Mike Bloomfield (left) and Al Kooper (right) album cover

Al Kooper (born Alan Peter Kuperschmidt, February 5, 1944, in Brooklyn, New York) is an American songwriter, record producer and musician, probably best known for organizing the group Blood, Sweat & Tears, though he did not stay with the group long enough to share its popularity. He also joined guitarist Mike Bloomfield and Stephen Stills of CSNY fame and recorded the Super Session album. Image File history File links Bloomfieldkoooper2. ... Image File history File links Bloomfieldkoooper2. ... February 5 is the 36th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar. ... 1944 (MCMXLIV) was a leap year starting on Saturday. ... Brooklyn (named for the Dutch city Breukelen) is one of the five boroughs of New York City. ... NY redirects here. ... A songwriter is someone who writes the lyrics to songs, the musical composition or melody to songs, or both. ... In the music industry, a record producer (or music producer) has many roles, among them controlling the recording sessions, coaching and guiding the musicians, and supervising the recording, mixing and mastering processes. ... A musician is a person who plays or composes music Musicians can be classified by their role in creating or performing music: A singer (or vocalist) uses his or her voice as an instrument. ... Blood, Sweat & Tears (a. ... For the astronaut, see Michael J. Bloomfield Michael Bernard Bloomfield (July 28, 1943 – February 15, 1981) was an American musician, guitarist and composer, born in Chicago, Illinois, into a well-off Jewish family on Chicagos North Side. ... Stephen Stills Stephen Arthur Stills is an American guitarist and singer/songwriter best known for his work with the Buffalo Springfield and Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young. ... Crosby, Stills & Nash, also Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young when including occasional fourth member Neil Young, are a folk rock/rock supergroup. ... Album cover of 2003 re-release of Super Session. ... An album is a collection of related audio tracks distributed to the public. ...

Career

His first musical success was as a fourteen year old guitarist in The Royal Teens, best known for their novelty twelve-bar blues riff, "Short Shorts". In 1960, he joined the songwriting team of Bob Brass and Irwin Levine, who wrote the hit, "This Diamond Ring", for Gary Lewis and the Playboys. When he was twenty one, Kooper moved to Greenwich Village. A guitarist is a musician who plays the guitar. ... A novelty song is a usually intentionally humorous song, usually in published or recorded form. ... Twelve bar blues is a chord progression, typical of blues and later influenced musics. ... 1960 (MCMLX) was a leap year starting on Friday (the link is to a full 1960 calendar). ... In popular music, a chart-topper is an extremely popular recording, identified by its inclusion in a ranked list—a chart—of top selling or otherwise judged most popular releases. ... This Diamond Ring is a 1965 pop song written by Al Kooper, Bob Brass and Irwin Levine. ... Gary Lewis and the Playboys were a 1960s pop group, fronted by Gary Lewis, son of comedian Jerry Lewis. ... The Washington Square Arch Greenwich Village (IPA pronunciation: ), also called simply the Village, is a largely residential area on the west side of downtown (southern) Manhattan in New York City named after Greenwich, London. ...

He performed with Bob Dylan in concert in 1965, and in the recording studio in 1965 and 1966, including playing Hammond organ with Dylan at the (in)famous Newport Folk Festival of 1965. He worked extensively with Mike Bloomfield for a number of years after the two met as session musicians on Dylan's Highway 61 Revisited album. Kooper also played organ with Dylan during his 1981 world tour. Bob Dylan (born Robert Allen Zimmerman, May 24, 1941) is a Grammy, Golden Globe and Academy Award-winning American singer-songwriter, author, musician, and poet who has been a major figure in popular music for five decades. ... A classical music concert in the Rod Laver Arena, Melbourne 2005 A concert is a live performance, usually of music, before an audience. ... A recording studio is a facility for sound recording. ... 1966 (MCMLXVI) was a common year starting on Saturday (the link is to a full 1966 calendar). ... To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ... The Newport Folk Festival is an annual folk-oriented music festival founded in 1959 by George Wein, founder of the already-well-established Newport Jazz Festival, and his partner, Albert Grossman. ... For the astronaut, see Michael J. Bloomfield Michael Bernard Bloomfield (July 28, 1943 – February 15, 1981) was an American musician, guitarist and composer, born in Chicago, Illinois, into a well-off Jewish family on Chicagos North Side. ... It has been suggested that this article or section be merged with Sideman. ... This article or section does not adequately cite its references or sources. ... An album is a collection of related audio tracks distributed to the public. ...

In 1965, he co-formed The Blues Project, although he left them shortly before their most famous gig at the Monterey Pop Festival in 1967. He formed Blood, Sweat & Tears in the same year, leaving after the group's first album, Child Is Father to the Man, in 1968. 1965 (MCMLXV) was a common year starting on Friday (the link is to a full 1965 calendar). ... The Blues Project was a short-lived rock and roll band from the Greenwich Village neighborhood of New York City that was formed in 1965 and split up in 1967. ... A classical music concert in the Rod Laver Arena, Melbourne 2005 A concert is a live performance, usually of music, before an audience. ... Poster promoting the festival The Monterey International Pop Music Festival took place from June 16 to June 18, 1967. ... 1967 (MCMLXVII) was a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar (the link is to a full 1967 calendar). ... Blood, Sweat & Tears (a. ... Child Is Father to the Man is the debut album by a Blood, Sweat & Tears, released in February of 1968 (see 1968 in music). ... 1968 (MCMLXVIII) was a leap year starting on Monday. ...

Kooper played on hundreds of records, including The Rolling Stones, B.B. King, The Who and Cream. On occasion, he has even overdubbed on his own efforts, as on The Live Adventures Of Mike Bloomfield & Al Kooper album, as Roosevelt Gook. He discovered the band Lynyrd Skynyrd, and produced their first three albums, including the single, "Sweet Home Alabama". Kooper also wrote the score for the TV series, Crime Story, and has also written music for several made-for-television movies. Kooper also produced a now rare album by a group called Appaloosa. The Beatles Magical Mystery Tour as a 33 â…“ LP vinyl record A gramophone record (also phonograph record, or simply record) is an analogue sound recording medium consisting of a flat disc with an inscribed modulated spiral groove starting near the periphery and ending near the center of the disc. ... “Rolling Stones” redirects here. ... Riley B. King aka B. B. King (b. ... The Who are an English rock band who first emerged in 1964. ... Cream were a 1960s British rock band, which consisted of guitarist Eric Clapton, bassist Jack Bruce and drummer Ginger Baker. ... Lynyrd Skynyrd (pronounced lÄ•h-nérd skin-nérd) or (IPA pronunciation: ) is a U.S. Southern rock band, described by All Music Guides Stephen Thomas Erlewine as the definitive Southern rock band, fusing the overdriven power of blues-rock with a rebellious, Southern image and a hard... In the music industry, a record producer (or music producer) has many roles, among them controlling the recording sessions, coaching and guiding the musicians, and supervising the recording, mixing and mastering processes. ... A collection of various CD singles In music, a single is a short recording of one or more separate tracks. ... Sweet Home Alabama can refer to: A song by Lynyrd Skynyrd A movie starring Reese Witherspoon and Josh Lucas This is a disambiguation page — a navigational aid which lists other pages that might otherwise share the same title. ... For other uses, see Television (disambiguation). ... Crime Story Season 1 From l to r: Bill Campbell, Bill Smitrovich, Dennis Farina, Paul Butler, Steve Ryan Crime Story Season 2 From l to r: Paul Butler, Bill Smitrovich, Dennis Farina Crime Story was an NBC TV series created by Gustave Reininger and Chuck Adamson. ... For other uses, see Music (disambiguation). ... Film is a term that encompasses individual motion pictures, the field of film as an art form, and the motion picture industry. ...

Kooper has published a memoir, Backstage Passes: Rock 'n' Roll Life In The Sixties (1977), now available in revised form as Backstage Passes & Backstabbing Bastards: Memoirs of a Rock 'N' Roll Survivor (1998). The latter includes indictments against manipulators within the music industry, including his one-time business manager, Stan Polley. The music industry is the industry that creates, performs, promotes, and preserves music. ... Look up Management in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... Stan Polley (date of birth unknown) was an American music entrepreneur who for a time managed the business ventures of the band Badfinger. ...

Kooper currently teaches songwriting and production at Berklee College of Music in Boston, and plays weekend concerts with his bands The ReKooperators and The Funky Faculty. Berklee College of Music, founded in 1945, is an independent music college in Boston, Massachusetts with many prominent faculty, staff, alumni, and visiting artists. ... Nickname: City on the Hill, Beantown, The Hub (of the Universe)1, Athens of America, The Cradle of Revolution, Puritan City, Americas Walking City Location in Massachusetts, USA Counties Suffolk County Mayor Thomas M. Menino(D) Area    - City 232. ...

"Like a Rolling Stone" Session

Kooper's most notable playing with Dylan is the striking organ parts on "Like a Rolling Stone". Kooper had been invited to the session as an observer, and hoped to be allowed to sit in on guitar, his primary instrument. After hearing Mike Bloomfield warming up, and recognizing that Bloomfield was a much better player, Kooper put his guitar aside and went to the control room. During the recording of "Like a Rolling Stone", Paul Griffin moved from organ to piano. Organ in Katharinenkirche, Frankfurt am Main, Germany The organ is a keyboard instrument played using one or more manuals and a pedalboard. ... Music sample: Bob Dylan - Like a Rolling Stone ( file info) — 30 seconds (of 6:10) Problems listening to the file? See media help. ... This article or section does not adequately cite its references or sources. ... A musical instrument is a device constructed or modified with the purpose of making music. ... For the astronaut, see Michael J. Bloomfield Michael Bernard Bloomfield (July 28, 1943 – February 15, 1981) was an American musician, guitarist and composer, born in Chicago, Illinois, into a well-off Jewish family on Chicagos North Side. ... Paul Griffin may refer to: Paul Griffin (basketball) Paul Griffin (Gaelic football) This human name article is a disambiguation page — a list of pages that might otherwise share the same title, which is a persons or persons name. ... A short grand piano, with the top up. ...

Kooper told producer Tom Wilson that he had a good organ part for the song (which he later noted was just a ruse to get into the session), and Wilson responded "You're not an organ player, you're a guitar player", but Kooper insisted that he play. Before Wilson could explicitly reject Kooper, he got a phone call. Kooper went and sat down at the organ, though he had rarely played organ before the session. Wilson soon returned, surprised to find Kooper in the studio. You can hear the organ coming in just behind the other members of the band at many places in the song, to make sure he was getting the chords right. During recording, Dylan famously said, "Turn the organ up," and a classic rock organ part was born. While the combination of piano and organ was common in church settings, it was relatively new to pop music and attracted considerable attention. This does not adequately cite its references or sources. ... For popular music (music produced commercially rather than art or folk music), see Popular music. ...

The organ was the iconic Hammond B3. Kooper later revealed that because it is a somewhat complicated instrument to turn on (hold one switch for a count, then flip the other switch), had it not already been done by someone else at the studio, he probably would not have figured it out on his own, and would never have maneuvered his way into the role as organist on these sessions.^{[citation needed]} It has been suggested that this article or section be merged with Hammond organ. ...

Discography

Solo

• I Stand Alone (1968)
• You Never Know Who Your Friends Are (1969)
• Easy Does It (1970)
• New York City (You're A Woman) (July 1971)
• A Possible Projection of the Future / Childhood's End (July 1972)
• Naked Songs (1973)
• Act Like Nothing's Wrong (January 1977)
• Championship Wrestling (1982)
• Rekooperation (June 1994)
• Soul of a Man (February 1995)
• Rare and Well Done (September 2001)

• Fillmore East: The Lost Concert Tapes 12/13/68 (With Mike Bloomfield) (April 2003)
• Black Coffee (August 2005)

I Stand Alone is the title of New York City based singer-songwriter Al Koopers 1968 début album, issued on Columbia Records, recorded after his monumentally successful collaboration with Michael Bloomfield and Stephen Stills, Super Session. ... 1968 (MCMLXVIII) was a leap year starting on Monday. ... You Never Know Who Your Friends Are was the second album by New York City-based singer-songwriter Al Kooper, issued in 1969 on Columbia Records. ... For the Stargate SG-1 episode, see 1969 (Stargate SG-1). ... Easy Does It was the third solo album by New York City-based singer-songwriter Al Kooper, recorded and released in 1970 for Columbia Records. ... 1970 (MCMLXX) was a common year starting on Thursday. ... New York City (Youre A Woman) is the fourth album by singer-songwriter Al Kooper for Columbia Records, recorded and released in 1971. ... 1971 (MCMLXXI) was a common year starting on Friday. ... A Possible Projection of the Future / Childhoods End is Al Koopers fifth album, recorded for and released by Columbia Records in 1972. ... 1972 (MCMLXXII) was a leap year starting on Saturday. ... Naked Songs is the sixth and final album by singer-songwriter Al Kooper for Columbia Records, recorded and released in 1973. ... 1973 (MCMLXXIII) was a common year starting on Monday. ... For the album by Ash, see 1977 (album). ... 1982 (MCMLXXXII) was a common year starting on Friday of the Gregorian calendar. ... 1994 (MCMXCIV) was a common year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar, and was designated as the International Year of the Family and the International Year of the Sport and the Olympic Ideal by United Nations. ... 1995 (MCMXCV) was a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... 2001 (MMI) was a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Image File history File links Al_Kooper_-_I_Cant_Quit_Her. ... Software development stages In computer programming, development stage terminology expresses how the development of a piece of software has progressed and how much further development it may require. ... Image File history File links Al_Kooper_-_Flute_Thing. ... Software development stages In computer programming, development stage terminology expresses how the development of a piece of software has progressed and how much further development it may require. ... Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... For the astronaut, see Michael J. Bloomfield Michael Bernard Bloomfield (July 28, 1943 – February 15, 1981) was an American musician, guitarist and composer, born in Chicago, Illinois, into a well-off Jewish family on Chicagos North Side. ... 2003 (MMIII) was a common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. ... 2005 (MMV) was a common year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

Collaborative

• Super Session (With Stephen Stills and Mike Bloomfield) (1968)

• Kooper Session (With Shuggie Otis) (1969)
• Championship Wrestling (Featuring Jeff "Skunk" Baxter) (1982)

Album cover of 2003 re-release of Super Session. ... Stephen Stills Stephen Arthur Stills is an American guitarist and singer/songwriter best known for his work with the Buffalo Springfield and Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young. ... For the astronaut, see Michael J. Bloomfield Michael Bernard Bloomfield (July 28, 1943 – February 15, 1981) was an American musician, guitarist and composer, born in Chicago, Illinois, into a well-off Jewish family on Chicagos North Side. ... 1968 (MCMLXVIII) was a leap year starting on Monday. ... Image File history File links Super_Session_-_Alberts_Shuffle. ... Software development stages In computer programming, development stage terminology expresses how the development of a piece of software has progressed and how much further development it may require. ... Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... Kooper Session is the second-in-line of the Super Session albums featuring singer-songwriter Al Kooper. ... Shuggie Otis (born in 1953) is an American rock, blues, and funk guitarist and songwriter. ... For the Stargate SG-1 episode, see 1969 (Stargate SG-1). ... Jeff Skunk Baxter Jeff Skunk Baxter (born December 13, 1948 in Washington, D.C.) is an American rock guitarist. ... 1982 (MCMLXXXII) was a common year starting on Friday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

Compilation

• Al's Big Deal / Unclaimed Freight / An Al Kooper Anthology (1975)

1975 (MCMLXXV) was a common year starting on Wednesday. ...

External links

• Official Al Kooper website
• Al Kooper's Myspace page with Bio
• Extensive audio interview with Terry Gross on NPR's 'Fresh Air' program, January 3, 2004
• The Jimi Hendrix Experience by Al Kooper
• Michael Bloomfield Discography