This Saturday, November 8, the late Joe Cocker will finally be inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. The soulful, gravel-voiced British singer, who died of lung cancer at age 70 in 2014, was first eligible for the honor in 1994.
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In celebration of Cocker’s life, music, and legacy, as well as his Rock Hall induction, the entire acclaimed 1971 concert film and documentary Mad Dogs & Englishmen will be given its YouTube premiere on Thursday, November 6, at 1 p.m. ET.
Mad Dogs & Englishmen was filmed during Cocker’s 1970 U.S. tour of the same name. The two-hour movie combines performance footage with candid scenes of Joe and the members of his expansive band in tour buses and vans, on planes, and backstage.
Cocker was accompanied by a rock-and-soul ensemble that included guitarist/piano player/musical director Leon Russell, keyboardist Chris Stainton, guitarist Don Preston, bassist Carl Radle, drummers Jim Gordon and Jim Keltner, sax players Jim Horn and Bobby Keys, trumpet player Jim Price, and backing singers Rita Coolidge and Claudia Lennear.
The film features performances of Russell’s “Delta Lady,” The Box Tops’ “The Letter,” Traffic’s “Feelin’ Alright,” The Beatles’ “She Came In Through the Bathroom Window,” and much more.
Mad Dogs & Englishmen premiered in March 1971, while a companion live album was released in August 1970. The album was the highest-charting of Cocker’s career, peaking at No. 2 on the Billboard 200. It featured two hit singles, renditions of “The Letter” and the 1950s Arthur Hamilton tune “Cry me a River,” which reached No. 7 and No. 11 on the Billboard Hot 100, respectively.
More About the 2025 Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony
As previously reported, the 2025 Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony will take place at the Peacock Theater in Los Angeles. Cocker is one of seven artists being inducted in the Performer category this year. The others are Bad Company, Chubby Checker, Cyndi Lauper, Outkast, Soundgarden, and The White Stripes.
The event will air live on the Disney+ streaming service on November 8 starting at 8 p.m. ET. The show will then be available to stream on demand after the ceremony ends.
In addition, a highlights special will premiere on ABC on January 1, 2026, at 8 p.m. ET. The program will then be available to stream on Hulu the next day.
Although the performers who will pay tribute to Cocker haven’t been confirmed yet, one of the artists who likely will salute the late singer at the ceremony will be Tedeschi Trucks Band. The group, which has been announced as a special guest, headlined a special concert in 2015 alongside the late Leon Russell celebrating the Mag Dogs & Englishmen album and tour.
The performance took place at the Lockn’ Festival in Arrington, Virginia. The event also featured various guest musicians, including original tour participants Stainton, Coolidge, and Lennear.
In 2025, a live album and documentary focusing on the 2015 concert were released.
(Photo by Walter Iooss Jr./Getty Images)
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