Despite Cockers reluctance to venture out on the road again, an American tour had already been booked so he had to quickly form a new band in order to fulfill his contractual obligations. It proved to be a large group of more than 30 musicians, including pianist and bandleader Leon Russell, three drummers, and backing vocalists Rita Coolidge and Claudia Lennear. The new band was christened Mad Dogs & Englishmen by Denny Cordell after the Noël Coward song of the same name. His music at this time evolved into a more bluesy type of rock, often compared to that of the Rolling Stones. During the ensuing Mad Dogs & Englishmen tour (later described by drummer Jim Keltner as a big, wild party),[18] Cocker toured 48 cities, recorded a live album, and received very positive reviews from Time and Life for his performances. However, the pace of the tour was exhausting. Russell and Cocker had personal problems and Cocker became depressed and began drinking excessively as the tour wound down in May 1970. Meanwhile, he enjoyed several chart entries in the United States with Cry Me a River and Feelin Alright by Dave Mason. His cover of The Box Tops hit The Letter, which appeared on the live album and film, Mad Dogs & Englishmen, became his first US Top Ten hit. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joe_Cocker
Posted on: Mon, 22 Dec 2014 23:29:50 +0000
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