Editing Joe Cocker (section)

== Early life (1944–1960) ==
[[File:Sheffield Legends Joe Cocker.jpg|thumb|upright|[[Sheffield Legends]] plaque in Cocker's home city of [[Sheffield]], England]]
Cocker was born on 20 May 1944 at 38 Tasker Road, [[Crookes]], [[Sheffield]]. He was the youngest son of a civil servant, Harold Norman Cocker (1907–2001), at the time of his son's birth serving as an [[aircraftman]] in the [[Royal Air Force]], and Madge (née Lee).<ref>{{Cite book|url=https://www.oxforddnb.com/view/10.1093/odnb/9780198614128.001.0001/odnb-9780198614128-e-108196|isbn=978-0-19-861412-8|doi=10.1093/odnb/9780198614128.013.108196|chapter=Cocker, John Robert &#91;Joe&#93; (1944–2014), singer|title=Oxford Dictionary of National Biography|year=2018|last1=Leigh|first1=Spencer}}</ref> According to differing family stories, Cocker received his nickname of Joe either from playing a childhood game called "Cowboy Joe", or from a local window cleaner named Joe.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Adams |first=Rob |date=December 24, 2014 |title=Joe Cocker |url=https://www.heraldscotland.com/opinion/13194754.joe-cocker/ |access-date=January 20, 2025 |website=The Herald}}</ref>

Cocker's main musical influences growing up were [[Ray Charles]] and [[Lonnie Donegan]]. Cocker's first experience singing in public was at age 12 when his elder brother Victor invited him on stage to sing during a gig of his [[skiffle]] group. In 1960, along with three friends, Cocker formed his first group, the Cavaliers. For the group's first performance at a youth club, they were required to pay the price of admission before entering. The Cavaliers eventually broke up after a year and Cocker left school to become an apprentice [[gasfitter]] working for the [[East Midlands Gas Board]], later [[British Gas Corporation]], while simultaneously pursuing a career in music.{{sfn|Bean|2003|pp=6–9}}

Cocker is not related to fellow Sheffield-born musician [[Jarvis Cocker]], despite a rumour to this effect (particularly in Australia, where Jarvis Cocker's father, radio presenter [[Mac Cocker]], allowed listeners to believe that he was Joe's brother),<ref>{{cite news |first=Lynn |last=Barber |url=https://www.theguardian.com/music/2007/jun/10/popandrock.meltdownfestival2007 |title=Paris match |work=The Guardian |date=10 June 2007 |access-date=26 March 2013 |location=London}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |first=Will |last=Hodgkinson |url=https://www.theguardian.com/music/2009/apr/19/jarvis-cocker-soundtrack-of-my-life |title=Soundtrack of my life: Jarvis Cocker |work=The Guardian |date= 19 April 2009 |access-date=26 March 2013 |location=London}}</ref> although Joe was a friend of the family and even did some babysitting for Jarvis when the latter was an infant.<ref name="clashmusic">{{cite web |title=Ten Things You Never Knew About... Jarvis Cocker |url=https://www.clashmusic.com/features/ten-things-you-never-knew-about-jarvis-cocker |website=clashmusic.com |date=25 November 2011 |access-date=2 October 2018}}</ref>