Joe Cocker: Mad Dog with Soul (2017)

7.3/10 • 90 min • Documentary Music

Overview

The turbulent life of soul and blues singer, the late Joe Cocker. A former gas fitter from Sheffield, catapulted to world stardom in 1969 at Woodstock with his legendary performance of the Beatles song, "A Little Help from My Friends". But in the early 1970s, Joe Cocker's inner demons nearly killed him. Overcoming his struggles with alcohol and drugs, he rebuilt his reputation as "one of the great primal rock and roll vocalists of all time" (Billy Joel's description). The film mixes Joe Cocker's own words, with rare archive. His wife (Pam Cocker) & family, friends and the legendary songwriters and musicians he collaborated with, tell Joe Cocker's story. The film has raw, historic, electric performance footage throughout. Extensive interviews of key people through his life include: Pam Cocker, Ben Fong-Torres (Rolling Stone magazine editor), Randy Newman, Jimmy Webb, Billy Joel, Rita Coolidge, Deric Dyer, Glyn Johns, and numerous others.

Cast

Joe Cocker

Self (archive footage)

Pam Cocker

Self : Joe Cocker's wife

Vic Cocker

Self : Joe Cocker's brother

Rita Coolidge

Self

Billy Joel

Self

Randy Newman

Self

Jimmy Webb

Self

Ben Fong-Torres

Self

Deric Dyer

Self

Glyn Johns

Self

Michael Lang

Self

Recommendations

Elton John: Never Too Late
Amy
Cobain: Montage of Heck
Miss Americana
Everybody’s Everything
Let's Get Lost
Imagine: John Lennon
Janis: Little Girl Blue
Who Is Harry Nilsson (And Why Is Everybody Talkin' About Him?)
EPiC: Elvis Presley in Concert
Supersonic
Whitney: Can I Be Me
The Velvet Underground
TINA
No Direction Home: Bob Dylan
The Rise of the Red Hot Chili Peppers: Our Brother, Hillel
Selena y Los Dinos: A Family's Legacy
Moonage Daydream
Becoming Led Zeppelin
Michael Jackson: The Life of an Icon