What is Music Legend Al Kooper Listening To?

Al Kooper is often referred to as the "Zelig" or "Forrest Gump" of Rock. Somehow, in a career that spans 50 years, he has managed to turn up at key points in the last five decades. In 1958, Koop began his professional career as guitarist in The Royal Teens ("Short Shorts"). He metamorphisized into a Tin Pan Alley songwriter with cuts by Gary Lewis, Gene Pitney, Keely Smith, Carmen MacRae, Pat Boone, Freddie Cannon, Lulu, Lorraine Ellison, Donnie Hathaway and later was sampled by The Beastie Boys, Jay-Z, Pharcyde, and Alchemist to name but a few. In the mid-sixties, Al was a member of The Blues Project and then founded Blood Sweat & Tears, remaining only for their debut album "Child Is Father To The Man." He then slipped his producer hat on and began with the top ten album "SuperSession" in 1968 featuring Mike Bloomfield & Stephen Stills. He is well known for his organ playing on Bob Dylan's "Like A Rolling Stone." He played off & on with Dylan for many years, live and in the studio. His playing skills have graced the works of The Rolling Stones, George Harrison, The Who, Jimi Hendrix, Peter Paul & Mary, Tom Petty, Joe Cocker, BB King, Taj Mahal, Alice Cooper, Roger McGuinn, Betty Wright, Trisha Yearwood, Tracy Nelson and scores more. Major moments include playing piano, organ and FRENCH HORN for The Rolling Stones on "You Cant Always Get What You Want," keyboards on George Harrison's #1 hit "All Those Years Ago," keys on "The Who Sell Out," and on "Electric Ladyland" for Jimi Hendrix.

AL with JIMI HENDRIX and CHAS CHANDLER

As a producer he is best known for discovering Lynyrd Skynyrd and producing their first three albums including "Sweet Home Alabama," "Free Bird," "Gimme Three Steps," and "Saturday Night Special." His other producing clients included, The Tubes, Nils Lofgren, Eddie & The Hot Rods, Ray Charles, BB King, The Staple Singers, Lorraine Ellison, Bob Dylan, Joe Ely, Thelonious Monster and Green On Red. His autobiography "Backstage Passes & Backstabbing Bastards" is considered by many to be a rock n roll must-read. He scored Hal Ashby's first film "The Landlord," John Waters film "Cry Baby," Michael Mann's TV series "Crime Story" and Peter Riegert's recent directorial debut "King Of The Corner."

Lynyrd Skynyrd's SECOND HELPING album
Ronnie Van Zant, Billy Powell, Allen Collins, roadie Kevin Elson & Al Kooper

His live show accompanied by his band of Berklee professors, "The Funky Faculty," has been acclaimed all over the USA and in Japan, Italy, Spain, Demark, Finland, Norway, The Czech Republic, with more countries lining up for for 2009.

FUNKY FACULTY - 2000:
Daryl Lowery, Jeff Stout, Larry Finn, Al, Bob Doezema, Tom Stein

There are many more credits, but in interest of space, we will close with his 2005 solo album "BLACK COFFEE" released to much critical acclaim featuring four stars in MOJO magazine and three stars in Rolling Stone. It was awarded the Memphis Blues Award for Comeback Album Of The Year. His humorous appearances in the Martin Scorcese Dylan biopic "No Direction Home" were consideered a highlight by many. In 2006, he was awarded the Milestone Lifetime Achievement Award. In 2007, the AES voted him the Les Paul Award presented to Al by its namesake, and in 2008, he was inducted into the Musicians Hall Of Fame.

His latest album is WHITE CHOCOLATE: "I think it's better than BLACK COFFEE and that was no easy task!" Kooper laughs. The two songs co-authored by legendary lyricist Gerry Goffin certainly help the cause. Al has added yet another sidetrip; a three piece band that just plays the rockabilly music he grew up listening to. And most assuredly, Al will be seen in many live performances all over the world in 2009, either solo, with The Rekooperators, The Funky Faculty or his Rockabilly Trio. Not bad for a 66 year old in his 52nd professional year.

LISTEN & DOWNLOAD AL'S MUSIC

The best way to introduce Al Kooper to those that are not familiar with him is to provide documentation of his body of work. Following is a list of just some of the artists and albums Al Kooper has played on or produced:

Solo

Act Like Nothing's Wrong

Al Kooper & Steve Katz

Al's Big Deal/Unclaimed Freight

Black Coffee

Championship Wrestling

Easy Does It

Four on the Floor

I Stand Alone

Naked Songs

New York City (You're a Woman)

Possible Projection of the Future

Rare + Well Done: The Greatest…

Rekooperation

Soul of a Man: Al Kooper Live

You Never Know Who Your Friends Are

w/Mike Bloomfield

Live Adventures of Al Kooper & Mike Bloomfield

Fillmore East: The Lost Concert Tapes 12/13/68

w/Shuggie Otis

Kooper Session: Super Session, Vol. 2

Alice Cooper

Lace and Whiskey

Alvin Lee

Free Fall

Anton Fig

Figments

Atlanta Rhythm Section

Back Up Against the Wall

B.B. King

King of Blues: 1989

King of the Blues [Box]

Live & Well

Bill Wyman

Stone Alone

Blood, Sweat & Tears

Child Is Father to the Man

Classic B S T

What Goes Up: The Best of Blood, Sweat & Tears

Al with Bob Dylan at The Newport Folk Festival

Bob Dylan

30th Anniversary Concert Celebration

Blonde on Blonde

Bob Dylan's Greatest Hits, Vol. 3

Bootleg Series, Vol. 7: No Direction Home

Bootleg Series, Vols. 1-3 (Rare & Unreleased)

Dylan [1973]

Empire Burlesque

Highway 61 Revisited

Knocked Out Loaded

Masterpieces

New Morning

Other Side of the Mirror: Live at Newport Folk

Self Portrait

Thin Wild Mercury Music

Under the Red Sky

George Harrison

Somewhere in England

Dark Horse Years 1976-1992

Janis Ian

Society's Child: The Verve Recordings

Labelle

Labelle

Lynyrd Skynyrd

20th Century Masters - The Millennium Collection

Best of the Rest

Chronicles

Essential Lynyrd Skynyrd

Family

Lynyrd Skynyrd [Box Set]

Nuthin' Fancy [Bonus Tracks]

Poison Whiskey

Pronounced Leh-Nerd Skin-Nerd

Second Helping

Skynyrd Collectybles

Skynyrd's Innyrds: Their Greatest Hits

Thyrty: The 30th Anniversary Collection

Bloomfield/Kooper/Stills

Super Session

Mick Jagger

Very Best of Mick Jagger

Moby Grape

Grape Jam

Neil Diamond

In My Lifetime

Tennessee Moon

Peter, Paul and Mary

Peter, Paul and Mary Album

Ray Charles

Genius & Friends

Rick Nelson

Stay Young: The Epic Recordings

Ringo Starr

Photograph: The Very Best of Ringo Starr

Stephen Stills

Turnin' Back the Pages

Taj Mahal

Natch'l Blues

Taj's Blues

The Blues Project

Anthology

Blues Project Live at Town Hall

Live at the Café Au Go Go

Original Blues Project Reunion in Central Park

Projections

The Butterfield Blues Band

In My Own Dream

The Byrds

20 Essential Tracks from the Boxed Set: 1965-90

The Jimi Hendrix Experience

Electric Ladyland

Al with Jimi Hendrix at The Monterey Pop Festival

The Rolling Stones

Forty Licks

Let It Bleed

The Who

Odds & Sods

Who Sell Out

Who's Next [Bonus Tracks]

Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers

Playback

Tommy Bolin

From the Archives, Vol. 1

From the Archives, Vol. 2

Trisha Yearwood

Trisha Yearwood

Mayall, Clapton, Wyman, Kooper

Following is what Al is listening to on his iPod.

To listen to a sample click on the “Play” button and a list of the following tracks will be viewable, sampled and purchased.

1 Love Reign O'er Me (Live from the Kennedy Center) Bettye LaVette

2 Thinking 'Bout Somethin' Hanson

3 One Short Night Grace Potter & the Nocturnals

4 The Rest Is Noise Field Music

5 When I Still Have Thee Teenage Fanclub

6 Dreams Brandi Carlile

7 Armistice Phoenix

8 Semi-Automatic Stuedabakerbrown

9 The Trailer and the Truck Josiah Wolf

10 Collector Here We Go Magic

11 American Slang The Gaslight Anthem

12 Annabelle A Rocket to the Moon

13 What Goes Around Comes Around Lance Lopez

14 Take A Load Off (Album Version) Stone Temple Pilots

15 Maydays and Rosaries AM Taxi

16 The Waters of Forgetfulness Gerry Rafferty

17 Moving to Zion Jimmy Needham

18 Hustle Tunng

19 Always Joonie

20 Waiting for This Hanson

21 Feather White A Silent Film

22 Sitting In Limbo Miranda Dodson

23 Are You Experienced Jim Suhler & Alan Haynes

24 Question Nada Surf

25 The Letter Matt Schofield

26 Don't Dream It's Over (Album Version) Straight No Chaser

27 Sister Sadie Steve Gadd

28 I Can See Me Loving You Beth Nielsen Chapman

29 Sometimes I Don't Need to Believe in Anything Teenage Fanclub

30 Between the Needles & Nightfall Marco Benevento

31 Bring On the Wonder Sarah McLachlan

32 Mean 8mm

33 Winning Streak Unbunny

34 Over My Head Gerry Rafferty

35 No Good With Faces Jack Johnson

36 Multiply Jamie Lidell

37 Isabel BIGBANG

38 Now That You're Gone Indigenous

39 Lost and Found Anoop Desai

40 Conscious Love Gerry Rafferty

41 Dare If You Dare (Album Version) Stone Temple Pilots

42 Say It Like You Mean It Howard Jones

43 Fallen Jennifer Knapp

44 Loose Wires Unbunny

45 How We Love Beth Nielsen Chapman

46 Teeth Lisa Hannigan

47 Big Jet Plane (Radio Edit) Angus & Julia Stone

48 After All This Time The Beautiful Girls

49 Shane Martin Sexton

50 Laredo Band of Horses

51 Snowden (Rich Costey Mix) Doves

52 Maybe I'm Amazed Bettye LaVette

53 Blow This House Down Anthony Rankin

54 Wayne County Killer John 5

55 Nobody But You The Apples In Stereo

56 Jaded Tourist Widespread Panic

57 One Man Show 30db

58 Together Anthony Rankin

59 Starving Robins Horse Feathers

60 Angeline (Live) John Martyn

61 Angelina (live) Ray Charles

62 Oh What a Feeling Solomon Burke

63 Love 'N Affection Sass Jordan

64 Something Beautiful Tracy Bonham

65 Cell Phone Unbunny

66 Alibi Shelby Lynne

67 Grey Skies Nikki Yanofsky

68 She's Gone PJ Morton

69 Driven By a Beating Heart A Silent Film

70 Grave 30db

71 Fell In Love Again Sass Jordan

72 Tomorrow's Another Day Carney

73 My Name Anoop Desai

74 There Is a Reason Toots & The Maytals

75 My Little Room The Candle Thieves

76 Your Hands (Together) The New Pornographers

77 Time's Caught Up On You Gerry Rafferty

78 Ain't No Hidin' Love Deadstring Brothers

79 Wheels of Wonder (Demo Version) Kevin McDermott Orchestra

80 Foolsong Henheart

81 What I Need Sass Jordan

82 Everything I Do (Gonna Be Funky) Peter Wolf

83 The Great Outdoors The Orange Peels

84 The Widower Horse Feathers

85 Measure Field Music

86 John the Determinist Jeremy Messersmith

87 The Un-American Matt Morris

88 Long Goodbye The Nadas

89 Everyday Sausalito Foxtrot

90 After You're Gone The Len Price 3

91 Don't Leave Tyler James

92 The Drought Horse Feathers

93 My Love, My Enemy Dave Barnes