Mad Dogs & Englishmen (album) coincide with the tour was also included. "The Ballad of Mad Dogs and Englishmen" was recorded by Russell later in 1970 and released on his "Leon Russell and the Shelter People" album in 1971. Mad Dogs & Englishmen (album) Mad Dogs & Englishmen is a live album by Joe Cocker, released in 1970. The album's title is drawn from the 1931 Noël Coward song of the same name. Only four songs of the 16 on the original album were drawn from his first two studio albums. Besides the contributions of bandmate and musical director Leon Russell, it draws equally from
The Letter (The Box Tops song) more than one million copies and the RIAA certified it as gold. "The Letter" also reached the top 10 in several other countries, including Belgium, France, Holland, Malaysia, Israel, Norway, Poland, Germany, Sweden, Denmark, Spain, Greece, and the Philippines. English singer Joe Cocker recorded "The Letter" during the rehearsals for his upcoming "Mad Dogs and Englishmen" tour on March 17, 1970. Leon Russell and the Shelter People provided the back up; Russell and Denny Cordell produced the recording. A&M Records released it as a single, with "Space Captain" as the B-side. It appeared in "Billboard's" Hot 100 in April 1970