His first musical success was as a 14-year-old guitarist in the Royal Teens, best known for their novelty blues riff, "Short Shorts". In 1960, he joined the song-writing team of Bob Brass and Irwin Levine, who wrote the hit, "This Diamond Ring", for Gary Lewis and the Playboys. When he was 21, he moved to Greenwich Village.
He performed with Bob Dylan in concert in 1965 and in the studio in 1965 and 1966, including playing Hammond organ with Dylan at the (in)famous Newport Folk Festival of 1965. He worked extensively with Mike Bloomfield for a number of years after the two met as studio musicians on Dylan's legendary Highway 61 Revisited album.
In 1965, he co-formed The Blues Project and played their most famous gig at the Monterey Pop Festival in 1967. He formed Blood, Sweat & Tears in the same year, leaving after the group's first album, Child is Father to the Man, in 1968.
Kooper played on hundreds of records, including The Rolling Stones, B.B. King, The Who and Cream. On occasion, he has even overdubbed on his own efforts, as on The Live Adventures Of Mike Bloomfield and Al Kooper album, as Roosevelt Gook. He discovered the band Lynyrd Skynyrd, and produced their first three albums, including the single Sweet Home Alabama. Kooper also wrote the score for the TV series, Crime Story, and has also written music for several made-for-television movies. Kooper also produced a now rare album by a group called Appaloosa.
Al Kooper has published a memoir, Backstage Passes: Rock 'n' Roll Life In The Sixties (1977), now available in revised form as Backstage Passes & Backstabbing Bastards: Memoirs of a Rock 'N' Roll Survivor 2007
Kooper currently teaches songwriting and production at Berklee College of Music in Boston and plays weekend concerts with his band Jimmy Vivino and The ReKooperators.
Toe Hold
Al Kooper Lyrics
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All my life I've been a poor boy; it's been hard to get a dime
Everything I got I had to pay for it on time, but that's all right
Long as I got a toe hold, long as I got a piece of you
Long as I got a toe hold, I can make it through
Look here, I said I went to see a doctor, baby talk about his malnutrition
Now I don't try to be a fat man; I gotta look about my ambition, look here
Long as I got a toe hold, I can make it through
A li-li-li-li-li-li-li-li toe hold, a li-li-li-li-li-li-li-li toe hold, hey!
So baby, if you're with me, let the whole world be against me
I don't expect to ever get rich, I'm doin' fine, me diggin' a ditch; that's all right
Long as I got a toe hold, long as I got a piece of you
Long as I got a toe hold, I can make it through
Ah, ooo baby, ow, good God!
(& other interjections, fading out)
The song "Toe Hold" by Al Kooper is an upbeat, soulful tune that tells the story of a man who has had a difficult life and has struggled to get by. Despite his hardships, he finds hope in the fact that he has a "toe hold" - a small, but secure foothold - and a piece of the woman he loves. He knows that with these things, he can make it through anything, even if he never becomes rich or famous.
The lyrics are a poignant reminder that even when life is tough, it's important to hold onto the things that give us hope and to never give up. The repetition of the phrase "long as I got a toe hold" is a powerful refrain that emphasizes the importance of finding that one small thing that can keep us going.
Overall, "Toe Hold" is a song about resilience, determination, and the power of love to help us overcome even the toughest of challenges.
Line by Line Meaning
All my life I've been a poor boy; it's been hard to get a dime
I have lived in poverty from the beginning and earning money has always been difficult for me
Everything I got I had to pay for it on time, but that's all right
I bought everything I own on credit, but I am okay with that
Long as I got a toe hold, long as I got a piece of you
As long as I have a chance to be with you, even a small one, things are okay
Long as I got a toe hold, I can make it through
As long as I have that chance, I can survive anything
I said I went to see a doctor, baby talk about his malnutrition
I went to a doctor who told me I was undernourished
Now I don't try to be a fat man; I gotta look about my ambition, look here
I'm not trying to be overweight, I'm focused on achieving my goals
A li-li-li-li-li-li-li-li toe hold, a li-li-li-li-li-li-li-li toe hold, hey!
Repeating the phrase 'toe hold' in a musical way to emphasize its importance in my life
So baby, if you're with me, let the whole world be against me
If you're on my side, I don't care if everyone else is against me
I don't expect to ever get rich, I'm doin' fine, me diggin' a ditch; that's all right
I don't have any illusions about becoming wealthy, I'm content with my current job
Ah, ooo baby, ow, good God!
Various exclamations and expressions of emotion, with no specific meaning
Contributed by Abigail B. Suggest a correction in the comments below.