The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame announced its class of 2025 earlier this year, and it includes first-time nominee Joe Cocker, who called Colorado home in his later years.
Cocker has one of rock's most soulful and recognizable voices. The late English singer was also known for his herky-jerky stage presence. After decades in music, he settled in Crawford, Colorado, population 250, in 1991 after performing in Telluride and meeting up with old friends in the North Fork Valley. He lived in an English-style mansion until his passing in 2014 at the age of 70.
“The idea was we were going to get just a summer dropout place on the West Slope, but we fell in love with it,” Cocker told CPR in a 2012 interview. “I love the seasons, and I go walking with my dogs. I'm fishing in the summer. I grow tomatoes, which is a passion of mine. I built two greenhouses. I even grow them in wintertime, and I grow all different varieties that I get from all over the world, so I find plenty to do.”
Colorado Music Experience Director G. Brown says Cocker's legacy is being one of the great musical interpreters.
“Very few singers of his era reached rock star status by performing material that was principally written by others,” said Brown. “Joe was that rare talent who could make any song his own, ever since he reinvented the Beatles’ song 'With A Little Help From My Friends.'"
Cocker's breakthrough performance at Woodstock in 1969 made a splash with US audiences. There were hard times, too. He struggled with drugs, alcohol and debt. But Brown says Cocker eventually found his peace in the mountains of Colorado.
“He claimed to love the days when he didn't see a single other person. He was living the opposite of the rock and roll way of life and they were just huge members of the community,” said Brown. “At Christmastime, they turned their adopted hometown into a holiday extravaganza. People came from all over the state to see what they did. Pam, Joe’s wife, donated 150,000 lights to all the businesses in town. It was quite the spectacle.”
Joe Cocker also reflected on Colorado in a conversation with NPR's Rachel Martin in 2012.
Martin: I want to ask you about your sense of place, because you are from a particular place and you live in a very different place now. You grew up in the north of England in Sheffield, which is a very different place than the American West in Colorado where you live now. Why Colorado? Why rural Colorado?
Cocker: There's a lot of winter you have to live with. But I don't mind. I kind of really love that - in fact, I embrace the winter these days.
Martin: How do you spend your winter days?
Cocker: Well, the best thing to do is get a big house. If you're going to have a cabin fever, have a big cabin, you know. I walk on a regular basis. I've got a couple of dogs. The house tucks right into the mountains. I literally feel I've become a mountain man over these years.
The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame class of 2025 was announced on April 27, 2025. In addition to Joe Cocker, inductees include Cyndi Lauper, OutKast, Soundgarden, and the White Stripes. The induction ceremony is on November 8, 2025, in Los Angeles.
Funding for public media is at stake. Stand up and support what you value today.
