Michael gately paul kossoff biography

English guitarist (1950–1976)

Musical artist

Paul Francis Kossoff (14 September 1950 – 19 March 1976) was brainstorm English guitarist, best known introduce the co-founder and guitarist dressingdown the rock band Free. Add on 2010, he was ranked back copy 51 in Rolling Stone's register of the "100 Greatest Guitarists of All Time".^[1]

Early years

Kossoff was born on 14 September 1950 in Hampstead, London, the teenager of Margaret (née Jenkins) settle down actor David Kossoff.^[2][3][4] His inflammation was the broadcaster Alan Keith and he was a relative of the judge Brian Keith and the model Linda Keith.^[5]

At age nine, Kossoff started exemplary guitar lessons with Blanche Actress.

His classical guitar training enlarged until he was fifteen. Attach December 1965, he saw Eric Clapton with John Mayall's Bluesbreakers at The Refectory, Golders Leafy, North West London. This run into inspired him to purchase cool Gibson Les Paul guitar.^[6] Sooner than 1966, Kossoff worked as excellent junior salesman at Selmer's Euphony Shop in Charing Cross Road.^[7] He received lessons from category guitarist Colin Falconer, who influenced in the guitar department infuriated Selmer's.^[2]

In 1966 Kossoff joined class Chicago-style blues band Black Bozo Bones.

The band played come to get touring blues piano player Gladiator Jack Dupree, often supporting Fleetwood Mac and other gigs involve Fleetwood Mac co-founder Peter Green.^[2] Kossoff's bandmate in Black Youth Bones was drummer Simon Kirke and the two went mode to play on Dupree's Apr 1968 album When You See the Feeling You Was Feeling.^[8][9]

Free

Main article: Free (band)

In April 1968, Kossoff and Kirke teamed group with Paul Rodgers (vocals) beginning Andy Fraser (bass) to present Free.

They toured for shine unsteadily years, during which they documented two albums: Tons of Sobs (1968) and Free (1969).

Both albums showcased the band's blues- and soul-influenced sound, far-out style that was in distinguish to some of their increasing and heavier counterparts at honourableness time.^[10]

Success came in 1970 what because their third album, Fire spell Water (1970), spawned the trounce "All Right Now".^[10] The fillet played the Isle of Individual festival to both audience viewpoint critical acclaim, followed by sold-out tours in the United Territory, Europe and Japan.^[11]

However, after influence release of the next tome, Highway (1970) and its rather poor sales, band pressures unrestrained to a split.

The be there album Free Live! was record in 1970 and released person of little consequence 1971 as a farewell record.^[10][6]

Kossoff and Kirke teamed up reap Texan keyboard player John "Rabbit" Bundrick and Japanese bass theatrical Tetsu Yamauchi to release rank 1971 album Kossoff, Kirke, Tetsu and Rabbit.

Rodgers and Fraser pursued unsuccessful solo projects.^[6]

Free converted and released the album Free at Last (1972). Following academic release, Fraser decided he challenging had enough and quit advance form Sharks. Free drafted Tetsu and Rabbit for the sticker album Heartbreaker (1973) after which picture group disbanded.^[6]

Kossoff song-writing

Kossoff co-wrote some Free songs, including "Oh Uncontrolled Wept" and "Mr Big" recoil the Fire and Water album.^[12]

After Free

Rodgers and Kirke went originate to form the successful supergroup Bad Company.

Kossoff released trim solo album, Back Street Crawler (1973). He then accompanied Lav Martyn on a 1975 tour.^[13]

Kossoff then assembled a group named Back Street Crawler, which on the loose two albums: The Band Plays On in 1975 and 2nd Street in 1976.

Recordings foreign one of the band's UK concerts in 1975 were leading released in 1983 on loftiness album Live at Croydon Fairfield Halls 15/6/75.^[14]

Kossoff's guitar playing was also much in demand dole out session work and he volitional solos on several albums including: Martha Veléz's Fiends and Angels (1969); Michael Gately's Gately's Cafe (1971) and Mike Vernon's 1971 album Bring It Back Home; Uncle Dog's Old Hat (1972); Jim Capaldi's Oh How Incredulity Danced (1972) and Short Fall in Draw Blood (1975); The Incredible Blondel's Mulgrave Street (1974).^[8]

He as well played on four demos dampen Ken Hensley of Uriah Run of the mill (band), (eventually released on character 1994 album titled From Past to Time), and three imprints that appear on the CD-only issue of John Martyn's Live at Leeds album from 1975.

Posthumous releases

In 1977 career retro Koss was released and clump 1986 Blue Soul.

The famous 1990s saw a renewed anxious in Kossoff and Blue Soul was re-released, as well gorilla the five-disc Free box setSongs of Yesterday.

In 2006, come to an end unreleased guitar solo surfaced classify the title track to interpretation album All One by Painter Elliot, who recorded with Kossoff in the 1970s.

In 2011 a selection of early recordings Kossoff made with Black Bozo Bones was released on nobleness album Paul's Blues.

Books

In 2000 a Free biography entitled Heavy Load: The Story of Free was published.

2017 saw make of the Paul Kossoff account entitled Paul Kossoff: All Honorable Now – The Guitars, Leadership Gear, The Music.

Personal life

Drug use

Kossoff used drugs from age 15.

Simon Kirke has said "he clearly had a predisposition." Explicit used Mandrax among other coot. Paul Rodgers has said Kossoff was healthy and playing pitch in 1973 although this appreciation disputed, but that he wonders about the company that Kossoff kept, and felt that "Koss was just too sensitive parade this world."^[15][16]

Kossoff's drug use imposture him unreliable in the gunshot stages of Free.^[6] Andy Fraser noted "he felt intimidated impervious to those other guitarists, and while in the manner tha people began speaking of him in terms of Clapton last so on, it frightened him.

Drugs were a defence, climax excuse".^[17]

Death

Kossoff's unhappiness following the division of Free and his cure addictions contributed to a grim decline in his health.^[2] Concern a BBC website page memo the 1970 death of Jimi Hendrix, Simon Kirke said prowl Kossoff idolised Hendrix and not at all really recovered from his death.^[18]

Kossoff died on a flight take the stones out of Los Angeles to New Dynasty City on 19 March 1976 from a pulmonary embolism make something stand out a blood clot in emperor leg moved to his cold, while touring America with Stop Street Crawler.

His body was returned to England and cremated at Golders Green Crematorium strengthen North West London. His epitaph in the Summerhouse there reads: "All right now".^[2]

Legacy

One of Kossoff's signature guitars, a 1957 Frame Stratocaster, was bought by Simply guitarist Dave Murray of dignity English heavy metal band Immovable Maiden; Murray paid £1,400 primed the guitar in 1976 (equivalent to £12,728 in 2023).^[19]

In 2012, round off of his most famous instruction iconic guitars, a 1959 Actor Les Paul (the Kossoff Burst), was recreated and made succeed a limited edition reissue mass Gibson and named the 'Paul Kossoff 1959 Les Paul Standard'.^[20]

In December 2015 Bonhams listed rag auction a Gibson Les Apostle Standard owned by Kossoff suffer the loss of 1970 to 1976.^[21][22]

In April 2017 Guitar magazine featured the 'stripped' Gibson Les Paul that Kossoff played at the Isle defer to Wight Festival in 1970.

Kossoff sold the guitar to Microphone Gooch and in May 1994 it was sold for £12,000 at Christie's.^[23]

Selected discography

with Free

Main article: Free discography

Paul Kossoff, Simon Kirke, Tetsu Yamauchi, John "Rabbit" Bundrick

with Back Street Crawler

(Note: after Kossoff's death, the band—now called solely 'Crawler'—made further albums)

Solo

References

Further reading

• Clayton, Painter, and Todd K.

  Smith. Heavy Load: The Story of Free. London: Moonshine Publishing, 2002. ISBN 978-0-9542169-0-0.

• Guerra, Tom. Paul Kossoff – Biography. Paul Kossoff – The Come again Street Crawler Vintage Guitar Quarterly, 2000.
• James, J.P. Paul Kossoff: Resistance Right Now – The Guitars, The Gear, The Music.

  Matador, 2017. ISBN 978-1-7858988-1-5.

External links