Remember When: Al Kooper Snuck His Way into Legend on “Like a Rolling Stone”

It is one of the most iconic songs in the history of rock and roll. “Like a Rolling Stone” by Bob Dylan showed to every other artist in the genre that lyrics could be complex, even unsympathetic, and still captivate mainstream audiences. It opened up the box for writers everywhere to explore messier human emotions than had ever been included in the pop song form.

Aside from the lyrics, the recording of the song is just as impactful, as Dylan shed his folk-song roots for ragged rock and roll glory. But it might not have occurred in quite the same manner if not for the intrepid efforts of Al Kooper, whose organ part on the song became legend, even though he wasn’t supposed to be out there playing.

Super Kooper

Because of the impact that “Like a Rolling Stone” made on the music world and the lore behind Kooper’s involvement in the song, many people assume that he was a complete neophyte when he wheedled his way into that session. On the contrary: By that time the song was recorded, Kooper had already been part of a successful bubblegum act (The Royal Teens) and had written some hit songs (including “This Diamond Ring” by Gary Lewis & the Playboys).

Kooper was also a session guitarist, which is how he got to know producer Tom Wilson. Wilson invited Kooper to a Bob Dylan session at Columbia Records studio in June 1965. Note that Wilson didn’t technically invite Kooper to play on the track. But the musician was determined to get involved, so he lugged his guitar to the studio, plugged in, and waited for Dylan to arrive.

When Dylan showed up, he was joined by guitarist Mike Bloomfield. And when Kooper heard the blues-rock legend Bloomfield tuning up to play, he knew he wasn’t in the same league as a guitarist. He instead returned to the booth to sit with Wilson while planning his next move.

An Instrument Opens Up

Noted session keyboardist Paul Griffin was scheduled to play organ on the track being recorded that day, which happened to be Dylan’s groundbreaking new composition “Like a Rolling Stone.” But at the last minute, Griffin switched over to piano. When Wilson was summoned away for a phone call, Kooper sensed his opportunity.

He hustled out onto the studio floor and perched behind the organ. Kooper knew enough to get around the instrument, but he didn’t exactly know the intricacies of the thing. It was lucky for him that Griffin hadn’t turned the organ off before moving away from it, or else Kooper might not have been able to pull of the multistep process to even start it up again.

When Wilson returned, he was surprised to see Kooper behind the organ. Studio tapes reveal him laughing and asking Kooper what he was doing back there. Nonetheless, Wilson shrugged it off and cued Dylan to kick the band into gear and start the recording process.

An Iconic Part on the Fly

Kooper was excellent at learning music by ear, so he quickly worked out the chords to the song. He was having a hard time hearing his part because of where he was located relative to the studio speakers. But he knew enough to simply play when he knew for sure what he was doing, and then keep quiet when he didn’t.

After a few takes were muffed by other players, the band nailed one from start to finish. Wilson invited everyone to the booth for playback. When Dylan heard the take, he asked for the organ to be turned up in the mix. Wilson initially objected, stating that Kooper wasn’t really even an organ player. But Dylan insisted. As it turned out, despite multiple subsequent attempts to come up with something better, the take with Kooper’s organ featured so prominently ended up being the final version, the one that became a massive hit.

Al Kooper’s long, storied career would go on to include a few more connections with Dylan. On “Like a Rolling Stone,” he proved that instrumental virtuosity is no substitute for an innate feel for a song’s emotional content. His timing on his fills on that take was impeccable. But that’s nothing compared with the timing he displayed in knowing to butt into one of the most monumental recording sessions of all time.

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Photo by Alice Ochs/Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images