My Take
Al Kooper is one of those guys who was everywhere in the 1960s and somehow never got the credit he deserved — until 2023 when the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame finally caught up with him. The story of how he crashed the "Like a Rolling Stone" session, told Bob Dylan he played organ (he barely did at the time), and then laid down one of the most recognizable keyboard riffs in rock history is almost too good to be true, except it absolutely is. He co-founded Blood, Sweat and Tears, discovered Lynyrd Skynyrd, produced early Tubes albums, played on that gorgeous French horn-drenched Rolling Stones track — the man's fingerprints are on a staggering chunk of rock and soul history. Brooklyn born, Berklee trained, and constitutionally incapable of staying in one lane, Kooper is the ultimate musical utility player who happened to be brilliant at everything he touched.
Overview
Al Kooper (born Alan Peter Kuperschmidt; February 5, 1944) is an American songwriter, record producer, and musician. Throughout much of the 1960s and 1970s he was a prolific studio musician, including playing organ on the Bob Dylan song "Like a Rolling Stone", French horn and piano on the Rolling Stones song "You Can't Always Get What You Want", and lead guitar on Rita Coolidge's "The Lady's Not for Sale".
1. Profile
- Name (English)
- Al Kooper
- Name (Japanese)
- アル・クーパー
- Reading
- ある・くーぱー
- Born
- February 5, 1944 (age 82)
- Zodiac / Chinese zodiac
- Aquarius / Monkey
- Origin
- Brooklyn, New York, United States
- Blood type
- Private
- Height
- Private
- Agency
- Private
- Occupation
- record producer / music educator / pianist / guitarist / songwriter
2. Background
- Elementary school
- Private
- Junior high
- Private
- High school
- Martin Van Buren High School
- University
- Berklee College of Music
Awards & achievements
- Musicians Hall of Fame and Museum
- 2023 Rock and Roll Hall of Fame
3. Relationships
- Spouse
- Private
- Children
- Private
- Parents
- Private
- Siblings
- Private
4. Personality
Motto
Private
6. Links
7. About this entry
Tags
- Last updated
- 2026-06-02
Facts are limited to publicly available information up to 2024; non-public items are marked "Private / Unknown". English text is machine-assisted (facts translated by Sonnet, "My Take" written by Opus 4.8). The Japanese page is the source of record.