Al Kooper was the keyboardist for Bob Dylan on the albums, "Highway 61 Revisited" and "Blonde on Blonde," including the song, “Like a Rolling Stone,” (ranked number one single of all time by Rolling Stone magazine). He started as a professional songwriter in the 60s, founded the group Blood, Sweat & Tears and was a stage manager at the Monterey Pop Festival. He jammed countless times with his good friend, Jimi Hendrix, recorded with Mike Bloomfield and Stephen Stills, and played on hundreds of albums. He was a much sought-after studio musician for The Rolling Stones, B.B. King, The Who, Alice Cooper and Cream.
In the 70s, he signed the original Lynyrd Skynyrd and produced their first three albums, including the timeless classic, “Freebird,” which has elicited frenzied “requests” from shouting fans at thousands of concerts since. Al Kooper produced the first Tubes album and the production masterpiece, “White Punks on Dope.” He also wrote “Backstage Passes,” maybe the best memoir book, ever, from a musician. I recently got a chance to talk to Al and he is one tough interview, but also a loyal supporter to countless artists and a man with a big heart.