Joe Cocker
"Joe Cocker is the greatest white blues singer ever....Joe was brought to my attention by Denny Cordell.... I got a tape in the mail of a single by Joe called 'Marjorine' that got me very excited."
"The song 'The Letter' [from the 'Mad Dogs & Englishmen' album] was the first hit for Joe, and provided a tremendous glimpse of his amazing musical force. --Jerry Moss
Joe Cocker defined soul as, "An artist being able to put themselves over through the use of their voice. When this happens, there is a connection or rapport with the listener and the artist clicks."
"Leon [Russell] came up with the idea for Mad Dogs. Having come out of the Mad Dogs tour with no money never really bothered me. Back then, the feeling was, it was a crime to have money anyway. We were into this trip of stripping off our worldly goods."
Joe Cocker was the only A&M artist to perform at Woodstock in August 1969.
The first movie produced by A&M Records was 1971's "Mad Dogs and Englishmen," a Joe Cocker tour retrospective.
In March 1971, A&M Records released a Joe Cocker single in Canada, "Bird on the Wire" which was not released in the U.S.
In early 1973, Joe Cocker re-signed with A&M Records.
Joe Cocker was voted 97 on Rolling Stone's 100 Greatest Singers of All Time.
- The Blue-Eyed Soul of Joe Cocker. Record World, august 16, 1969.
- Cocker Single Follows Rule. Billboard, March 37, 1971.
- Off the Record: An Oral History of Popular Music. Joe Smith. New York: Warner Books. 1988.
- A&M Records' Greatest Hits. Matt Diehl. Rolling Stone. September 7, 2012.