Before Jimmy Page scraped together the unearthly talent of Robert Plant, John Paul Jones and John Bonham to form Led Zeppelin in 1968, he had been a member of the British invasion group The Yardbirds. A launchpad for virtuosic guitarists, the blues rock group ignited the careers of not one, not two, but three of the most talented rock guitarists of all time: Eric Clapton, Jeff Beck and Jimmy Page.
In 1966, a year after Clapton’s departure and not long before Beck’s, session man Page joined The Yardbirds at the height of their fame. The band’s best-known hits, including ‘For Your Love’, ‘Heart Full of Soul’ and ‘Shapes of Things’, had already arrived, and the band would soon dissipate as its members pursued external projects.
In 1968, The Yardbirds were breathing their final breaths, and although he was determined to pursue his rock star dream, Page was beguiled by several session jobs. One such collaboration was with the Sheffield-born singer Joe Cocker. Incidentally, Cocker wasn’t related to his fellow Sheffield musician Jarvis Cocker but was a friend of the family and even babysat for a young Jarvis in the 1960s.
By 1968, Cocker (not Baby Jarvis) had fronted several rhythm and blues outfits but had yet to break through. In early 1968, he decided to recreate The Beatles’ Sgt Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band track ‘With a Little Help from My Friends’ as a soulful anthem. The track would become the lead single and title track of Cocker’s debut album of April 1969.
While recording material for his debut LP, Cocker enlisted a varied cast of session musicians, including familiar names like Tony Visconti, Steve Winwood and, of course, Jimmy Page. As well as performing the arresting lead run on the title track, Page contributed to four other tracks on the album, including a cover of Bob Dylan’s song ‘I Shall Be Released’.
‘With a Little Help from My Friends’ was released as a previewing single in September 1968 at around the same time Page formed New Yardbirds, soon to be renamed Led Zeppelin. The soaring single was an unprecedented success for Cocker, rising to the top of the UK Singles Chart.
Following Cocker’s death in 2014, Paul McCartney, who wrote the song with John Lennon, commended Cocker’s transformation. “It was mind-blowing,” McCartney told Billboard. “[He] totally turned the song into a soul anthem.”
Listen to Joe Cocker’s cover of ‘With a Little Help from My Friends’ below.
