Al Kooper

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Al Kooper
Kooper in 2009
Background information
Birth name	Alan Peter Kuperschmidt
Also known as	Roosevelt Gook
Born	(1944-02-05) February 5, 1944 (age 80) New York City, U.S.
Genres	Blues R&B pop rock
Occupation(s)	Musician songwriter producer
Instrument(s)	Vocals keyboards guitar bass percussion mandolin
Years active	1958–2021
Labels	ABC Columbia United Artists
Formerly of	The Blues Project Blood, Sweat & Tears The Royal Teens
Website	www.alkooper.com

Al Kooper (born Alan Peter Kuperschmidt; February 5, 1944) is a retired American songwriter, record producer, and musician, known for joining and naming Blood, Sweat & Tears, although he did not stay with the group long enough to share its popularity.^[1] 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". Kooper produced a number of one-off collaboration albums, such as the Super Session album that saw him work separately with guitarists Mike Bloomfield and Stephen Stills. In the 1970s Kooper was a successful manager and producer, recording Lynyrd Skynyrd's first three albums. He has had a successful solo career, writing music for film soundtracks, and has lectured in musical composition. Kooper was selected for induction for the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2023.