In February 2025, Paul McCartney wrote a letter to the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame expressing his support for nominee Joe Cocker to be inducted into the hallowed institution in 2025. Now, another Rock Hall inductee, ZZ Top frontman Billy Gibbons, has also issued a statement encouraging the late Cocker to receive the honor.
Videos by American Songwriter
Cocker has been eligible for induction into the Rock Hall for 36 years but was nominated for the first time in 2025.
Gibbons’ statement begins, “[I] received an alert that Joe Cocker [following a remarkable long reign] received [a] nomination for induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Good news in view of the monumental recordings released and amazing performances delivered over the course of his lengthy career.”
Billy then notes, “We first crossed paths at Texas Stadium in Austin sharing the bill at our First Annual Rompin’ Stompin’ Barn Dance & B.B.Q. back in 1974. As it happened, there was no ‘Second Annual’ edition because of all the rompin’ and stompin’ that took place back at the first and last.”
He concludes, “Suffice it to say Joe was one of a kind, the very embodiment of rock and roll in terms of talent and spirit. Let’s get him inducted!”
Gibbons’ statement was accompanied by a poster for the 1974 concert. Besides ZZ Top and Cocker, the First Annual Rompin’ Stompin’ Barn Dance & B.B.Q. also featured Santana and Bad Company.
Incidentally, Bad Company also has been nominated for induction into the Rock Hall for the first time in 2025. ZZ Top was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 2004.
More About Joe Cocker
Noted for his gritty, soulful voice and eccentric stage moves, Cocker enjoyed a successful career from the late 1960s until his death from lung cancer in 2014 at age 70.
Joe famously appeared at the 1969 Woodstock festival, and his performance of The Beatles’ “With a Little Help from My Friends” was a highlight of the 1970 documentary that focused on the concert.
Among his many hits were a 1970 cover of The Box Tops’ “The Letter,” the 1975 ballad “You Are So Beautiful,” and the chart-topping 1982 duet with Jennifer Warnes “Up Where We Belong.” The latter tune, which appeared in the film An Officer and a Gentleman, won the Oscar for Best Original Song in 1983.
As of the morning of March 19, Cocker was in sixth place in the online fan poll ranking the most popular 2025 Rock Hall nominees. The current top-five vote-getters are, in order, Phish, Bad Company, Billy Idol, Soundgarden, and Cyndi Lauper.
ZZ Top’s 2025 Tour Plans
ZZ Top launched the 2025 edition of its Elevation Tour with U.S. leg that began March 5 in Dothan, Alabama and is plotted out through an April 12 show in Forrest City, Arkansas.
On March 16, the band announced that longtime drummer Frank Beard would be stepping away from the trek to attend to an unspecified “health issue.” ZZ Top’s longtime drum tech, John Douglas, will be filling in for Beard during his hiatus.
After the current U.S. leg, the Texas blues rockers will head Down Under for a 12-date trek. That outing runs from an April 26 concert in Bendigo, Australia, through a May 18 gig in Wellington, New Zealand.
ZZ Top will then return to North America for a variety of concerts in U.S. and Canada. Those shows are mapped out from a June 1 performance in Victoria, Canada, through an August 23 concert in Richmond, Canada.
When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.
Leave a Reply
Only members can comment. Become a member. Already a member? Log in.