Joe Cocker Alex Sadkin. In 1982, at the behest of producer Stewart Levine, Cocker recorded the duet "Up Where We Belong" with Jennifer Warnes for the soundtrack of the 1982 film "An Officer and a Gentleman". The song was an international hit, reaching number 1 on the "Billboard" Hot 100, and winning a Grammy Award for Best Pop Performance by a Duo. The duet also won an Academy Award for Best Original Song, and Cocker and Warnes performed the song at the awards ceremony. Several days later, he was invited to perform "You Are So Beautiful" with Ray Charles in a television
Joe Cocker! is backed by the Grease Band, who appeared on his first album and backed the singer at the Woodstock Festival in August 1969. However, Cocker would part ways with the group following the release of this record, citing a reluctance to tour; when the need to meet live commitments in America, Cocker decided to organise a new band (the Mad Dogs and Englishmen) with the help of keyboardist Leon Russell, heralding a new musical direction for the singer on his subsequent studio releases. The album charted in the UK in May 1972 at #29 when it was re-released as a