Author: Al Kooper

This column is like the title says – its intention is to fill the gap for those of us who were satiated musically in the ’60s and then searched desperately as we aged for music we could relate to and get the same buzz from nowadaze. iTunes was the answer for me in 2003 and...

I literally grew up on the Everly Brothers, as I am sure many of you did. They were amazingly consistent and had a unique blend and sound that will remain untouchable forever. Our paths crossed starting about 1958 when, as a non-shaving member of the group The Royal Teens, I played shows alongside many of...

When I was in the band The Blues Project in early 1967, I started writing songs that suggested to me that horns would make them sound better. I asked the leader of the Project, Danny Kalb, if we could add horns to the lineup and he turned me down, saying we couldn’t afford it (true)....

This column is like the title says – its intention is to fill the gap for those of us who were satiated musically in the ’60s and then searched desperately as we aged for music we could relate to and get the same buzz from nowadaze. iTunes was the answer for me in 2003 and...

What can I say? Fortunately, getting strong doses of doo-wop and gospel music early in life, I immediately gravitated to R&B music. There was something there that instantly reached me; the singing for sure, and the cleverness of the arrangements. Whatever it was, I was hooked at a young age and this music has stayed...

First, I just wanna say if you’re as far from religious or spiritual as can be imagined, there is still something here for you if you enjoy ’70s soul music. Musically, in that genre, this is as good as it gets and if you don’t listen to the words, there are still eons of things...

This music started for me in the mid-’50s when I was about 11 years old. My parents still had a babysitter for me — Janet, who lived down the hall from us in our apartment building in Queens Village, NY. About 30 minutes after my folks would leave, all of Janet’s friends would come over...

Rest in Peace Hubert Sumlin, 80, well known as the pivotal guitarist for the late blues innovator Howlin’ Wolf, passed away this week. Howard Tate, 72, one of the masters of soul singing, also moved on to higher ground this week. I want to take a moment to say how much each of these men...