Who are you Mr. Joe Cocker?

Joe Cocker

Published May 7, 2009 06:05 AM

By John Voket / LiveDaily Contributor

On the cusp of a very ambitious spring/summer schedule, classic rock and blues veteran Joe Cocker [ tickets ] is doing something he never did before: reviewing all his recorded material to find a few classic cuts to work into his nightly setlist to tickle some of the most tried and true fans.

“You know, it’s kind of weird when somebody sends you every song you ever recorded … a few of them I don’t even remember,” Cocker joked while speaking to LiveDaily by phone from his Mad Dog ranch, which is nestled in the Rockies outside of Denver. “So I’m going to pick out two or three and swap them out over this next tour and see how they go.”

This is an archived story page. LiveDaily has ceased publication. For up-to-date music and concert news, we recommend visiting SoundSpike.com

Cocker has had his ups and downs over the years–battling and beating reported alcohol and heroin addictions, as well as capturing the trifecta of a Golden Globe, Grammy and Oscar for “Up Where We Belong,” but at age 65, he’s lining up a tour that could tucker out a rock star half his age.

Last month, Cocker hit the road for a tour that will find him playing nearly 50 North American gigs through mid-July. (His tour schedule is included below.) The veteran singer is pounding the pavement behind his most recent studio album, “Hymn For My Soul,” which emerged in May of last year and peaked at No. 9 on Billboard’s Top Christian Albums chart. The record features the legendary singer’s take on vintage songs like Bob Dylan’s “Ring Them Bells,” Stevie Wonder’s “You Haven’t Done Nothin'” and Percy Mayfield’s “River’s Invitation.” Cocker’s version of the Beatles’ classic “Come Together,” featured in the Oscar-nominated film “Across the Universe,” also made the album.

During a wide-ranging chat, Cocker touched upon his role in that film, his relationship with the Fab Four, and the demons that helped put him nearly a million dollars in debt between his original Woodstock appearance, which helped introduce him to American audiences, and a high profile turn singing “Feelin’ Alright” beside a mirror image of himself as played by John Belushi on the second season of “Saturday Night Live.”

Cronicles of 1-march 2008/Yerevan

As we know, the members of the NA interim committee dealing with the investigation of the March 1-2 incidents and their causes recently visited the Police military unit No. 10/33 with the purpose of meeting with the commanders and finding out the circumstances of the death of Tigran Abgaryan, a serviceman who was injured during the March 1-2 incidents and passed away 40 days later.
   Commander of the military unit Arsen Galstyan gave the committee members a thorough description on the number of the servicemen of the unit, the main tools of their armament and the process of the activities of the demonstrators and servicemen. He pointed out that on March 1, around 7 o’clock in the morning, the detachment consisting of 200 servicemen was deployed in the neighborhood of the opera; at that time, the territory was already cleared of the demonstrators.
   The servicemen were already armed with individual tools of protection, rubber clubs, anti-attack shields and plastic helmets. Their armament consisted of special chemical means and bullets with gas grenades (“Tcheryomoukha 4”, “Tcheryomoukha 7”, “Siren-6” and 6 karabin rifles – KS-23, that were envisaged for shooting highly explosive shells filled with gas).

Armenia.1-st of March 2008.Update from police.

The only issue included in the agenda of yesterday’s session of the interim parliamentary committee investigating the March 1-2 events and their causes concerned the disclosure of the details and circumstances of the incident that took place on the Theatrical Square in the morning of March 1 and the clarification of the operations of the police officers. To this end, Major-General ALEXANDER AFYAN, Deputy Chief of the Police, was invited to the committee session.

Yerevan.Opposition Rally on August 1.

The activists of the Ter-Petrosyan-led movement  began their demonstration with a disgraceful incident.
One of the people standing on the platform of the Matenadaran had the naivety to make a half-hearted response to the revolutionaries’ ultimatum-like demands and was fiercely attacked by the activists. After listening to the short speech of the chief demonstrator, the middle-aged man standing not far from the microphone said, “Well, why do you make demands? Just ask!”

Armenia.March-1 2008.The disorders were supervised by one centre

VAHAGN HAROUTYUNYAN, senior investigator of the Special Investigative Service of the General Prosecutor’s Office and Head of the Investigative Group, was invited to yesterday’s session of the NA interim committee investigating the March 1-2 events. The purpose of his participation was to give details on the circumstances of the prosecution of the 3 MPs who are currently under arrest.

Armenian young falsyfiers

Yesterday, at 16:00 p.m. a group of activists darted across the Northern Avenue and moved forward shouting. The posters stretched above their heads read, “Release the Detainees!”
   Seeing the march of this group of people looking like vagabonds, the people standing at the bus-stop thought that the function was devoted to the “political prisoners”. But before reaching the forepart of Baghramyan Avenue, they continued yelling, “Levon, President!” However, after moving forward a little more, they got a sunstroke and fainted, lapsing into silence.