Singers get less credit when the songs most closely associated with them are not their own compositions. Only a few more than make up for the lack of writing chops by doing songs written by someone else with such extraordinarily unique interpretations that they transcend that limitation. Joe Cocker, one of the best ever at doing that, was born on this day in the working class city of Sheffield in 1944. The son of a civil servant, Cocker grew up revering Ray Charles, Muddy Waters, John Lee Hooker and other pantheons of American blues and R&B. His remarkable album and Cocker's Woodstock rendition of With a Little Help From My Friends served notice that one of Rock's greatest interpreters of other peoples songs had arrived.

 

Other Noteworthy Classic Rock events on May 20 include...

1947 Steve Currie of T.Rex born

1949 Fabulous Thunderbirds Jimmy Vaughan born.

1954 James Henderson Black Oak Arkansas born.

1966 Pete Townshend smashes Keith Moon with his guitar when an altercation breaks out after Townshend and Roger Daltrey showed up late for a concert. Moon and Entwistle quit the band over it, but rejoin the following week.

1967 Jimi Hendrix signs recording contract. 

1967 The lyric "I'd love to turn you on" in A Day in the Life causes BBC to ban play of the Sgt. Pepper song.   

1968 Peter Cetera of Chicago beaten by fans at Dodger Stadium because of his long hair.   

1968 Janis Joplin records Piece of My Heart with Big Bother and the Holding Company. 

1968 Pete Townshend marries Karen Astley.     

1969 Led Zeppelin records Heartbreaker.

1970 The Beatles Let It Be movie premieres in London and Liverpool. 

1979 Billy Joel plays Leningrad.

1980 Joe Strummer arrested in Hamburg, Germany for hitting a fan with his guitar during a Clash concert.   

1995 Don Henley marries Sharon Summerall, Eagles, Springsteen, Sting, Bob Seger attend Malibu wedding.   

1998 Bruce Springsteen and Bob Dylan attend Frank Sinatra's funeral.

1998 Tommy Lee draws a six month sentence on spousal abuse charge.   

1998 Drummer Bill Ward suffers a heart attack during Black Sabbath rehearsal. 

2006 Ozzy Osbourne plays Prince's Trust 30th anniversary concert in London.     

2009 Santana, Queen and KISS appear on season finale of American Idol. 

2012 Bee Gee Robin Gibb dies of cancer. 

2013 Ray Manzarek of the Doors dies of cancer.

2015 Rolling Stones do a warm-up date for Zip Code tour for 1,000 in Fonda Theatre in Hollywood, CA, released on CD/DVD in 2017   

2015 Foo Fighters guest on the final David Letterman Show...