"...almost no one alive has lived as much rock 'n' roll history as Mr. Kooper..." SUNDAY NEW YORK TIMES
"Considered one of the most formidable talents in modern music, he's played a key role in tens of millions of albums and singles sold in the last forty years." ~ MUSIC CONNECTION MAGAZINE ~ September 20, 2005
Over the course of Al Kooper's career, he has been a bandleader, studio musician, solo artist, songwriter, talent scout, and producer. Fronting the Blues Project; forming Blood, Sweat & Tears; playing sessions with Bob Dylan and the Rolling Stones; discovering Lynyrd Skynyrd; producing the Tubes; and authoring the memoir Backstage Passes & Backstabbing Bastards were just a few of the stops that he made along the way.
But if one moment changed Kooper's life, it happened the day he sat in on a Bob Dylan session in 1965. Dylan was working out a new, five-minute song with a lot of words; Kooper was determined to get himself on the record and swore he had the perfect organ part. Even though he wasn't yet an organist and had no idea what he'd be playing, he sat down at the Hammond and went for it. The result: "Like a Rolling Stone," with some of rock's most recognizable organ licks.
A professional musician since his early teens, Al Kooper enjoyed his first real taste of pop music success during the nascent days of rock and roll as popular music. He joined The Royal Teens, who had a Top 5 hit with the tune "Short Shorts" in 1958 and a Top 30 hit a year later with "Believe Me." Subsequently Kooper was invited by producer Tom Wilson to watch a Bob Dylan session - which ended in Al playing the signature organ riff on Dylan's "Like A Rolling Stone," alongside blues guitarist Mike Bloomfield.
His association and friendship with Bloomfield lasted until the guitarist's death in 1981, spawning the million-selling Super Session album with Stephen Stills, as well as the highly regarded Live Adventures of Mike Bloomfield & Al Kooper. His relationship with Dylan has continued over the last 30 years, playing with him on record and on stage, as well as producing Dylan's "New Morning" album.
Kooper joined the Blues Project along with guitarist Danny Kalb, bassist Andy Kulberg, guitarist Steve Katz, and drummer Roy Blumenfeld, helping spearhead the 60's urban blues sound with critically hailed records and widely acclaimed live performances. ("Two Trains Running" on Kooper's fiery live album, SOUL OF A MAN illustrates just how remarkable the Blues Project can still sound live.)
After two years and three records with the Blues Project, Kooper started hearing another sound in his head. It started with the blues, but added killer horn charts without losing the rock edge. That idea became the trend-setting Blood Sweat & Tears. The original horn section included Dick Halligan on trombone, Jerry Weiss and Randy Brecker on trumpets and Fred Lipsius on alto sax.
Kooper left Blood Sweat and Tears in 1968 after just one album, CHILD IS FATHER TO THE MAN.
Moving to the Columbia Records A&R department, Kooper began recording albums; first with Mike Bloomfield (the top-ten SUPER SESSION), then Shuggie Otis, and his own solo debut, I STAND ALONE. He continued to do session work, adding his keyboards to records by The Rolling Stones (Al played on "You Can't Always Get What You Want"), Jimi Hendrix ("Long Hot Summer Nights"), The Who ("Rael"), and innumerable others. He also scored the Hal Ashby film The Landlord in 1970.
In 1972, Kooper moved to Atlanta where he discovered Lynyrd Skynyrd. He formed his own label (Sounds of the South) to put out their records, and produced their first three albums, which included the massive hits "Sweet Home Alabama," "Saturday Night Special," and "Free Bird." In 1974 he sold Sounds of the South to MCA Records and moved to Los Angeles.
In 1977, his autobiography, Backstage Passes, was published. A beefed-up version,"Backstage Passes & Backstabbing' Bastards," debuted in the fall of 1998.
Moving to England in 1979, Kooper continued producing, adding David Essex & Eddie & The Hot Rods to his burgeoning productions list. He played on and arranged three tracks on George Harrison's SOMEWHERE IN ENGLAND album, performing with the remaining Beatles, Harrison, Paul McCartney and Ringo Starr on the No. 1 single "All Those Years Ago."
In 1980 Kooper returned to the US, producing a record with country rocker Joe Ely, touring with Dylan and the reunited Blues Project and releasing a new album (Championship Wrestling) after a six-year recording hiatus. He scored producer/director Michael Mann's Crime Story TV series, writing original music for each episode - giving the show it's 60's noir feel. He also wrote music for the Emmy Award-winning miniseries, The Drug Wars as well as producing some of the soundtrack for the John Waters film "Cry Baby".
The summer of 1991 found Kooper playing keyboards & guitar as a member of Joe Walsh's Ordinary Average Guy tour. During the fall, he took on musical director chores for Ray Charles 50th Anniversary cable TV special. In 1992, he became music director for the strangest band of all. Backstage Passes (his autobiography) qualified him as a member of the Rock Bottom Remainders, a loosely affiliated rock band made up of authors including Dave Barry, Stephen King, Dave Marsh, Amy Tan, Barbara Kingsolver, Matt Groening and perhaps ten other writers. Their touring adventures became grist for their own book, 1995's hysterical Mid-life Confidential, published by Viking/Penguin, now a remainder, itself.
"It was hilarious and wonderful," he laughs. "They are terrific people. We had the only rock and roll tour bus TV that had the McNeil Lehrer Report tuned in!"
The past ten years have included the Bob Dylan 30th Anniversary Tribute at Madison Square Garden, joining Dylan in England at the Prince's Trust concert in Hyde Park and playing organ for the Sunday morning Gospel set at Woodstock II. (Ironically, he was asked to appear at the original Woodstock, but blew it off. "I played at Central Park that weekend for two dollars a ticket in protest of their comparative high ticket prices," he laughs. "One of my great career moves, turning down the original Woodstock!")
In 1993 the MusicMasters label asked Kooper if he would record an instrumental album for them. The result of this synergy, REKOOPERATION came out with coast to coast raves from even the usually staid critics. The personnel from that CD made up Kooper's band The Rekooperators, boasting late-night stalwarts Anton Fig on drums and Jimmy Vivino on guitar, they were joined by Al's boyhood chum Harvey Brooks on bass and the Uptown Horns. Their appearance on Al's 1995 double-live album, SOUL OF A MAN, was one of the highlights of that album.
Kooper continues today with his far-reachiing talents he co-produced the critically-acclaimed FOR THE LOVE OF HARRY: EVERYBODY SINGS NILSSON, a tribute to the late singer-songwriter and longtime Kooper pal, Harry Nilsson. A charity effort with all profits earmarked for The Coalition To Stop Gun Violence, Al is joined by Randy Newman, Brian Wilson, Ringo Starr, Jimmy Webb, Aimee Mann & Marc Cohn and others. He hosted the 1995 TEC Awards (The audio industry's Oscars) in New York City, bringing the crowd to it's feet with a chilling, solo performance of "I Love You More Than You'll Ever Know."
In 2001, Al was diagnosed with a debilitating condition that permanently robbed him of two-thirds of his sight. "Not to worry," he said with typical aplomb, "As long as I've got my hands and my ears, I can still see my way clear to performing the music I love."
With a sold-out tour of Japan in 2003, a critically-acclaimed new album, and a full touring schedule for 2007 Al makes it clear that he is still a formidable talent. We are proud to present Al's solo show at the 142 Throckmorton Theatre, the only Bay Area appearance on his tour.
vo/gs/ps
