Editing Joe Cocker (section)

=== On the road (1972–1979) ===
In early 1972, after nearly two years away from music, Cocker went on tour with a group that Chris Stainton had formed. He opened with a performance in [[Madison Square Garden]] which was attended by about 20,000 people. After touring the United States, he embarked on a European tour where he played to large audiences in [[Milan]] and Germany. He then returned to the United States for another tour in autumn 1972. During these tours the group cut the songs that would be part of his newest album, ''[[Joe Cocker (album)|Joe Cocker]]''. A mixture of live songs and studio recordings, the album peaked at number 30 on the US charts.{{sfn|Bean|2003|p=96}}

[[File:Joe cocker.jpg|thumb|Cocker performing on 16 October 1980 at the [[National Stadium (Ireland)|National Stadium]], Dublin]]
In October 1972, when Cocker toured Australia, he and six members of his entourage were arrested in [[Adelaide]] for possession of [[marijuana]].<ref>{{Cite news |url = http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=anh&AN=200210101022405517&site=ehost-live&scope=site |title = Joe's back – and not looking for trouble |last = Williams |first = Nadine |date = 10 October 2002 |access-date = 13 January 2016 |newspaper = The Advertiser (Adelaide) |page = 22 |publisher = News Ltd. |edition = State |location = Adelaide, South Australia |id = EBSCO Host Accession Number: 200210101022405517}}</ref> The next day, in [[Melbourne]], assault charges were laid after a brawl at the Commodore Chateau Hotel,<ref>{{cite web |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=MfgKAAAAIBAJ&pg=5586,5519884&dq=joe+cocker+commodore+chateau |title=Joe Cocker |access-date=27 December 2008 |date=15 October 1972 |work=Prescott Courier }}{{Dead link |date=March 2023 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref> and the [[Australian Federal Police]] gave Cocker 48 hours to leave the country. This caused huge public outcry in Australia, as Cocker was a high-profile overseas artist and had a strong support base, especially among the [[baby boomers]] who were coming of age and able to vote for the first time. It sparked hefty debate about the use and legalisation of marijuana in Australia, and gained Cocker the nickname "the Mad Dog".{{sfn|Bean|2003|p=101}}

Shortly after the Australian tour, Stainton retired from his music career to establish his own recording studio. After his friend's departure and his estrangement from his longtime producer Denny Cordell, Cocker sank into depression and began using heroin. In June 1973, he kicked the habit but continued to drink heavily.{{sfn|Bean|2003|p=110}}

At the end of 1973, Cocker returned to the studio to record a new album, ''[[I Can Stand a Little Rain]]''. The album, released in August 1974, was number 11 on the US charts and one single, a recording of [[Billy Preston]]'s "[[You Are So Beautiful]]", reached the number 5 slot.{{sfn|Bean|2003|pp=112–14}} Despite positive reviews for the album, Cocker struggled with live performances, largely due to his problems with alcohol. One such instance was reported in a 1974 issue of ''[[Rolling Stone]]'', which said that during two [[West Coast of the United States|West Coast]] performances in October of that year he threw up onstage.<ref>''[[Rolling Stone]]'' magazine — "Random Notes" — 21 November 1974, page 13</ref>

In January 1975, he released a second album that had been recorded at the same time as ''I Can Stand a Little Rain'', ''[[Jamaica Say You Will]]''. To promote his new album, Cocker embarked on another tour of Australia, made possible by the country's new [[Australian Labor Party|Labor]] government. In late 1975, he contributed vocals on a number of the tracks on [[Bo Diddley]]'s ''The 20th Anniversary of Rock 'n' Roll'' all-star album. He also recorded a new album in a [[Kingston, Jamaica]] studio, ''[[Stingray (album)|Stingray]]''. However, record sales were disappointing; the album reached only number 70 on the US charts.{{sfn|Bean|2003|p=122}}

In May 1976, Cocker headlined an 11-date tour of Canada, and on 2 October, Cocker performed "Feelin' Alright" on ''[[Saturday Night Live]]''. [[John Belushi]] joined him onstage doing his famous impersonation of Cocker's stage movements. At the time, Cocker was $800,000 in debt to [[A&M Records]] and struggling with alcoholism. Several months later, he met producer [[Michael Lang (producer)|Michael Lang]], who agreed to manage him on the condition that he stay sober. With a new band, Cocker embarked on a tour of New Zealand, Australia and South America. He then recorded a new album with [[Session musician|session]] work by [[Steve Gadd]] and [[Chuck Rainey]]. In the autumn of 1978, Cocker toured North America promoting his album, ''[[Luxury You Can Afford]]''. Despite this effort, it received mixed reviews, selling around 300,000 copies.{{sfn|Bean|2003|p=140}}

In 1979, Cocker joined the "Woodstock in Europe" tour, which featured musicians like [[Arlo Guthrie]] and [[Richie Havens]] who had played at the 1969 Woodstock Festival. He also performed in New York's [[Central Park]] to an audience of 20,000 people. The concert was recorded and released as the live album, ''Live in New York''.{{sfn|Bean|2003|p=143}}