Mike Bloomfield: The Bluesman (28 July 1943 - 15 February 1981)

 

In 15 February 1981, Mickael Bloomfield's lifeless body was found locked inside a car on a side

street in San Fransisco. His mysterious drug - related death ended the troubled life of a world - Class Bluesman who had influenced an entire generation of music lovers and guitar players. He was 37.
                                  

Michael Bloomfield was one of America's first great white blues guitarists, earning his reputation on the strength of his work in the Paul Butterfield Blues Band. His expressive, fluid solo lines

and prodigious technique graced many other projects, most notably Bob Dylan's earliest electric forays, and he also pursued a solo career, with variable results. Uncomfortable with the reverential treatment afforded a guitar hero, Bloomfield tended to shy away from the spotlight after spending just a few years in it; he maintained a lower-visibility career during the '70s due to his distaste for fame and his worsening drug problems, which claimed his life in 1981.
                              

Michael Bernard Bloomfield was born July 28, 1943, into a well-off Jewish family on Chicago's North

Side. A shy, awkward loner as a child, he became interested in music through the Southern radio stations he was able to pick up at night, which gave him a regular source for rockabilly, R&B, and blues. He received his first guitar at his bar mitzvah and he and his friends began sneaking out to hear electric blues on the South Side's fertile club scene (with the help of their families' maids).
                                   

ERIC CLAPTON & MIKE BLOOMFIELD

The young Bloomfield sometimes jumped on-stage to jam with the musicians and the novelty of such a spectacle soon made him a prominent scenester. Dismayed with the turn his education was taking, his

parents sent him to a private boarding school on the East Coast in 1958 and he eventually graduated from a Chicago school for troubled youth. By this time, he'd embraced the beatnik subculture, frequenting hangout spots near the University of Chicago. He got a job managing a folk club and frequently booked veteran acoustic bluesmen; in the meantime, he was also playing guitar as a session man and around the Chicago club scene with several different bands.
                                     

In 1964, Bloomfield was discovered through his session work by the legendary John Hammond, who signed him to CBS; however, several recordings from 1964 went unreleased as the label wasn't sure how to market a white American blues guitarist. In early 1965, Bloomfield joined several

associates in the Paul Butterfield Blues Band, a racially integrated outfit with a storming, rock-tinged take on Chicago's urban electric blues sound. The group's self-titled debut for Elektra, released later that year, made them a sensation in the blues community and helped introduce white audiences to a less watered-down version of the blues. Individually, Bloomfield's lead guitar work was acclaimed as a perfectly logical bridge between Chicago blues and contemporary rock.
                                      

BOB DYLAN & MIKE BLOOMFIELD

Later, in 1965, Bloomfield was recruited for Bob Dylan's new electrified backing band; he was a prominent presence on the groundbreaking classic Highway 61 Revisited and he was also part of Dylan's epochal plugged-in performance at the 1965 Newport Folk Festival. In the meantime,

Bloomfield was developing an interest in Eastern music, particularly the Indian raga form, and his preoccupation exerted a major influence on the next Butterfield album, 1966's East-West. Driven by Bloomfield's jaw-dropping extended solos on his instrumental title cut, East-West merged blues, jazz, world music, and psychedelic rock in an unprecedented fashion. The Butterfield band became a favorite live act on the emerging San Francisco music scene and in 1967, Bloomfield quit the group to permanently relocate there and pursue new projects.
                               

Bloomfield quickly formed a new band called the Electric Flag with longtime Chicago cohort Nick

Gravenites on vocals. The Electric Flag was supposed to build on the innovations of East-West and accordingly featured an expanded lineup complete with a horn section, which allowed the group to add soul music to their laundry list of influences. The Electric Flag debuted at the 1967 Monterey Pop Festival and issued a proper debut album, A Long Time Comin', in 1968. Critics complimented the group's distinctive, intriguing sound, but found the record itself somewhat uneven.
                             

Unfortunately, the band was already disintegrating; rivalries between members and shortsighted management -- not to mention heroin abuse -- all took their toll. Bloomfield himself left the band he'd formed before their album was even released. He next hooked up with organist Al Kooper, whom

he'd played with in the Dylan band, and cut Super Session, a jam-oriented record that spotlighted his own guitar skills on one half and those of Stephen Stills on the other. Issued in 1968, it received excellent reviews and moreover became the best-selling album of Bloomfield's career. Super Session's success led to a sequel, The Live Adventures of Mike Bloomfield and Al Kooper, which was recorded over three shows at the Fillmore West in 1968 and released the following year; it featured Bloomfield's on-record singing debut.
                                    

MIKE BLOOMFIELD & JOHNNY WINTER

Bloomfield, however, was wary of his commercial success and growing disenchanted with fame. He was also tired of touring and after recording the second album with Kooper, he effectively retired for a

while, at least from high-profile activities. He did, however, continue to work as a session guitarist and producer, and also began writing and playing on movie soundtracks (including some pornographic films by the Mitchell Brothers). He played locally and occasionally toured with Bloomfield and Friends, which included Nick Gravenites and ex-Butterfield mate Mark Naftalin. Additionally, he returned to the studio in 1973 for a session with John Hammond and New Orleans pianist Dr. John; the result, Triumvirate, was released on Columbia, but didn't make much of a splash.
                                         

Neither did Bloomfield's 1974 reunion with Electric Flag and neither did KGB, a short-lived

supergroup with Barry Goldberg, Rik Grech (Traffic), and Carmine Appice that recorded for MCA in 1976. During the late '70s, Bloomfield recorded for several smaller labels (including Takoma), usually in predominantly acoustic settings; through Guitar Player magazine, he also put out an instructional album with a vast array of blues guitar styles, titled If You Love These Blues, Play 'Em as You Please.
                                    

Unfortunately, Bloomfield was also plagued by alcoholism and heroin addiction for much of the '70s, which made him an unreliable concert presence and slowly cost him some of his longtime musical

associations (as well as his marriage). By 1980, he had seemingly recovered enough to tour in Europe; that November, he also appeared on-stage in San Francisco with Bob Dylan for a rendition of "Like a Rolling Stone." However, on February 15, 1981, Bloomfield was found dead in his car of a drug overdose; he was only 37.
By Steve Huey.

MIKE BLOOMFIELD AND AL KOOPER - 1968 THE LIVE ADVENTURES OF MIKE BLOOMFIELD AND AL KOOPER  1997

                                        

Mike Bloomfield And Al Kooper – 1968 The Live Adventures Of Mike Bloomfield And Al Kooper
Label: Columbia – COL 475978-2
Format:    2 x CD, Album
Country: Europe
Released: 1997    
Genre: Rock
Style: Blues Rock, Electric Blues

DISC ONE

                                                

01. Opening Speech  (Speech [Spoken Word] – Mike Bloomfield)  1:31
02. The 59th Street Bridge Song (Feelin' Groovy)  5:33
03. I Wonder Who  (Vocals – Mike)  6:01
04. Her Holy Modal Highness    8:57
05. The Weight    3:56
06. Mary Ann  (Vocals – Mike)  5:19
07. Together 'Til The End Of Time  (Piano – Roosevelt Gook/Vocals – Al)  4:14
08. That's All Right  (Vocals – Mike)  3:18
09. Green Onions    5:20

MP3 @ 320 Size: 109 MB
Flac  Size: 271 MB

DISC TWO

                                                

01. Opening Speech - Al Kooper  (Speech [Spoken Word] – Al Kooper)  1:29
02. Sonny Boy Williamson  (Guitar – Carlos Santana/Vocals – Al)  6:05
03. No More Lonely Nights  (Vocals, Guitar – Elvin Bishop  12:23
04. Dear Mr. Fantasy  (Vocals – Al)  8:09
05. Don't Throw Your Love On Me So Strong    10:53
06. Finale - Refugee  (Guitar [Dropping On Floor] – Mike Bloomfield)  1:47

MP3 My MP3 Producer refuses to convert this CD to MP3
Flac  Size: 244 MB

MUSICIANS

                                                        

  
Al Kooper – organ, ondioline, piano (overdub as Roosevelt Gook on "Together 'Til the End of Time") and lead vocals
Mike Bloomfield – guitar and vocals
John Kahn – bass
Skip Prokop – drums
Carlos Santana – guitar on "Sonny Boy Williamson"
Elvin Bishop – guitar and lead vocal on "No More Lonely Nights"

Steve Miller and Dave Brown had also volunteered their services. Kooper says (in his book Backstage Passes & Backstabbing Bastards) that Santana, Bishop and Miller performed on three or four songs each. He says Miller "played great", but does not appear on the album because Capitol Records would not give permission.

AL KOOPER AND MIKE BLOOMFIELD - FILMORE EAST - THE LOST CONCERT TAPES 12/13/68 2004

                                                       

Al Kooper - Mike Bloomfield – Fillmore East: The Lost Concert Tapes 12/13/68
Label: Columbia – COL E253
Series:    Live From The Vaults
Format:    CD, Album, Remastered
Country: Europe
Released: 2004
Genre: Rock
Style: Blues Rock

TRACKS

                                                

01. Introductions/Speech [Spoken Word] – Mike Bloomfield  1:27
02. One Way Out  (Written-By – E. James, M. Sehorn, S. Williamson)  4:21
03. Mike Bloomfield's Introduction Of Johnny Winter/(Speech [Spoken Word] – Mike Bloomfield)  0:59
04. It's My Own Fault  (Featuring – Johnny Winter/Written-By – B.B. King, J. Taub)  10:57
05. 59th Street Bridge Song (Feelin' Groovy)  (Written-By – P. Simon)  6:16
06. (Please) Tell Me Partner  (Written-By – M. Bloomfield)  10:11
07. That's Alright, Mama  (Written-By – A. Crudup)  3:40
08. Together Till The End Of Time  (Written-By – F. Wilson)  4:30
09. Don't Throw Your Love On Me So Strong  (Written-By – A. King)  8:41
10. Season Of The Witch  (Written-By – D. Leitch)  8:59

MUSICIANS

                                          

Drums – Johnny Cresci
Executive-Producer – Bruce Dickinson
Guitar, Vocals – Johnny Winter (tracks: 4), Mike Bloomfield
Mastered By – Allan Tucker
Organ, Piano, Vocals – Al Kooper
Piano – Paul Harris
Producer – Al Kooper
    
Recorded December 13th & 14th 1968 at Bill Graham's Fillmore East.
© 2003 Sony Music Entertainment Inc.

MP3 @ 320 Size: 141 MB
Flac  Size: 354 MB

MIKE BLOOMFIELD - DON'T SAY THAT I AIN'T YOUR MAN! (ESSENTIAL BLUES 1964-1969) 1994

                                              

Mike Bloomfield - Don't Say That I Ain't Your Man! (Essential Blues 1964-1969)
Label: Columbia – 476721 2, Legacy – 476721 2
Series:    Roots n' Blues, Contemporary Blues Masters
Format:    CD, Compilation
Country: Europe
Released: 1994
Genre: Rock    
Style: Blues, Electric Blues

TRACKS

                                               

01. I've Got You In The Palm Of My Hand    2:26
02. Last Night    3:24
03. Feel So Good    2:54
04. Goin' Down Slow    3:40
05. I've Got My Mojo Working    2:39
06. Born In Chicago (With Butterfield Blues Band)    3:08
07. Work Song (With Butterfield Blues Band)    7:55
08. Killing Floor    4:11
09. Albert's Shuffle    6:54
10. Stop    4:23
11. Mary Ann    5:28
12. Don't Throw Your Love On Me So Strong    11:03
13. Don't Think About It Baby    2:34
14. It Takes Time (With Nick Gravenites)    4:07
15. Carmelita Skiffle    5:13

MP3 @ 320 Size: 167 MB
Flac  Size: 434 MB

MICKAEL BLOOMFIELD WITH NICK GRAVENITES AND FRIENDS - LIVE AT BILL GRAHAM'S FILMORE WEST 1969

 

 

Michael Bloomfield With Nick Gravenites An
d Friends – Live At Bill Graham's Fillmore West 1969
Label: Raven Records – RVCD-293
Format:    CD, Album, Compilation, Remastered
Country: Australia
Released: 2009
Genre: Rock
Style: Blues Rock

TRACKS

                                 

01. It Takes Time  (Vocals – Nick Gravenites/Written-By – Otis Rush, Willie Dixon)  4:27
02. Oh Mama  (Written-By, Vocals – Michael Bloomfield)  2:59
03. Love Got Me
(Vocals – Bob Jones/Written-By – Arthur Conley)  2:37
04. Blues On A Westside  (Written-By, Vocals – Nick Gravenites)  15:18
05. One More Mile To Go  (Vocals – Taj Mahal/Written-By – Joseph Cotton)  10:35
06. It's About Time  (Written-By, Vocals – Nick Gravenites)  7:00    
07. Carmelita Skiffle (Instrumental)  (Written-By – B. T. Jones, M. Naftalin, M. Bloomfield, N. Gravenites)  5:11
08. Killing My Love  (Written-By, Vocals – Nick Gravenites)  5:18
09. Gypsy Good Time  (Written-By, Vocals – Nick Gravenites)  4:30
10. Holy Moly  (Written-By, Vocals – Nick Gravenites)  3:54
11. Moon Tune  (Written-By, Vocals – Nick Gravenites)  8:32

BONUS TRACK

    
12. Mary Ann  (Drums – Skip Prokop/Organ, Vocals, Producer – Al Kooper)  5:28

MUSICIANS

                                                       

Baritone Saxophone – Snooky Flowers
Bass – John Kahn
Congas – Dino Andino
Drums, Vocals – Bob Jones (tracks: 1 to 11)
Guitar, Vocals – Michael Bloomfield
Liner Notes – Ian McFarlane
Mastered By – Warren Barnett
Organ – Ira Kamin (tracks: 1 to 11)
Piano – Mark Naftalin (tracks: 1 to 11)
Producer – Elliot Mazer (tracks: 1 to 11)
Tenor Saxophone – Noel Jewkis
Trumpet – John Wilmeth
Vocals – Taj Mahal
Vocals, Guitar – Nick Gravenites (tracks: 1 to 11)

MP3 @ 320 Size: 163 MB
Flac  Size: 414 MB

NICK GRAVENITES - MY LABORS (EXPANDED EDITION)  2008 (WITH MIKE BLOOMFIELD)

                                                  

This is a strong major-label debut that the Chicago-born San Francisco bluesman was unable to capitalize on. Some of the tracks are from the same session that produced Live at Bill Graham's Fillmore West by Mike Bloomfield. Gravenites, an exceptional songwriter and decent singer, benefits from the presence of the amazing Bloomfield. He elevates the fierce "Moon Tune" to dizzying heights with two dazzling, lengthy solos. Quicksilver Messenger Service backs former producer Gravenites on several studio tracks.

Nick Gravenites – My Labors
Label: Sony Records Int'l – SICP 1965
Series:    New Rock Series Young Power
Format:    CD, Album, Limited Expanded Edition, Reissue, Remastered
Country: Japan
Released: Dec 24, 2008
Genre: Rock    
Style: Blues

TRACKS

                                            

01. Killing My Love    4:29
02. Gypsy Good Time    3:55
03. Holy Moly    5:19
04. Moon Tune    8:48
05. My Labors    2:55
06. Throw Your Dog A Bone    2:35
07. As Good As You've Been To This World    10:04
08. Wintry Country Side    2:57
09. Work Me Lord    13:15
10. Born In Chicago    4:25
     

MP3 @ 320 Size: 137 MB
Flac  Size: 358 MB

MIKE BLOOMFIELD - LATE AT McCABE'S GUITAR WORKSHOP, JANUARY 1, 1977

    

Mike Bloomfield – Late At Night - McCabe's January 1, 1977
Label: RockBeat Records – ROC-3421
Format:    CD, Album
Country: US
Released: 2018
Genre: Rock
Style: Blues

ACOUSTIC PERFORMANCES    

            
01. Hymn Tune    3:34
02. Frankie And Johnny    4:41
03. I'm With You Always    3:40
04. Some Of These Days    4:58
05. Stagger Lee    4:29
06. Darktown Strutter's Ball    4:04
07. I'm Glad I'm Jewish    3:16

ELECTRIC PERFORMANCES

            
08. Medley:    (3:52)
8a. Jockey Blues    
8b. Old Folks Boogie    
09. Eyesight To The Blind    4:14
10. Bloomfield Chats    0:55
11. Don't You Lie To Me    3:32
12. A-Flat Boogaloo    5:17

MUSICIANS

                                         

Bass – Buell Neidlinger
Drums – Buddy Helm
Executive-Producer – Arny Schorr, David Skye
Guitar, Vocals – Mike Bloomfield
Keyboards – Mark Naftalin
Mastered By – Randy Perry

Recorded live at McCabe's Guitar Shop, Santa Monica, CA on Januay 1, 1977 during the late show.

MP3 @ 320 Size: 109 MB
Flac  Size: 241 MB

MIKE BLOOMFIELD - LIVE AT NIGHT McCABE'S GUITAR WORKSHOP, JANUARY 1, 1977

 

             

Mike Bloomfield – Live At McCabe's Guitar Workshop, January 1, 1977

       

Label: RockBeat Records – ROC 3392
Format:    CD, Album
Country: US
Released: 2017
Genre: Rock
Style: Blues

TRACKS

                                           

01. Women Lovin' Each Other
02. Don't You Lie To Me
03. Cherry Red
04. Hully Gully
05. Wings Of An Angel (Prisoner's Song)
06. Walkin' The Floor Over You
07. Junko Partner
08. Knockin' Myself Out
09. Prescription For The Blues
10. You Must Have Jesus

MUSICIANS

Bass – Buell Neidlinger
Drums – Buddy Helm
Guitar, Vocals – Michael Bloomfield
Keyboards – Mark Naftalin
Mastered By [Mastering] – Randy Perry
Producer [Executive Archival Producer] – David Skye

MP3 @ 320 Size: 103 MB
Flac  Size: 210 MB

MIKE BLOOMFIELD - LIVE AT THE OLD WALDORF  1976 - 77

 
    

Mike Bloomfield – Live At The Old Waldorf  1976 - 77
Label:    Columbia – 491575 2
Series: Legacy
Format:    CD, Album, Remastered  1998
Country: Austria, Europe
Released: 1976 - 77    
Genre: Rock
Style: Blues, Electric Blues

TRACKS

                           

01. Blues Medley:    (7:45)
1a. Sweet Little Angel  (Written-By – B.B. King, Jules Bihari)
1b. Jelly Jelly  (Written-By – Billy Eckstein, Earl Hines)
02. Feel So Bad  (Written-By – Lightnin' Hopkins)  4:26
03. Bad Luck Baby  (Written-By – Nick Gravenites)  5:52
04. The Sky Is Cryin'  (Written-By – Elmore James)  5:53
05. Dancin' Fool  (Written-By – Nick Gravenites)  3:49
06. Buried Alive In The Blues  (Written-By – Nick Gravenites)  4:55
07. Farther Up The Road  (Written-By – Don Robey, Joe Veasey)  3:16
08. Your Friends  (Written-By – Deadric Malone)  7:18
09. Bye, Bye  (Written-By – Nick Gravenites)  4:25

MUSICIANS

                            

Bass – Roger (Jellyroll) Troy
Drums – Bob Jones , George Rains (tracks: 1a, 1b)
Harmonica – Mark Adams  (tracks: 1a, 1b)
Lead Guitar – Mike Bloomfield
Lead Vocals – Bob Jones  (tracks: 2, 4), Roger (Jellyroll) Troy (tracks: 1a, 1b, 7, 8)
Lead Vocals, Rhythm Guitar – Nick Gravenites (tracks: 3, 5, 6, 9)
Mastered By – Al Quaglieri, Chris Athens, Don Ososke
Organ [Hammond] – Barry Goldberg (tracks: 1a, 1b)
Piano – Mark Naftalin (tracks: 1a to 3, 5 to 9), Unknown Artist (tracks: 4)
Producer, Photography By, Liner Notes – Norman Dayron
Recorded By – Norman Dayron (tracks: 2 to 9)

Tracks recorded live at Old Waldorf, San Francisco, CA:
2 & 7, March 14, 1977
3 & 4, May 16, 1977
5, February 27, 1977
6 & 8, December 19, 1976
9, March 13, 1977
Tracks 1a & 1b recorded before an audience at Record Plant, Sausalito, CA, on November 10, 1974 and broadcast live on KSAN radio.

MP3 @ 320 Size: 112 MB
Flac  Size: 292 MB

MIKE BLOOMFIELD - THE ROOT OF BLUES  1994

 
          

Mike Bloomfield – The Root Of Blues
Label: LaserLight Digital – 12 357
Format:    CD, Album, Reissue
Country: US
Released: 1994
Genre: Rock
Style: Blues

TRACKS

                                    

01. City Girl
02. The Train Is Gone
03. Hey Foreman
04. WDIA
05. Death Cell Rounder Blues
06. Mama Lion
07. Thrift Shop Rag
08. Death In The Family
09. Kansas City
10. East Colorado Blues

MUSICIANS

Acoustic Guitar – Woody Harris
Baritone Saxophone – Hart McNee
Bass – Doug Killmer
Drums – Tom Donlinger
Piano – Ira Kamin
Slide Guitar, Electric Guitar, Acoustic Guitar, Bass, Piano, Organ, Drums – Michael Bloomfield
Tenor Saxophone – Ron Stallings

MP3 @ 320 Size: 76 MB
Flac  Size: 191 MB

MIKE BLOOMFIELD - KNOCKIN' MYSELF OUT  2002

 
  

Mike Bloomfield – Knockin' Myself Out
Label: Fuel 2000 – 302 061 256 2
Format:    CD, Compilation, Stereo
Country: US
Released: Nov 19, 2002
Genre:Rock
Style: Blues

TRACKS

                                                 

01. Knockin' Myself Out  (Songwriter – Lillian Green)  4:03
02. Sloppy Drunk  (Arranged By – Mike Bloomfield/Songwriter – Traditional)  5:59
03. You Took My Money  ((Arranged By – Mike Bloomfield/Songwriter – Traditional)  3:59
04. Peepin' an A-Moanin' Blues  (Songwriter – Mike Bloomfield)  2:38
05. The Gospel Truth  (Songwriter – Norman Dayron)  4:42
06. Lights Out  (Songwriter – Mac Rebennack, Seth David)  1:48
07. Orphan's Blues  (Songwriter – Robert Brown)  5:12
08. Mr. Johnson And Mr. Dunn  (Songwriter – Mike Bloomfield)  2:52
09. Peach Tree Man  (Songwriter – Mike Bloomfield)  3:46
10. Saturday Night  (Songwriter – Mike Bloomfield)  1:51
11. Your Friends  (Songwriter – Deadric Malone)  6:55
12. It'll Be Me  (Songwriter – Jack Clement)  2:59
13. At The Cross  (Songwriter – Louis Johnson, Rev. Claude Jeter)  4:34
14. Crisco Kid  (Songwriter – Mike Bloomfield)  6:45

Producer – Norman Dayron

Tracks 1,2,3 & 5 taken from the album "Michael Bloomfield" (TAK 7063)
Tracks 6,7 & 11 taken from the album "Between The Hard Place And The Ground" (TAK 7070)
Track 12 taken from the album "Cruisin' For A Bruisin'" (TAK 7091)
Tracks 4, 8 & 13 taken from the album "Analine "(TAK 1059)
Tracks 9 & 10 previously unrealeased on CD
Track 14 previously unrealeased

MP3 @ 320 Size: 139 MB
Flac  Size: 292 MB

Al Kooper on Urban Aspirines HERE
Al Kooper + Mike Bloomfield + Steve Stills: Super Session HERE
Nick Gravenites Live In Greece HERE

Al Kooper: 3 Albums

Al Kooper, by rights, should be regarded as one of the giants of '60s rock, not far behind the likes of Bob Dylan and Paul Simon in importance. In addition to co-writing one classic mid-'60s pop-rock song, "This Diamond Ring" (though it was written as an R&B number), he was a very audible sessionman on some of the most important records of mid-decade, including Bob Dylan's "Like a Rolling Stone." Kooper also joined and led, and then lost two major groups, the Blues Project and Blood,

Sweat & Tears. He played on two classic blues-rock albums in conjunction with his friend Mike Bloomfield. As a producer at Columbia, he signed the British invasion act the Zombies just in time for them to complete the best LP in their entire history; and still later, Kooper discovered Lynyrd Skynyrd and produced their best work. Instead, in terms of public recognition, Kooper has been relegated to second-rank status, somewhere midway between John Mayall and Steve Winwood. Apart from the fact that he's made, and continues to make great music, it's the public's loss that he's not better respected outside the ranks of his fellow musicians.
                                           

JIMI HENDRIX & AL KOOPER

Kooper was born in Brooklyn, New York, in 1944, the son of Sam and Natalie Kooper. As a boy, he enjoyed singing along to the Bessie Smith records that his father played, and they provided his introduction to blues and, by extension, gospel, R&B and soul, all of the sounds that would form the basis for his own music. Equally important, he revealed himself a natural musician -- one day he sat

down in front of a piano and started playing one of the then current hits of the early '50s, with no prior training or experience. He learned on his own, and also took up the guitar. Kooper's main interest during the 1950s lay in gospel music. When rock & roll broke, Kooper was drawn to the vocal side of the new music, forming a doo-wop outfit that sang on street corners in his neighborhood in the late '50s. He turned professional in 1959, joining the line-up of the Royal Teens ("Short Shorts," "Believe Me") as a guitarist. By the early '60s, he'd begun writing songs, and among his early efforts was "I Must Be Seeing Things," which was a hit for Gene Pitney.
                                                      

Kooper's biggest hit as a songwriter came in late 1964, with a song that he co-authored with Bob Brass and Irwin Levine called "This Diamond Ring", they'd written it with the Drifters in mind, but the legendary R&B group passed, and it ended up in the hands of Liberty Records producer Snuff Garrett. He made it the first song to be cut by a new group called Gary Lewis & the Playboys. The record

entered the charts late in 1964 and spent the early weeks of 1965 in the number one spot. The recording, although not to Kooper's liking compared to what he'd visualized for the Drifters, started a string of almost unbelievably fortuitous events in his life and career. In those days, he was trying to make a big part of his living as a session guitarist, and when a friend, producer Tom Wilson, invited him to observe at a Bob Dylan recording session that spring, he brought his instrument along with him in the hope that something might happen. When they needed a second keyboard player for the organ on "Like a Rolling Stone," Kooper bluffed his way to the spot. Dylan loved the part that Kooper improvised and boosted it in the mix.
                                               

MIKE BLOOMFIELD & AL KOOPER

Kooper later played as part of the band that backed Dylan when he introduced electric music to the Newport Folk Festival in 1965, and was on the Blonde on Blonde album as well. That same year, Kooper was invited by Wilson to sit in on keyboards for an audition tape by a newly-formed New York blues-rock outfit called the Blues Project, and was asked to join the group. He eventually became one of

the lead singers, and three massively important and critically acclaimed albums coincided with his year-long stay. By the time he'd exited the Blues Project, Kooper was ready to start a band with a jazz and R&B sound that he had in mind, one with a serious horn section, and the result was Blood, Sweat & Tears. Signed to Columbia Records in late 1967, they cut a debut album that was made up almost entirely of Al Kooper songs, and which set the music pages and their authors afire with enthusiasm, The Child Is Father to the Man, as their debut record was titled, was one of the most important and daring albums of the '60s, as essential as any long-player ever cut by the Beatles or the Rolling Stones.
                                                  

AL KOOPER & BOB DYLAN

Unfortunately, Blood, Sweat & Tears generated more press than sales, although that debut album did ride the low reaches of the charts for almost a year, and tensions within the group and pressure from the record company, which wanted a more commercial sound that would sell more records, led to Kooper's exit from the band. Now out of his second successful group in two years, Kooper returned to playing sessions and turned up on records by Jimi Hendrix, the Who, and the Rolling Stones ("You Can't

Always Get What You Want"). He also got a job at Columbia Records, a runner-up prize for having been forced out of Blood, Sweat & Tears (which, by then, was making a fortune for the label with a retooled sound and line-up), as a producer. He engineered a concert recording by Simon & Garfunkel that could have been their first official live album. More important was a pair of albums that Kooper cut with his longtime friend, guitarist Michael Bloomfield. Those records, Super Session, cut with Stephen Stills, and The Live Adventures of Mike Bloomfield and Al Kooper were among Columbia's best-selling LPs of the period; they were the kind of albums that, coupled with The Child Is Father to the Man, helped put Columbia Records on the cutting edge of popular music.
                                               

AL KOOPER & LYNYRD SKYNYRD

Kooper's other major contribution during his tenure at Columbia was signing the Zombies, a British Invasion-era band that hadn't charted a single in two years, for one album. The group seemed to be on their last legs and were, in fact, about to break up, but Columbia got one classic album (Odessey &

Oracle) and a monster hit single ("Time of the Season") from the deal. The least prominent of Kooper's projects during this era, ironically enough, was his solo album I Stand Alone, on which he cut new versions of songs he'd written or been associated with over the previous decade. He spread himself too thin in making the record, and the album failed to sell in serious numbers. A follow up record, Kooper Session, was similarly ignored despite the presence of blues guitar prodigy Shuggie Otis, but Kooper remained one of the most successful names in rock music.
                                             

ELTON JOHN & AL KOOPER

During the early '70s, Kooper had his own label, Sounds of the South, set up through MCA, his big discovery was Lynyrd Skynyrd. He produced their first three albums, whose sales eventually numbered in the millions. Kooper also produced records by the Tubes, B.B. King, Nils Lofgren, and Joe Ely, among many others, during the '70s, and he found time during that decade to write what remains the

best book ever written about rock & roll from an insider's perspective, Backstage Passes. Kooper's recording activity slackened off in the 1980s, although he performed with Dylan, Tom Petty, and Joe Walsh, and did some soundtrack work in television and films. During the 1990s, after a more-than-20-year hiatus, he returned to recording his own sound with ReKooperation, an instrumental album released by the MusicMasters label, a company much more closely associated with jazz and classical than rock.
                                                      

Equally important were a handful of live gigs by principal members of the original Blood, Sweat & Tears, their first shows in 25 years. These performances led to a series of birthday shows at New York's Bottom Line in 1994, which yielded the double-CD concert recording Soul of a Man. Kooper covered most of his own music history with the key members of the original Blood, Sweat & Tears and the definitive Blues Project line-up (who had gotten back together every so often, beginning in the early

'70s). Kooper pulled together a unified sound, built around soul, jazz, and gospel influences, despite the varied personnel involved, in his most accomplished solo project ever. Anyone counting the records on which Al Kooper has played a key role, as songwriter, singer, keyboardman, guitarist, or producer, would come up with tens of millions of albums and singles sold, and a lot of radio airtime. His career recalls that of Steve Winwood in some respects, though he's never had a solo hit. Even in the '90s, however, Kooper remains a formidable performing talent, and one of the most inspired and intelligent people in rock music.
Artist Biography by Bruce Eder

AL COOPER INTRODUCES SHUGGIE OTIS - KOOPER SESSION SUPER SESSION VOL.2  1969

  

Al Kooper - Introduces Shuggie Otis - Kooper Session
Label: Sony – SRCS 6195
Series:    Nice Price Line – 18
Format:    CD, Album, Reissue
Country: Japan
Genre: Blues
Style: Electric Blues

                                                                         

THE SONGS

    
01. Bury My Body (Written-By – A. Kooper)  8:57
02. Double Or Nothing  (Written-By – A. Jackson Jr., B. T. Jones, D. Dunn, S. Cropper)  2:27
03. One Room Country Shack  (Written-By – M. D. Walton)  3:36
04. Lookin' For A Home  (Written-By – E. Forehand)  5:49

THE BLUES

    
05. 12:15 Slow Goonbash Blues  (Written-By – A. Kooper, S. Otis)  9:28
06. Shuggie's Old Time (Dee-Di-Lee-Di-Leet-Deet) Slide Boogie  (Written-By – A. Kooper, S. Otis)  4:04
07. Shuggie's Shuffle  (Written-By – A. Kooper, S. Otis)  6:26

Credits

Backing Vocals – The Harris Robinson Singers (tracks: 1, 4)
Bass – Stu Woods
Drums – Wells Kelly
Engineer – Doug Pomeroy, Roy Segal
Guitar – Al Kooper (tracks: 3), Shuggie Otis
Keyboards [Ondioline] – Al Kooper (tracks: 3)
Organ – Al Kooper (tracks: 1, 2, 4, 5, 7)
Piano – Al Kooper (tracks: 1, 4, 6), Mark Klingman (tracks: 2, 5, 7)
Producer, Liner Notes – Al Kooper
Vocals – Albertine Robinson (tracks: 1, 4), Hilda Harris (tracks: 1, 4)

MP3 @ 320 Size: 99 MB
Flac  Size: 266 MB

AL COOPER - SOUL OF A MAN: AL COOPER LIVE 1994  (1995)

      

Al Cooper - Soul Of A Man - Al Cooper Live 1994
Label: Music Masters Rock – 1612 65113-2, BMG Direct Marketing, Inc. – D 206948
Format:    2 x CD, Album, Club Edition
Country: US
Released: 1995
Genre: Rock, Blues
Style: Blues Rock

CD 1.

                                                            

01. Child Is Father To The Man – Somethin' Goin' On
(Bass, Bass [Solos] – Jim Fielder - Piano [Solos] – Al Kooper)  7:34
02. Blues Project – I Can't Keep From Cryin' Sometimes
(Guitar [Lap Steel, All Solos] – Jerry Douglas)  4:31
03. Rekooperators – I Stand Alone Medley
(Organ – John Simon)  6:21
3a. Rekooperators – I Stand Alone
3b. Rekooperators – I Can Love A Woman
3c. Rekooperators – New York City (You're A Woman)
04. Blues Project – Flute Thing
(Bass – Chris Michie
Drums [Solos] – Roy Blumenfeld
Flute, Flute [Solos] – Andy Kulberg
Guitar [Solos] – Danny Kalb
Piano [Wurlitzer, Solos] – Al Kooper)  8:52
05. Rekooperators – Don't Tell Me (Repo Man)
(Written-By – McLaughlin)  3:46
06. Blues Project – Two Trains Runnin'
(Guitar [Slide] – Howard Emerson
Harmonica, Harmonica [Solos] – Mike Henderson - Lead Vocals – Danny Kalb -
Written-By – Morganfield)  11:36
07. Rekooperators – Heartbeat
(Keyboards – John Simon - Saxophone [Soprano, Solos] – Crispin Cioe - Written-By – Belew)  5:05
08. Rekooperators – Sleepwalk
(Synthesizer [Pedal Steel] – Al Kooper - Written-By – Farina*, Farina)  2:59
09. Child Is Father To The Man – Just One Smile
(Trumpet [Cadenza (at End)] – Randy Brecker - Written-By – Newman) 6:08

MP3 @ 320 Size: 134 MB
Flac Size: 364 MB

CD 2.

                                        

01. Child Is Father To The Man – I Can't Quit Her
(Written By – Kooper, Levine)  3:54
02. Rekooperators – I Want A Little Girl
(Written-By – Moll, Mencher)  5:11
03. Child Is Father To The Man – My Days Are Numbered
(Guitar [Solos] – Oniviv Ymmij
Trumpet [Solos] – Lew Soloff, Randy Brecker)  5:52
04. Child Is Father To The Man – I Love You More Than You'll Ever Know    7:13
05. Al Kooper – Vocal Intro    1:15
06. Rekooperators – Made In The Shade
(Backing Vocals – Jimmy Vivino
Harmonica – John Sebastian
Written-By – Van Zant)  5:06
07. Rekooperators – Downtime
(Written By – Kooper, Vivino)  4:38
08. Blues Project – Violets Of Dawn
(Backing Vocals – Bill Lloyd  
Guitar, Backing Vocals – Jimmy Vivino
Written-By – Andersen)  3:41
09. Rekooperators – Albert's Shuffle
(Saxophone [Tenor, Solos] – Arno Hecht
Written By – Kooper, Bloomfield)  7:15
10. Rekooperators – Closing Medley    12:39
10a.Rekooperators – You Can't Always Get What You Want
(Written-By – Jagger, Richards)
10b.Rekooperators – Season Of The Witch
(Written-By – Donovan)
10c.Rekooperators – Al's Witch Hunt

MP3 @ 320 Size: 134 MB
Flac Size: 385 MB

Credits

                                                                    

Backing Vocals – Catherine Russell (tracks: 1-1 to 1-3, 1-5, 1-7 to 1-9, 2-1 to 2-4, 2-6), Sheryl Marshall (tracks: 1-1 to 1-3, 1-5, 1-7 to 1-9, 2-1 to 2-4, 2-6)
Bass – Harvey Brooks (tracks: 1-3, 1-5, 1-7, 1-8, 2-2, 2-6, 2-7, 2-9, 2-10), Will Lee (tracks: 1-1, 1-9, 2-1, 2-3, 2-4)
Bass [Solos] – Harvey Brooks (tracks: 2-7, 2-10)
Bass, Flute – Andy Kulberg (tracks: 1-2, 1-4, 1-6, 2-8)
Drums – Anton Fig (tracks: 1-1, 1-3, 1-5, 1-7 to 1-9, 2-1 to 2-4, 2-6), Roy Blumenfeld (tracks: 1-2, 1-4, 1-6, 2-8)
Guitar – Al Kooper (tracks: 1-2, 1-4, 1-6, 2-8), Al Kooper (tracks: 1-7, 2-8), Danny Kalb (tracks: 1-2, 1-4, 1-6, 2-8)
Guitar [Solos] – Jimmy Vivino (tracks: 1-1, 1-5, 2-1, 2-4, 2-7, 2-9, 2-10)
Guitar, Backing Vocals – Jimmy Vivino (tracks: 1-1, 1-3, 1-5, 1-7 to 1-9, 2-1 to 2-4, 2-6, 2-7, 2-9, 2-10)
Horns – Fred Lipsius (tracks: 1-1, 1-9, 2-1, 2-3, 2-4), Lew Soloff (tracks: 1-1, 1-9, 2-1, 2-3, 2-4), Randy Brecker (tracks: 1-1, 1-9, 2-1, 2-3, 2-4), Tom "Bones" Malone (tracks: 1-1, 1-9, 2-1, 2-3, 2-4)
Horns [Uptown] – Arno Hecht (tracks: 1-3, 1-5, 1-7, 1-8, 2-2, 2-6, 2-7, 2-9, 2-10), Bob Funk (tracks: 1-3, 1-5, 1-7, 1-8, 2-2, 2-6, 2-7, 2-9, 2-10), Crispin Cioe (tracks: 1-3, 1-5, 1-7, 1-8, 2-2, 2-6, 2-7, 2-9, 2-10), Larry Natkin (tracks: 1-3, 1-5, 1-7, 1-8, 2-2, 2-6, 2-7, 2-9, 2-10)
Keyboards – John Simon (tracks: 1-3, 1-5, 1-7, 1-8, 2-2, 2-6, 2-7, 2-9, 2-10)
Keyboards, Lead Vocals – Al Kooper
Mandolin – Al Kooper (tracks: 1-3, 1-5, 1-7, 1-8, 2-2, 2-6, 2-7, 2-9, 2-10)
Organ [Solos] – Al Kooper (tracks: 1-1, 1-5, 1-6, 1-9, 2-2, 2-4, 2-7, 2-9, 2-10)
Piano – Al Kooper (tracks: 1-3, 2-1), Jimmy Vivino (tracks: 1-1, 1-9, 2-1, 2-3, 2-4)
Piano [Solos] – Jimmy Vivino (tracks: 1-9), John Simon (tracks: 2-2, 2-10), Johnnie Johnson (tracks: 2-6, 2-9)
Producer – Al Kooper
Saxophone [Alto, Solos] – Fred Lipsius (tracks: 1-1, 2-4)
Trombone [Solos] – Bob Funk (tracks: 1-3, 2-10)
Written-By – Kooper (tracks: 1-1 to 1-4, 2-1, 2-3, 2-4, 2-7, 2-9, 2-10c)

Notes
Recorded live at The Bottom Line/NYC February 4,5,&6, 1994

AL KOOPER - RARE AND WELL DONE (GREATEST AND MOST OBSCURE RECORDINGS 1964 - 2001) 2001

                                                                   

Al Kooper - Rare & Well Done (Greatest And Most Obscure Recordings 1964 - 2001
Label: Columbia – C2K 62153
Format:     2 x CD, Compilation
Country: US
Released: 2001
Genre: Rock, Blues
Style: Electric Blues    

CD1. RARE

                                                       

  
01. I Can't Quit Her (Home Demo)    4:24
02. Somethin' Goin On (Demo)    3:04
03. Autumn Song    2:50
04. I Can't Stand The Rain    4:31
05. Baby, Please Don't Go (Live)    8:24
06. I Let Love Slip Through My Fingers    5:01
07. The Earthquake Of Your Love (Demo)    3:19
08. Bulgarya    2:31
09. Nuthin' I Wouldn't Do (For A Woman Like You)    3:30
10. New York's My Home (Razz-A-Ma-Tazz) (AKA The Street Song)    2:32
11. Making Plans For Nigel    4:07
12. I Believe To My Soul    4:28
13. Went To See The Gypsy    3:30
14. Rachmaninoff's Birthday    4:08
15. Hey Jude    5:11
16. Living In My Own Religion (Demo)    4:51
17. The Big Chase    3:24
18. They Just Don't Make 'Em Like That Anymore    2:24
19. A Drive Through The Old Neighborhood    5:24

MP3 @ 320 Size: 182 MB
Flac  Size: 506 MB

CD2. WELL DONE

                                                      

  
01. I Can't Keep From Cryin' Sometimes (Live)    4:02
02. I Love You More Than You Will Ever Know    5:56
03. This Diamond Ring    4:08
04. Albert's Shuffle    6:53
05. Bury My Body    8:56
06. Season Of The Witch    11:05
07. New York City (You're A Woman)    4:45
08. I Can't Quit Her (Live)    3:46
09. I Stand Alone    3:42
10. Flute Thing    6:01
11. You Never Know Who Your Friends Are    2:53
12. I Got A Woman    6:28
13. Brand New Day    5:09
14. Love Theme(From Landlord)    3:42

MP3 @ 320 Size: 183 MB
Flac  Size: 522 MB

Al Kooper - Mike Bloomfield - Steve Stills: SUPER SESSION on Urban Aspirines HERE