Joe Cocker

Joe Cocker Saturday 3rd November 2007 Avo Session 2007 concert series at Messe Basel Basel, Switzerland

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Joe Cocker "Physically Damaged" By Substance Abuse

By Steven Williams in Music / Festivals on 18 May 2007

Joe Cocker

Singer/songwriter, Joe Cocker, has claimed that a third of his performances during the 1970s were of bad quality, after his alcohol and drug addiction affected his ability to perform.

Joe Cocker, the 'Up Where We Belong' singer, was left "physically damaged" by years of drug and alcohol addiction, hampering his performances in the 1970s. He has stated that around a third of all the gigs he played in that era were unsatisfactory, as his ability to perform was damaged by the substance abuse.

Cocker revealed that: "I was living on a liquid diet. I would start drinking at 11 in the morning and be pretty wasted by the evening. People have said that I played some amazing gigs in the Seventies, but in all honesty, I probably played one good show in three. I used to get so carried away while I was on stage that I'd be physically damaged by the end of a concert. I had a problem with cocaine and then with heroin. I wasn't injecting heroin, I was only sniffing it. But I was still amazed at how quickly you could become addicted. As soon as I realised what was going on, I was able to move on. But it took its toll. I came close to the edge."