Life and career Al Kooper

kooper (with guitar) celebrating 68th birthday @ regatta bar in cambridge, massachusetts, feb. 4, 2012

kooper has played on hundreds of records, including ones rolling stones, b. b. king, who, jimi hendrix experience, alice cooper, , cream. on occasion, has overdubbed own efforts, on live adventures of mike bloomfield , al kooper , other albums, under pseudonym roosevelt gook . after moving atlanta in 1972, discovered band lynyrd skynyrd, , produced , performed on first 3 albums, including singles sweet home alabama , free bird .

he wrote score tv series crime story , film landlord , wrote music several made-for-television movies. musical force behind many of pop tunes, including re lovin end , banana splits, children s television program.

during late 1980s kooper had own dedicated keyboard studio room in historic sound emporium recording studio in nashville, next studio b.

al kooper

kooper published memoir, backstage passes: rock n roll life in sixties (1977), revised , published backstage passes , backstabbing bastards: memoirs of rock n roll survivor (1998). revised edition includes indictments of manipulators in music industry, including one-time business manager, stan polley. kooper s status published author enabled him join (and act musical director of) rock bottom remainders, band made of writers, including dave barry, stephen king, amy tan, , matt groening.

kooper celebrating 68th birthday @ regatta bar in cambridge, massachusetts, feb. 4, 2012

in may 2001, kooper awarded honorary doctorate of music berklee college of music. kooper retired teaching songwriting , recording production @ berklee college of music, in boston, , plays weekend concerts bands rekooperators , funky faculty. in 2008, participated in production of album psalngs, debut release of canadian musician john lefebvre.

kooper inducted musicians hall of fame , museum, in nashville, in 2008.

in 2005, martin scorsese produced documentary titled no direction home: bob dylan pbs american masters series in kooper s contributions recognized.