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Paul Kossoff

Photo: Rob Mieremet / ANEFO, 1970 (Wikimedia Commons, CC0 1.0 public domain)

British

Paul Kossoff

Also known as: Paul Francis Kossoff

This artist is no longer with us.

Born: September 14, 1950, Hampstead, London, England · Died: March 19, 1976, en route Los Angeles–New York, USA• United Kingdom• Active: 1968–1976

British Blues BoomBlues Rock

The teenage guitarist behind Free's "All Right Now," famous for one of the widest, slowest vibratos in rock — a career that lasted barely eight years before drug-related heart problems killed him at 25, his epitaph simply reading the title of his most famous song.

Paul Kossoff played some of the most quoted vibrato in rock guitar history, and he did it for barely eight years before it killed him — a career so short and so complete that his epitaph could simply be the title of the song that made him famous (Kilde: Wikipedia). Paul Francis Kossoff was born on 14 September 1950 in Hampstead, London, the son of actor David Kossoff and Margaret Jenkins; his uncle was broadcaster Alan Keith, his cousin the model Linda Keith. He trained in classical guitar from age nine under teacher Blanche Monroe, but everything changed in December 1965 when, aged fifteen, he watched Eric Clapton perform with John Mayall's Bluesbreakers — he immediately went out and bought a Gibson Les Paul, and later took further lessons from session guitarist Colin Falconer while working at Selmer's music shop in London (Kilde: Wikipedia). In April 1968, Kossoff and drummer Simon Kirke, both previously in the R&B band Black Cat Bones, joined singer Paul Rodgers and bassist Andy Fraser to form Free — a band named, and partly assembled, on the recommendation of Alexis Korner. Kossoff was seventeen. Over the band's five studio albums he built a reputation as one of the most emotionally direct guitarists in British rock, built around an extraordinarily wide, slow vibrato — a technique he once described simply as playing "one note, but the right note" — and co-wrote several of the band's key tracks, including "Oh I Wept" and "Mr Big." His main instrument was a 1959 Gibson Les Paul Standard that collectors now refer to as the "Kossoff Burst," honored with a limited-edition Gibson recreation in 2012 (Kilde: Wikipedia). Behind the music, Kossoff had struggled with drug use since he was fifteen, and it worsened steadily through Free's career. Bassist Andy Fraser later said Kossoff felt intimidated by inevitable comparisons to Clapton, and that "drugs were a defence." His unreliability contributed directly to the band's 1971 breakup, its brief 1972 reunion (undertaken largely to try to help him), and its final dissolution in 1973. He went on to form Back Street Crawler, releasing "The Band Plays On" (1975) and "2nd Street" (1976), and reunited briefly with Rodgers and Kirke for a handful of shows in late 1975 (Kilde: Wikipedia). Paul Kossoff died on 19 March 1976, aged 25, from a pulmonary embolism while flying from Los Angeles to New York during a Back Street Crawler tour — a blood clot that had formed in his leg reaching his lung. He was cremated at Golders Green Crematorium in London; his epitaph reads simply, "All right now." Rolling Stone ranked him 51st on its list of the 100 greatest guitarists of all time in 2010, and his guitar tone remains one of the most studied and imitated in blues-rock (Kilde: Wikipedia).

Musical Influence

Kossoff's wide, vocal-like vibrato became a reference point for blues-rock guitarists for decades after his death, and the 1959 Les Paul "Kossoff Burst" he played remains one of the most studied and replicated instrument-and-player pairings in the genre (Kilde: Wikipedia).

Influences

Eric ClaptonB.B. KingFreddie King

Formative experiences

•1950: Born Paul Francis Kossoff in Hampstead, London, son of actor David Kossoff. (Kilde: Wikipedia)
•December 1965: Sees Eric Clapton play with John Mayall's Bluesbreakers and immediately buys a Gibson Les Paul. (Kilde: Wikipedia)
•April 1968: Co-founds Free at age seventeen. (Kilde: Wikipedia)
•1970: "All Right Now" becomes an international hit. (Kilde: Wikipedia)
•1973: Free dissolves permanently amid Kossoff's worsening addiction. (Kilde: Wikipedia)
•19 March 1976: Dies from a pulmonary embolism aged 25, en route from Los Angeles to New York. (Kilde: Wikipedia)

Instruments & Equipment

Guitar

1959 Gibson Les Paul Standard ("Kossoff Burst")

His main instrument through Free's career; Gibson issued a limited-edition recreation in 2012.

1957 Fender Stratocaster

Sold in 1976 to Iron Maiden's Dave Murray for £1,400.

Stories & Anecdotes

"Kossoff once summed up his own guitar philosophy as playing "one note, but the right note" — a description that captures his famously wide, slow vibrato. (Kilde: Wikipedia)"

"Andy Fraser said Kossoff felt intimidated by constant comparisons to Eric Clapton, and that drug use became "a defence" against that pressure. (Kilde: Wikipedia)"

"His epitaph at Golders Green Crematorium reads simply "All right now," after the song that made him famous. (Kilde: Wikipedia)"

"His 1957 Fender Stratocaster was bought by Iron Maiden guitarist Dave Murray in 1976 for £1,400. (Kilde: Wikipedia)"

Collaborators

Free bandmate; co-wrote material together.

Free bandmate, drummer, previously with Kossoff in Black Cat Bones.

Free bassist; publicly discussed Kossoff's struggles with addiction.

Named Free and recommended Andy Fraser to the band.

Watch & Listen

Featured

Free — All Right Now — Isle of Wight Festival '70

Re-Done by ME

Paul Kossoff 1975 Interview

Paul Kossoff 1975 Interview

Paul Kossoff (Free): The Tragic Fall of Guitar Prodigy

Paul Kossoff (Free): The Tragic Fall of Guitar Prodigy

Free - Fire and Water - Paul Kossoff Guitar Solo with TAB

Free - Fire and Water - Paul Kossoff Guitar Solo with TAB

Watch & Listen

Henter videoer fra YouTube…

Discography

Year	Title	Producer	Studio	Label	Chart	Sales	Musicians	YouTube	Notes
1969	Tons of Sobs (with Free)	Guy Stevens	—	Island	—	—	Paul Rodgers (Vocals), Andy Fraser (Bass), Simon Kirke (Drums)		Debut album with Free.
1970	Fire and Water (with Free)	Free	—	Island	—	—	—		Includes "All Right Now" and Kossoff co-write "Oh I Wept."
1973	Heartbreaker (with Free)	—	—	Island	—	—	—		Final Free studio album before the band's dissolution.
1975	The Band Plays On (with Back Street Crawler)	—	—	Atlantic	—	—	—		First album with his post-Free band.
1976	2nd Street (with Back Street Crawler)	—	—	Atlantic	—	—	—		Final album released shortly before his death.

Famous songs

01All Right Now

02Oh I Wept

03Mr Big

External links

YouTube Music Wikipedia

Sources

Keep SlowBlues independent. Official merch — wear the blues.