Joe Cocker was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Saturday night in Los Angeles with an all-star tribute that closed the ceremony.
Bryan Adams welcomed Cocker into the Rock Hall. He noted that the late singer, who passed away in 2014, had many hits covering tunes originally recorded by other artists, like The Beatles’ “With A Little Help From My Friends,” Dave Mason’s “Feelin’ Alright” and Billy Preston‘s “You Are So Beautiful.”
“It’s one thing to cover a song, but it’s another to make it your own. And that’s what Joe could do,” Adams said. “Even Paul McCartney acknowledged how Joe had transformed his Beatles classic into a soul anthem. And the list of songs Joe did that to is mighty.”
Several musicians were on hand to celebrate Cocker’s music, with Susan Tedeschi and Derek Trucks of Tedeschi Trucks Band and Nathaniel Rateliff kicking things off with a performance of “The Letter,” which was Cocker’s first top-10 hit. Teddy Swims then joined them for a performance of Mason’s “Feelin’ Alright,” which Cocker covered in 1969.
The night wrapped with an all-star closing jam, featuring Tedeschi Trucks Band, Swims, Adams, Rock Hall inductee Cyndi Lauper and The Black Crowes‘ Chris Robinson performing Cocker’s version of “With A Little Help From My Friends.”
Highlights from the 2025 Rock Hall induction ceremony will air Jan. 1 on ABC.
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