's Big Blues. There is only one known recording of Joe Cocker's and Big Blues on an EP given out by Sheffield College during Rag Week and called Rag Goes Mad at the Mojo. It contained a cover of Curtis Mayfield's "I've Been Trying" and a track of "Saved".^{[citation needed]}

The Grease Band (1966–1969)[link]

In 1966, after a year-long hiatus from music, Cocker teamed up with Chris Stainton, whom he had met several years before, to form the Grease Band.^[3] The Grease Band was named after Cocker read an interview with jazz musician Jimmy Smith, where Smith described another musician as "having a lot of grease". Like the Avengers, Cocker's group mostly played in pubs in and around Sheffield. The Grease Band came to the attention of Denny Cordell, the producer of Procol Harum, the Moody Blues and Georgie Fame. Cocker recorded the single "Marjorine" without the Grease Band for Cordell in a London studio. He then moved to London with Chris Stainton, and the Grease Band was dissolved. Cordell set Cocker up with a residency at the Marquee Club in London, and a "new" Grease Band was formed with Stainton and keyboardist Tommy Eyre.^[6]

After minor success in the US with the single "Marjorine", Cocker entered the big time with a groundbreaking rearrangement of "With a Little Help from My Friends", another Beatles cover, which, many years later, was used as the opening theme for The Wonder Years. The recording features lead guitar from Jimmy Page, drumming by BJ Wilson, backing vocals from Sue and Sunny, and Tommy Eyre on organ. The single made the Top Ten on the British charts, remaining there for thirteen weeks and eventually reaching number one, on 9 November 1968.^[7] It also reached number 68 on the US charts.^[8]

The new touring line-up of Cocker's Grease Band featured Henry McCullough on lead guitar, who would go on to briefly play with McCartney's Wings. After touring the UK with the Who in autumn 1968^[9] and Gene Pitney and Marmalade in early winter 1969, the Grease Band embarked on their first tour of the US in spring 1969. Cocker's album With a Little Help from My Friends was released soon after their arrival and made number 35 on the American charts, eventually going gold.^[10]

Joe Cocker at Woodstock (1969)

During his US tour, Cocker played at several large festivals, including the Newport Rock Festival and the Denver Pop Festival. In August, Denny Cordell heard about the planned concert in Woodstock, New York and convinced organiser Artie Kornfeld to book Cocker and the Grease Band for the Woodstock Festival. The group had to be flown into the festival by helicopter due to the large crowds. They performed several songs, including "Delta Lady", "Something's Comin' On", "Let's Go Get Stoned", "I Shall Be Released", and "With a Little Help from My Friends". Cocker would later say that the experience was "like an eclipse... it was a very special day."^[11]

Directly after Woodstock, Cocker released his second album, Joe Cocker!. Impressed by his cover of "With a Little Help from My Friends", Paul McCartney and George Harrison allowed Cocker to use their songs "She Came in Through the Bathroom Window" and "Something" for the album.^[12] Recorded during a break in touring in the spring and summer, the album reached number 11 on the US charts and garnered a second UK hit with the Leon Russell song, "Delta Lady".

Throughout 1969 he was featured on variety TV shows like The Ed Sullivan Show and This Is Tom Jones. Onstage, he exhibited an idiosyncratic physical intensity, flailing his arms and playing air guitar, occasionally giving superfluous cues to his band.^{[citation needed]} At the end of the year Cocker was unwilling to embark on another US tour, so he dissolved the Grease Band.

Mad Dogs and Englishmen (1969–1971)[link]

Cocker in 1970.

Despite Cocker's reluctance to venture out on the road again, an American tour had already been booked so he had to quickly form a new band in order to fulfil his contractual obligations. It proved to be a large group of more than 30 musicians, including pianist and bandleader Leon Russell, three drummers, and backing vocalists Rita Coolidge and Claudia Lennear. The new band was christened "Mad Dogs and Englishmen" by Denny Cordell after the Noël Coward song of the same name. His music at this time evolved into a more bluesy type of rock, often compared to that of the Rolling Stones. During the ensuing Mad Dogs and Englishmen tour (later described by drummer Jim Keltner as "a big, wild party"),^[13] Cocker toured 48 cities, recorded a live album, and received very positive reviews from Time and Life for his performances. However, the pace of the tour was exhausting. Russell and Cocker had personal problems and Cocker became depressed and began drinking excessively as the tour wound down in May 1970. Meanwhile, he enjoyed several chart entries in the US with "Cry Me a River" and "Feelin' Alright" by Dave Mason. His cover of the Box Tops' hit "The Letter", which appeared on the live album and film, Mad Dogs and Englishmen, became his first US Top Ten hit. After spending several months in Los Angeles, Cocker returned home to Sheffield where his family became increasingly concerned with his deteriorating physical and mental health.^[14] In the summer of 1971 the A&M Records single release appeared in the US of "High Time We Went". This became a hit, reaching number 22 on the US Billboard Hot 100 chart, but was not issued on an album until November 1972 on the Joe Cocker album.

On the road (1972–1982)[link]

In early 1972, after nearly two years away from music, Cocker went on tour with a group that Chris Stainton had formed. He opened with a performance in Madison Square Garden which was attended by about 20,000 people. After touring the US, he embarked on a European tour where he played to large audiences in Milan, Italy and Germany. He then returned to the US for another tour in autumn 1972. During these tours the group cut the songs that would be part of his newest album, Joe Cocker. A mixture of live songs and studio recordings, the album peaked at number 30 on the US charts.^[15]

Cocker performing on 16 October 1980 in the National Stadium, Dublin.

In October 1972, when Cocker toured Australia, he and six members of his entourage were arrested in Adelaide by police for possession of marijuana. The next day in Melbourne, assault charges were laid after a brawl at the Commodore Chateau Hotel,^[16] and Cocker was given 48 hours to leave the country by the Australian Federal Police. This caused huge public outcry in Australia, as Cocker was a high-profile overseas artist and had a strong support base, especially amongst the baby boomers who were coming of age and able to vote for the first time. It sparked hefty debate about the use and legalisation of marijuana in Australia and gained Cocker the nickname of "the Mad Dog".^[17] Shortly after the Australian tour, Stainton retired from his music career to establish his own recording studio. After his friend's departure and estrangement from longtime producer Denny Cordell, Cocker sank into depression and began using heroin. In June 1973 he kicked the habit, but continued to drink heavily.^[18]

At the end of 1973, Cocker returned to the studio to record a new album, I Can Stand A Little Rain. The album, released in August 1974, was number 11 on the US charts and one single, a cover of Billy Preston's You Are So Beautiful, reached the number 5 slot.^[19] Despite positive reviews for the album, Cocker struggled with live performances, largely due to his problems with alcohol. One such instance was reported in a 1974 issue of Rolling Stone magazine, saying during two West Coast performances in October of that year he threw up on stage.^[20]

In January 1975, he released a second album that had been recorded at the same time as I Can Stand a Little Rain, Jamaica Say You Will. To promote his new album, Cocker embarked on another tour of Australia, made possible by the country's new Labor government. In late 1975, he contributed vocals on a number of the tracks on Bo Diddley's The 20th Anniversary of Rock 'n' Roll all-star album. He also recorded a new album in a Kingston, Jamaica studio, Stingray. However, record sales were disappointing; the album reached only number 70 on the US charts.^[21]

In 1976, Cocker performed "Feelin' Alright" on Saturday Night Live. John Belushi joined him on stage doing his famous impersonation of Cocker's stage movements. At the time, Cocker was $800,000 in debt to A&M Records and struggling with alcoholism. Several months later, he met producer Michael Lang, who agreed to manage him on the condition that he stay sober. With a new band, Cocker embarked on a tour of New Zealand, Australia and South America. He then recorded a new album with session work by Steve Gadd and Chuck Rainey, and a new, young bassist from Scotland, Rob Hartley. Hartley also toured briefly with Cocker's friends in 1977. In the autumn of 1978, he went on a North American tour promoting his album, Luxury You Can Afford. Despite this effort, it received mixed reviews and only sold around 300,000 copies.^[22]

In 1979, Cocker joined the "Woodstock in Europe" tour, which featured musicians like Arlo Guthrie and Richie Havens who had played at the 1969 Woodstock Festival. He also performed in New York's Central Park to an audience of 20,000 people. The concert was recorded and released as the live album, Live in New York.^[23] He also toured Europe and appeared on the German television recording amphitheatre, Rockpalast, the first of many performances on the show. In 1982, Cocker recorded a song with jazz group the Crusaders on their album Standing Tall. The song was nominated for a Grammy Award and Cocker performed it with the Crusaders at the awards ceremony. Cocker then released a new reggae-influenced album, Sheffield Steel, recorded with the Compass Point All Stars, produced by Chris Blackwell and Alex Sadkin.

Later career (1982–present)[link]

Cocker performing in Hallandale, Florida in 2003

In 1982, at the behest of producer Stewart Levine, Cocker recorded the duet "Up Where We Belong" with Jennifer Warnes for the soundtrack of the 1982 film An Officer and a Gentleman. The song was an international hit, reaching number 1 on the Billboard Hot 100, and winning a Grammy Award for Best Pop Performance by a Duo. The duet also won an Academy Award for Best Original Song, and Cocker and Warnes performed the song at the awards ceremony. Several days later, he was invited to perform "You Are So Beautiful" with Ray Charles in a television tribute to the musician. He then joined singer Ronnie Lane's 1983 tour to raise money for the London-based organisation Action for Research into Multiple Sclerosis, in particular because Lane was beginning to suffer from the degenerative disease. Musicians such as Pete Townshend, Eric Clapton, Jimmy Page, Jeff Beck and Chris Stainton also participated in the tour which included a performance at Madison Square Garden. While on another tour that year, Cocker was arrested by Austrian police after refusing to perform because of inadequate sound equipment. The charges were eventually dropped and Cocker was released.^[24] Shortly after the incident, he released his ninth studio album, Civilized Man. His next album Cocker was dedicated to his mother, Madge, who died when he was recording in the studio. A track from the album, "You Can Leave Your Hat On" was featured in the 1986 film 9½ Weeks. The album eventually went Platinum on the European charts.^[25] His 1987 album Unchain My Heart was nominated for a Grammy Award, although it did not win. One Night of Sin was also a commercial success, surpassing Unchain My Heart in sales.

Throughout the 1980s, Cocker continued to tour around the world, playing to large audiences in Europe, Australia and the United States. In 1988, he performed at London's Royal Albert Hall and appeared on The Tonight Show.^[26] He also performed for President George Bush Snr. at an inauguration concert in February 1989. In 1992, his version of Bryan Adams' "Feels Like Forever" made the UK Top 40.^[27]

Cocker performed the opening set at Woodstock '94 as one of the few alumni who played at the original Woodstock Festival in 1969 and was very well received.

In 2007, Cocker appeared playing minor characters in the film Across the Universe, as the lead singer on another Beatles' hit, "Come Together".^[28] Cocker was awarded an OBE in the Queen's 2007 Birthday Honours list for services to music.^[29] To celebrate receiving his award in mid December 2007, Cocker played two concerts in London and in his home town of Sheffield.

Cocker performing in 2007

In April and May 2009, Cocker conducted a North American tour in support of his album Hymn for My Soul.

He sang the vocals on Little Wing for the Carlos Santana album, Guitar Heaven: The Greatest Guitar Classics of All Time, released on 21 September 2010. In the autumn of 2010, Cocker toured Europe promoting his studio album Hard Knocks.

Cocker returned to Australia in 2008 and again in 2011, the latter of which featured George Thorogood and the Destroyers as an opening act.^[30]

His recent live band consists of Mike Finnigan (Hammond B3), Nick Milo (piano, keyboard), Norbert Fimpel (saxophone, harmonica, accordion, percussion), Gene Black (guitar), Oneida James-Rebeccu (bass) and Jack Bruno (drums).

Personal life[link]

In 1963, Cocker began dating Eileen Webster, also a resident of Sheffield. The couple dated intermittently for the next thirteen years, separating permanently in 1976. In 1978, Cocker moved onto a ranch owned by Jane Fonda in Santa Barbara, California, United States. Pam Baker, a local summer camp director and fan of Cocker's music convinced the actress to rent the house to Cocker. Baker began dating Cocker and they eventually married on 11 October 1987.^[31] The couple reside on the Mad Dog Ranch in Crawford, Colorado, United States.

Cocker is not related to fellow Sheffield-born musician Jarvis Cocker, despite this being a rumour (particularly in Australia, where Jarvis' father Mac Cocker was a radio DJ who allowed listeners to believe he was Joe Cocker's brother).^[32][33]

Discography[link]

For a comprehensive list of recordings see Joe Cocker discography.

Studio albums[link]

• With a Little Help from My Friends (1969)
• Joe Cocker! (1969)
• Mad Dogs and Englishmen (1970)
• Joe Cocker (1972/EU: 1973)
• I Can Stand a Little Rain (1974)
• Jamaica Say You Will (1975)
• Stingray (1976)
• Luxury You Can Afford (1978)
• Sheffield Steel (1982)
• Civilized Man (1984)
• Cocker (1986)
• Unchain My Heart (1987)
• One Night of Sin (1989)
• Night Calls (1991/US: 1992)
• Have a Little Faith (1994)
• Organic (1996)
• Across from Midnight (1997)
• No Ordinary World (1999/US: 2000)
• Respect Yourself (2002)
• Heart & Soul (2004/US: 2005)
• Hymn for My Soul (2007/US: 2008)
• Hard Knocks (2010/US: 2012)

Notes[link]

References[link]

• The New Musical Express Book of Rock, 1975, Star Books, ISBN 0-352-30074-4.
• Bean, Julian P. (2003). Joe Cocker: The Authorised Biography. London: Virgin Books. ISBN 1-85227-043-8. 

Further reading[link]

• Guinness Book of British Hit Singles – 16th Edition – ISBN 0-85112-190-X
• The Guinness Book of 500 Number One Hits – ISBN 0-85112-250-7
• Guinness Book of British Hit Albums – 7th Edition – ISBN 0-85112-619-7
• Guinness Rockopedia – ISBN 0-85112-072-5
• The Great Rock Discography – 5th Edition – ISBN 1-84195-017-3

External links[link]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Joe Cocker

• The Official Website of Joe Cocker
• Photos taken by photographer Linda Wolf, one of the two official photographers of the Joe Cocker, Mad Dogs and Englishmen Tour, 1970