One of the funniest rock memoirs ever, Al Kooper's Backstage Passes is available again, a rock 'n roll classic, updated and revised, with an introduction by Dan Akroyd. His quirkly life, from teen-rocker to crashing Bob Dylan's recording session and playing the organ on Highway 61, to forming Blood, Sweat, and Tears and masterminding the Super Sessions, it's all here. In this updated version, Al rides all the way back to the end of the 20th century.There has never been a more wickedly humorous and honest book by a man who has made such rock history. Oldies.com
A professional since his teens, Al Kooper first turned heads with his organ on Dylan’s “Like A Rolling Stone.” He has had an incredible career as musician, producer and song-writer. His keyboards powered the Rolling Stones’ “You Can’t Always Get What You Want,” and the iconoclastic sound of Blood, Sweat & Tears.
Onstage, he's performed with Hendrix, B.B. King, Tom Petty, and George Harrison, among many others. His work on Skynryd's albums led to their massive hits, including the all-time biggest rock anthem “Free Bird.” In all, twelve of his recordings made "Rolling Stone's 500 Greatest Albums."
Just as The Rascals had successfully emerged from Joey Dee’s Starlighters, The Four Seasons and Blood, Sweat & Tears evolved right before our cameras, as well.
It began in the late Fifties with a one-shot group, The Royal Teens and their summertime novelty hit “(Who Wears) Short-Shorts” with group members Al Kooper and Bob Gaudio. Al Kooper created The Blues Project, which led to Blood Sweat & Tears, and Bob Gaudio became the musical backbone of The Four Season.
Al Kooper & the Blues Project at the Café a Go Go on Bleecker Street
Al Kooper practically grew-up in front of our cameras, first in the late 50s as a member of the Royal Teens, he reappeared in the mid-Sixties, on his “incandescent” electric organ, fronting The Blues Project with guitarist Danny Kalb. The group cut three albums, and settled into the Café a Go Go on Bleecker Street, playing an electric-folk, bluesy-jazz synthesis. Out of The Blues Project grew Blood, Sweat and Tears, (with Steve Katz and Bobby Colomby), an idea that Kooper had been toying with, augmenting a traditional rock quartet with a horn section, fusing rock and jazz (“You’ve Made Me So Very Happy,” “Spinning Wheel”). The last-minute addition of David Clayton-Thomas on lead-vocals sent Blood, Sweat & Tears to the charts, creating an all-new sound.
Reportedly, Judy Collins had seen the Canadian blues singer perform at a New York City club and was so moved by his performance that she told her friends Bobby Colomby and Steve Katz about him (knowing that they were looking for a new lead singer to front the band).
Al Kooper and Blood, Sweat & Tears
Kooper also played keyboards with Bob Dylan on "Like A Rolling Stone" and " You Can't Always Get What You Want" with The Rolling Stones and "All Those Years Ago" with George Harrison, and played on sessions with Jimi Hendrix, B. B. King, Gene Pitney and the first rock jam albums with Mike Bloomfield, Stephen Stills and Johnny Winter.
His production credits include "Free Bird" & "Sweet Home Alabama" by Lynyrd Skynyrd, Bob Dylan's "New Morning" album, and if that’s not enough, he wrote “This Diamond Ring” for Gary Lewis & the Playboys. Any one of these amazing credits would be enough to grant celebrity status, yet surprisingly, Al Kooper is not a household name – revered mostly in the inner-circle of the music biz.
His latest project Al Kooper and the Funky Faculty is a tight sextet with guitar, horns, and his stirring organ- keyboard and raspy vocals. Nowhere near resting on his laurels, Kooper is at a peak in his career.
and we didn't even mention his writing "This Diamond Ring"
for Gary Lewis and The Playboys!)
This page was last updated: February 7, 2009
This man played keyboards on:
A) "Like A Rolling Stone" by Bob Dylan
B) "You Can't Always Get What You Want" by
The Rolling Stones
C) "All Those Years Ago" by George Harrison
Al Kooper: "Good Lord, February 5th, I'll be 65 years old and still not retired (tired, perhaps). February 7th is a celebration at BB Kings in NYC with a few old friends onboard.
One show only that night. And for New Englanders, my spin-off rockabilly trio is playing February 15th at my restaurant, the Highland Kitchen in Somerville, MA.
Great food and great retro music that night starting at 10 PM."
Coming up in February is a digital download boxset from SONY called "50/50" It represents his 50th year in the biz with 50 remastered songs from his Columbia Records catalogue circa 1968−2006. There are 6 unreleased tracks included featuring demos, backing tracks, out−takes and live recordings. Many of these tracks have never been released in the US on CD, so this is their first digital appearance and Kooper has re−mastered the entire album.
An enclosed "booklet" is interactive and contains scads of unreleased photos, musicians listed for all songs and a few short sentences about each track by Kooper and liner notes by James Isaacs & Bob Lefsetz.
I think any true fan of his solo albums from that time period on Columbia will really enjoy this unexpected treat. Downloadable on i−Tunes February 3rd and right here on his website as well.
