I Like Bob Dylan
Bob Dylan, Al Kooper, and "Like a Rolling Stone"
Al Kooper's first musical success was as a 14-year-old guitarist in the "Royal Teens," best known for their 1958 ABC Records novelty hit, "Short Shorts."
He joined the "Blues Project" in 1965 and left the band shortly before their gig at the Monterey Pop Festival in 1967.
Kooper has played on hundreds of records, including ones by The Rolling Stones, Jimi Hendrix, B.B. King, The Who, Alice Stewart and Cream.
in 1965, record producer Tom Wilson invited Kooper to a recording session he was producing for Dylan's "Highway 61 Revisited" album.
Kooper had been invited to the session as an observer and hoped to be allowed to sit in on guitar, his primary instrument.
He uncased his guitar and began tuning it.
After hearing Mike Bloomfield, who was the hired session guitarist, warming up, Kooper concluded that Bloomfield was a much better guitarist, so he put his guitar aside and retreated into the control room.
As the recording session progressed, keyboardist Paul Griffin was moved from the Hammond organ to piano.
Kooper quickly suggested to Tom Wilson that he had a "great organ part" for the song, (which was complete B.S.), and Wilson responded, "Al, you're not an organ player, you're a guitar player."..but Kooper stood his ground.
Before Tom Wilson could explicitly say "no" to Kooper's suggestion, he was interrupted by a phone call in the control room.
Kooper immediately went into the studio and sat down at the organ, though he had rarely played organ before the session.
When Tom Wilson returned and saw Kooper at the organ, he said, "Hey, what are you doing there?"
Kooper just sat there and laughed, and Wilson let the session continue
Kooper, not knowing the music for Dylan's new song, ("Like a Rolling Stone"), played an eighth note behind the other members of the band to make sure he was playing the proper chords.
During a playback of tracks in the control room, Bob Dylan said to Wilson, "Turn up the organ."
Wilson replied, "Man, that guy's not an organ player, he's a guitar player."
Dylan said, "I don't what he is, turn up the organ."
That day, Al Kooper became an organist, and after that session, many bands invited him to play organ for them in recording sessions.
Al Kooper's first musical success was as a 14-year-old guitarist in the "Royal Teens," best known for their 1958 ABC Records novelty hit, "Short Shorts."
He joined the "Blues Project" in 1965 and left the band shortly before their gig at the Monterey Pop Festival in 1967.
Kooper has played on hundreds of records, including ones by The Rolling Stones, Jimi Hendrix, B.B. King, The Who, Alice Stewart and Cream.
in 1965, record producer Tom Wilson invited Kooper to a recording session he was producing for Dylan's "Highway 61 Revisited" album.
Kooper had been invited to the session as an observer and hoped to be allowed to sit in on guitar, his primary instrument.
He uncased his guitar and began tuning it.
After hearing Mike Bloomfield, who was the hired session guitarist, warming up, Kooper concluded that Bloomfield was a much better guitarist, so he put his guitar aside and retreated into the control room.
As the recording session progressed, keyboardist Paul Griffin was moved from the Hammond organ to piano.
Kooper quickly suggested to Tom Wilson that he had a "great organ part" for the song, (which was complete B.S.), and Wilson responded, "Al, you're not an organ player, you're a guitar player."..but Kooper stood his ground.
Before Tom Wilson could explicitly say "no" to Kooper's suggestion, he was interrupted by a phone call in the control room.
Kooper immediately went into the studio and sat down at the organ, though he had rarely played organ before the session.
When Tom Wilson returned and saw Kooper at the organ, he said, "Hey, what are you doing there?"
Kooper just sat there and laughed, and Wilson let the session continue
Kooper, not knowing the music for Dylan's new song, ("Like a Rolling Stone"), played an eighth note behind the other members of the band to make sure he was playing the proper chords.
During a playback of tracks in the control room, Bob Dylan said to Wilson, "Turn up the organ."
Wilson replied, "Man, that guy's not an organ player, he's a guitar player."
Dylan said, "I don't what he is, turn up the organ."
That day, Al Kooper became an organist, and after that session, many bands invited him to play organ for them in recording sessions.
