Al Kooper: Hendrix, Dylan, Skynyrd, Stones
Al Kooper's musical resume reads like a rock and roll version of Where's Waldo. Sometimes he's right there staring at you, other times you have to sleuth around to find him lurking in the shadows. But somehow the guy seems to show up on nearly every page of rock history. Ticking off Al's career highlights is akin to making a "Tape Op readership fantasy career wish list." Boldly crashing a 1965 Bob Dylan recording session and ending up playing the signature organ lines on the Highway 61 Revisited album as well as Blonde on Blonde? Check. Founding probably the first horn-based rock band — Blood, Sweat & Tears — thereby ushering in a new type of pop/rock? Check. Discovering one of the top bands of the classic rock era — Lynyrd Skynyrd — and producing, mixing, and playing on the perennial arena rock anthem, "Free Bird?" Check. Playing with Hendrix, the Stones and The Who on Electric Ladyland, Let It Bleed and The Who Sell Out? Check. Producing nearly a score of high quality solo albums with full artistic control, most of which were bequeathed very generous budgets, which are then used to hire some of the modern era's most talented musicians? Check. Being given one of Jimi Hendrix's guitars by the man himself? Check. Discovering The Zombies' nearly shelved Odessey and Oracle album and convincing the label to release it in the U.S., thereby unearthing the potentially lost "Time Of The Season"? Check. Producing The Tubes' "White Punks On Dope"? Check. Writing what is arguably the most entertaining musical autobiography (Backstage Passes and Backstabbing Bastards)? Check. And this is just the tip of the iceberg. Starting in the late 1950s, the multitalented Brooklyn native set about making it in the music industry with an intensity and ambition few others could ever claim. From his teenage tenure as a guitarist in The Royal Teens ("Short Shorts"), to co-writing "This Diamond Ring", to a teaching position at Boston's Berklee School of Music up until 2001, Kooper has not slowed down much at all. When I met with him at his Boston-area home, he was just coming off a slew of solo shows and preparing for a tour of Japan with his current band, The Funky Faculty. A gracious host with deadpan humor in spades — when I asked if we could take some photos during the interview, he demurred, "My hair won't look good for days." Al showed me around the house, including a tour of his studio, Subterranean Homesick Studio in the basement (of course) and played me numerous remastered selections from his recently released solo career retrospective album 50/50.
