PAM & JOE COCKER

Music legend Joe Cocker comes from an industrial town called Sheffield in the United Kingdom of Great Britain. Joe is a masterful interpreter who croons the blues and rock 'n roll with his signature raspy voice and poignant physical gestures. Overseas, Cocker is known as the "Master of Rock and Soul." In the States, he is highly regarded as a romantic blues balladeer who has the seemingly uncanny ability to transform old pieces into musical classics. Take for example, the remakes or re-sings, if you will, of the Beatles With A Little Help From My Friends and You Are So Beautiful. Once Cocker sank his teeth into those numbers, reinterpreted and redelivered the words in his passionate style and soulful flair, the numbers became forever ingrained in the minds of even the notso- musically-inclined.

Joe got his first big break when his band The Avengers supported Mic Jagger and The Rolling Stones at the City Hall in Sheffield . As history has it, they brought the house down.He did go through on again, off again years, but persistence, patience and passion, paid off. And, as the saying goes, "It ain't over till the fat lady sings." Joe resurfaced with rock n' roll greats Chris Stainton, Alan Spenner, Henry McCoullough and Bruce Rowlands as the lead of The Grease Band. Together, they released the single Marjorine which was about his mother. Within months, they released With A Little Help From My Friends which topped the charts in Britain and throughout Europe . In 1969, The Grease Band toured the U.S. and played at Woodstock - to date probably the most significant musical gathering the world has experienced. It was there that Joe met Leon Russell who was instrumental in aiding him in forming yet another band called Mad Dogs and the Englishmen. Mad Dogs earmarked several pages in music history throughout the world.

In 1975 Cocker became a resident of the United States and, in that same year, hit the U.S. top 10 charts with You Are So Beautiful . In '82, he hit the top 10 charts again with Up Where We Belong which he performed with Jennifer Warnes. The movie An Officer And A Gentleman 's most climactic episode trails with Up Where We Belong utilizing Cocker's one-of-a-kind and peerless artistry to punctuate or drive home the theme of the movie script. Other blockbuster movies such as the very sexy 9 1/2 Weeks with Kim Basinger, Bull Durham and Bodyguard with Kevin Costner, An Innocent Man, The Cutting Edge, Harry And The Hendersons, Wildcats, Teachers, Blown Away and most recently Patch Adams with Robin Williams.

In '78 while living in Santa Barbara , California , Cocker met Pam. Pam headed up a children's foundation for Jane Fonda. She is a natural marketer and business woman as well as genuinely nice and fun. Like Joe, Pam gives it her all...all the time. She likes to cross her "T"s and dot her "I"s. She likes to roll up her sleeves and get involved. But mostly, though very business- minded, Pam is deep-hearted. In 1991, when Joe performed his razamataz at Bill Grahm's concert in Telluride, Pam and Joe Cocker began their quest for their "piece of the Rockies ." They looked at every nook and cranny of Telluride and Colorado . When they meandered to the "banana belt" or the farming and ranching terrain of Colorado , they purchased a 160-acre lot outside of Crawford , Colorado , which is 70 miles southwest of Aspen , 150 miles northeast of Telluride and 90 miles southeast of Grand Junction , virtually marking the centerpoint of western Colorado .

By and large, where we live defines who and what we are. Pam and Joe Cocker live at the base of the Elk Mountains which is just on the outskirts of the ranching and farming community of Crawford , Colorado . Their 160-acre spread, The Mad Dog Ranch, sprawls amidst the time-fractured slabs of rock that form laccoliths which are familiarly called Needle Rock, Castle Rock and the Cathedral. Seemingly out of nowhere, these lone gigantic rocks emerge from the earth's surface as solitary fixtures in the landscape. Breast-shaped mountains void of serrated peaks, semi-arid plains and gracefully curved valleys add further variants to the contour and romance of The Mad Dog Ranch. Overlooking a sea of rugged tranquility, the Cockers look onto nature's tapestry of colors, wildlife, their Ankole Watusi cattle, quarter horses, two dogs and three cats.

The Cocker's 17,000- square foot castle-like mansion seems to take on the mood of the clime. Michael Rich, a contractor from Telluride oversaw the development of their grand domain. Pam and her girlfriend, who is a professional interior designer, furnished, decorated and nurtured every square inch of the Architect's Digest type-ofhome. There are several motifs going throughout the house, usually decorating adjacent two rooms somewhat similarly, then creating an all-together different look. For example, they have a lovely "Cowboy" bedroom which is right across from the "Indian" bedroom. Down the hall from these rooms is the stately "Green" bedroom which is graced with a grand antique bed that stands at least 15 feet tall. Their master suite houses its own kitchenette, his and her's bathrooms complete with a sauna and Jacuzzi tub, an office and workout room. The sleeping quarters has a to-die-for entertainment center and a marvelous bed covered in fine navy blue and rose tapestry coordinated with a matching floor piece. In the corner, a "cat tree" stands with at least four sleeping quarters for their feline entourage. They love their pets.

To call the main floor magnificent could be an understatement. Pillars, cherry wood built-in bookcases, grand windows and a grand piano highlight the downstairs. Posterity accents such as a miniature Ray Charles can be found throughout the house. Admittedly, Pam says that they spend most all their time in the family room, kitchen and bedroom. When they aren't reading in one of these rooms, they like to spend time fishing, walking with their dogs, Chili and Chunk, and gardening. Pam also likes to motorcycle throughout Colorado , while Joe likes to get on his horse on head for the hills.

A quintessential part of the Cockers is that they believe in community and the "neighbors helping neighbors" concept. Their non-profit organization gives kids a helping hand. " Delta County is the fourth poorest county in Colorado , so we are drawn to aid youth achieve their goals," says Joe. "The purpose of the foundation is to provide a community resource that assists youth up to the age of 21 in the areas of education, recreation, the arts, athletics, medial emergencies and other needs which provide opportunity.

The Cocker Kids' Foundation focuses on fostering accountability and responsibility in youth. For example, upon a child being selected to receive monies from the Foundation, that child may be asked to wash an elders-inneed windows or run errands for a community member, who just can't do it all, or volunteer for an event. Joe and Pam are committed to helping the kids of North Fork Valley reach their goals. The Cocker's frequent Telluride, often through philanthropic endeavors such as the AIDS Benefit. They also give tours of their spectacular Mad Dog Ranch to raise money for Colorado youths in need as well as run their famous Mad Dog Café which is wellworth a visit well in beautiful Crawford , Colorado .