Joe Cocker: Mad Dog with Soul (2017)

Genre: Documentary

Directed by: John Edginton

Cast: Joe Cocker, Pam Cocker, Vic Cocker

Time: 90 minutes

Over the last decade, I have often said that, if I could be granted anyone else’s singing voice, I would take Joe Cocker’s. So filled with raunchiness, raw passion, pain, desire….and booze, it still touches me to the core a few years after his death, at the age of 70.

Joe Cocker: Mad Dog with Soul is a documentary about the man, from his youth, to his days as a gas fitter in Sheffield, England, to his rise to prominence with his performance at Woodstock, to his great career filled with successes, pitfalls, personal demons and resurgence.

In this 90-minutes-long documentary, we hear from Joe Cocker’s brother Vic, his wife Pam, and many of the people who worked with him through the years. We also hear from Billy Joel, who led some efforts to get Joe Cocker inducted in the Rock N’ Roll Hall of Fame (something that really needs to happen).

Mad Dog with Soul is an excellent documentary that gives the viewer a wonderful look at an artist who transcended eras and genres, a true performer who gave all he had, often at his own expense.

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