Joe Cocker

In The Beginning

It was late summer in 1961 when I was just 12 years old that I first saw Joe Cocker. I had been to visit my grandmother at the house of my birth, 117 Greengate Lane, High Green near Sheffield in the early evening. I was walking home at about 8:15 p.m. (I had to be home before 9:00 p.m.) and was passing the Greengate Inn when I heard music. You have to understand that it was not common for a pub to have live music in 1961, especially a rock 'n' roll band!

I walked to the rear of the pub and picked up an empty beer crate and carried it round to the concert room window. I needed the crate so that I could see above the frosted glass which was always in pub windows at eye level then to stop people looking into the pub. I climbed onto the crate and could just see through the clear glass above. On the small stage was a group - I think it was a four piece - and the singer was a youth dressed all in black and he was wearing LEATHER TROUSERS! I had never seen anyone wearing leather trousers except on television. I don't remember the song except that it was fast and it was loud, and the singer was "animated". I watched Vance Arnold, as Joe was then known, for a few more seconds before being chased away by a barman.

Because of my age and the fact that Joe played mainly pubs and clubs, I didn't see him again before he started his recording career in 1964. One of his regular venues in the early 60's was the "Mucky Duck" (Black Swan) on Snig Hill and those who saw him then still vividly remember these classic performances.

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