Al Kooper

In 1965 he played the catchy organ part on Dylan’s "Like A Rolling Stone" and continued his sound on the albums Highway 61 Revisited and Blonde on Blonde, helping Dylan cement his new sound in place. After that the Stones, the Who, Jimi Hendrix, George Harrison and many others hired Al to play on their recordings. After short stints in the Blues Project and Blood Sweat & Tears, Kooper – alongside Mike Bloomfield and Steve Stills – played on and produced the original jam album Super Session.

Before long Al was producing Nils Lofgren, the Tubes and Dylan, as well as discovering Lynyrd Skynyrd, producing their first three albums including the hits "Free Bird," "Sweet Home Alabama," "Saturday Night Special," and "Gimme 3 Steps."

He scored famed director Hal Ashby’s first film The Landlord and Michael Mann’s famed TV series Crime Story. His enduring autobiography Backstage Passes & Backstabbing Bastards is in its third printing and selling better than ever.

Photo: Susan Monosson