Yes, one can make a fine living playing in a tribute band. But that's only the paycheck aspect of the equation. The truly fun part is that the musician is not only performing an homage to a hero he or she has probably never met but, onstage, undergoes a sort of transformation and actually BECOMES the hero.

This applies to Ledyard guitarist Eddie Shea, who performs Thursday in Norwich's Stranger Brew Pub as part of a versatile ensemble that will recreate, note for note, the iconic live Joe Cocker album called "Mad Dogs & Englishmen." Shea takes on the role of guitarist Don Preston.

The difference between this Shea's participation and virtually every other tribute concert or act?

Shea and Cocker were longtime, close friends. The relationship came about because, in addition to Shea's substantial guitar chops, he's an in-demand road manager for international touring bands and has worked with artists ranging from Bad Brains and 24/7 Spies to the Black Keys and Venom to Bonnie Raitt and Neil Finn. But his primary gig in that capacity was with Cocker, for whom he went to work in 1995 as a guitar tech. Over 18 years, until the singer's death on Dec. 22, 2014, Shea toured the world with Cocker, serving as his production manager for the last six years.

"Joe was one of those guys who loved to work and be on the road," Shea says. "He'd take November and December off each year, then he'd record an album, and we'd rehearse in the south of France for two weeks and then head out. We'd do arenas in France and Germany until the summer festivals, and just play all over. One year, we played the Grand Kremlin Palace three times." Shea pauses. "I toured the world with Joe and saw so many places and did so many amazing things I never would have experienced without him."

Shea, who grew up playing in area thrash metal bands, admits he was only marginally aware of Cocker when the job offer came to join the singer's crew.

"I knew 'Mad Dogs' and the Beatles covers he did and the 'Saturday Night Live' bits about him, but I didn't realize his incredible history until I started working with him," Shea says. "And that's also when I learned what an incredible person he was."

Shea describes Cocker as warm and completely down to earth; there was no "star" behavior.

"In that camp, everyone pitched in," Shea says. "There were no white glove gigs. You did your share."

Shea remembers the first time he met Cocker: "I flew out to L.A. for rehearsals on that first tour. Everyone was staying in the Sportsmen's Lodge in Studio City, which is this hotel that's pretty famous in Hollywood circles. We were all in the bar, and I didn't really know anyone, and Joe comes up and says, 'How you doin', mate? Welcome aboard!' It was just instant and natural. Slowly, I worked my way up the ladder, and we just became very good friends. We went out to dinner all the time, and my family got Christmas cards from him every year. Joe was one of those guys who made sure that being a part of the band or crew meant you were family."

While Shea still takes select road or production manager gigs, he has a family and prefers shorter tours or stays busy as a producer/engineer in his own home studio, working on local band projects. Too, Shea has refined his guitar chops; he'd stayed so busy on the road that he even stopped playing guitar for several years. He was delighted to discover how much fun it was to play again. And when drummer Jason Wallace — owner of the Strange Brew Pub and the visionary behind the club's Classic Albums tribute nights — called Shea with an invitation to take part in a recreation of Talking Heads' "Stop Making Sense" record, the guitarist jumped on it. He's since helped out with other performances from the Classic Album shows and has signed on to play music from "The Blues Brothers" next month as part of the Strange Brew's similarly fun "Rock 'n' Roll Movies" series.

Thursday's "Mad Dogs & Englishmen" show is actually an encore presentation in honor of the second anniversary of Cocker's death. Shea originally pitched the idea to Wallace last year and, in November, 2015, a 12-member band pulled off the decidedly difficult double album, which includes distinctive takes on such tunes as the Rolling Stones' "Honky Tonk Women," The Beatles' "She Came in Through the Bathroom Window," the Box Tops' "The Letter," Traffic's "Feelin' Alright" and a fiery blues medley including material from Ray Charles, Otis Redding and Isaac Hayes.

Along with Shea, the "Mad Dog" band includes Nate Martel as Cocker; pianist Carl Bugbee as music director Leon Russell; vocalists Ashlee Renee Paradis, Christine Salazar and Tony Marshall; bassist Marty Maroney, Jr.; drummer Wallace and percussionist Robert Bernardo; and horn section Chip Fenney, Christopher Vece and Kurt Ginter.

Though this is the second performance of "Mad Dogs," there's typically a decided "tightrope-walker" aspect to the Album Tribute performances inasmuch as there are no formal rehearsals. Band members — recruited from across the area for each specific project — are responsible for learning their own parts. There is a day-of-show run-through of a few tunes during afternoon soundcheck, but the bulk of the album will be performed for the first time when the ensemble hits the stage that night.

"It's fun, but it's a challenge," Shea laughs. "We couldn't have done this without Jason. He does the leg work and finds the players and makes everything happen. We ran through a few songs at soundcheck and thought, 'Hey, this will work.' Then we hit the blues medley and — whoops! Maybe this isn't so easy! But that's part of it. You think, 'Holy crap, this is fun!' To get to play an album this good with these incredible musicians makes you remember why you picked up an instrument to begin with."   

Eddie Shea & Friends perform Joe Cocker's "Mad Dogs & Englishment," 9 p.m. Thursday, Strange Brew Pub, 297 West Main St., Norwich; free; (860) 886-7600.