Billy Joel has made it no secret that he feels strongly that Joe Cocker should be inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. He let audiences know that he wrote a letter in 2014 when Cocker’s health was failing—he died at the end of December of that year—urging the Hall to induct the multi-faceted rocker. Until now, the content of that letter, which Joel hand-delivered to the Rock Hall, has not been revealed and had been the subject of speculation. At the end of last week, Joel, who had been a huge Joe Cocker fan since first hearing “With A Little Help From My Friends” and attending the Woodstock Festival, reposted a video from Joe Cocker’s social media platforms from 2016 in which he read the letter to filmmaker John Edginton minutes before taking the stage at Madison Square Garden. Edginton shot Joel’s reading during the filming of Joe Cocker: Mad Dog With Soul, his much-lauded feature documentary that premiered the following year but doesn’t include the scene in the final cut.
The posting was prompted by the fact that after 36 years of eligibility, Joe Cocker, a full decade after his death, is finally listed as a nominee on this year’s ballot. The video clip, in which Joel asserts that Joe Cocker was “The most powerful rock and roll interpretive male singer” he had heard “since first hearing the iconic early recordings of Ray Charles.” His letter goes on: “In my opinion no one has since come even close to him as one of the great primal rock and roll vocalists of all time.”
Joel’s efforts are reflective of a groundswell of support for Cocker’s induction. Just last month, Paul McCartney crafted an open letter (addressed “Dear Rock and Rollers”) in which he wrote “Joe was a great man and a fine singer whose unique style made for some fantastic performances. He sang one of our songs, ‘With a Little Help From My Friends..’ which was very imaginative. All the people on the panel will be aware of the great contribution Joe made to the history of Rock and Roll. And whilst he may not have ever lobbied to be in the Hall of Fame, I know he would be extremely happy and grateful to find himself where he deserves to be, amongst such illustrious company.”
Billy Gibbons, whose band ZZ Top shared stages with Cocker going back to the early ’70s is also publicly supportive of his induction. He called the nomination “Good news in view of the monumental recordings released and amazing performances,” calling Cocker “One of a kind” and “the very embodiment of rock and roll in terms of talent and spirit.” He concluded his commentary with an entreatment: “Let’s get him inducted!”
Gibbons is a Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductee as is drummer Pete Thomas as a member of Elvis Costello & The Attractions. Like Joe Cocker, Thomas was born in Sheffield, England and recently wrote, “If there’s a shelf of books about rock and roll, there’s certainly a mighty volume about Joe Cocker. Early on he did what the Beatles and the Stones did: he took American Blues and Soul and made it even better. For Joe Cocker not to be in the Hall is crazy; he’s about as rock and roll as it gets.”
When it became known that her late husband had been nominated for Rock Hall induction, Joe’s widow Pam Cocker recalled, “When the nominations were revealed he would be upset to realize that an artist that he thought had long been in the Hall hadn’t yet been inducted. He was an advocate for so many of these people that he felt were deserving but was never angry or upset that he, himself, had been overlooked. Though he certainly wanted that honor he wasn’t covetous of it and felt that it would someday come. He would have been delighted to have this recognition not only for himself but for other great artists he thought were deserving of it.”
Joe’s surviving brother Vic Cocker commented, “Joe was born in May 1944, a perfect age to hear the first wave of the new music of rock and roll. Eventually the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame honoured those heroes who created it. Later, as a performer himself in the second wave there were new heroes – some were part of incredible bands with whom Joe shared a stage and some whose genius he admired from afar. He was delighted to see them honoured too. Joe often closed his show with the words ‘Rock and Roll!’ It was a reflection of his musical passion. To be recognised among his heroes would be the greatest privilege he silently wished for.”
