From yesterday's Alice Cooper to today's Al Kooper

Al Kooper formed the group Blood, Sweat and Tears, but left after their first album was released in '68. None of the tracks from this elegantly arranged and highly worthwhile album charted, but Kooper had already tasted Top 40 success as guitarist for the Royal Teens (and only 14 years old at the time), co-writer of Gary Lewis and the Playboy's This Diamond Ring and the man who laid down the spooky, unforgettable organ licks on Dylan's Like a Rolling Stone (among many other Dylan songs from Highway 61 Revisited and Blonde on Blonde). That's only the tip of the iceberg when it comes to his accomplishments (Super Session, for example, you know you love that album) and today he celebrates his 66th birthday. He wrote half the tunes on BS&T's debut, Child Is Father to the Man, including this one. Happy Birthday, Al.

Comments

[Sandra Haas]

Those who know Koop tend to love his work with The Blues Project and count it as among his very best. This New York City - based group was locally popular in the late 1960s and their self-named album scored very highly among the cognoscenti folkies, blues fans and heavy rockers, as well as many of the surviving beatniks and the college crowd. Al Kooper also produced Lynyrd Skynyrd and was responsible for launching them into fame. As a writer, producer, engineer and musician, Al Kooper rates as nothing less than a genius: the man is brilliant.