Joe Cocker was one of those guys that my pals liked to mock and was fun for John Belushi to parody. But at his peak, Joe was “thee song interpreter” of his generation. Most famously, he was one of the first and best to really rework a Beatles song into something new, different and most importantly “his own” (Like Jimi did with Dylan). I also dug what he did with “Lovin Spoonful / John Sebastian” songs – when joined by the likes of Merry Clayton, Bonnie Bramlett, Rita Coolidge on backing vocals and Clarence White on guitar.
– Pat Thomas is the author of Listen, Whitey! The Sights and Sounds of Black Power 1965-1975.
