Biography
Rock music has long claimed gifted players felled by substance-related tragedies, and guitarist Paul Kossoff of Free and Back Street Crawler ranks among those losses. Born in London, England, on September 14, 1950, he first pursued classical guitar lessons yet abandoned the instrument during adolescence. Exposure to the British blues-rock wave of the 1960s rekindled his passion, particularly after witnessing Eric Clapton with John Mayall's Bluesbreakers; he then acquired a vintage Gibson Les Paul that became his signature instrument and joined several neighborhood groups. Through Black Cat Bones he forged a close bond with drummer Simon Kirke, who would figure prominently in his later career. After the band supported Champion Jack Dupree on the track “When You Feel the Feeling,” Kossoff and Kirke felt the unit had peaked and parted ways.
The pair soon joined vocalist Paul Rodgers and bassist Andy Fraser to launch Free, a name reportedly supplied by British blues figure Alexis Korner. Upon signing with Island/A&M Records, Kossoff matured into a distinctive soloist celebrated for his fluid, measured, and melodic lines alongside blues-inflected riffs. The group’s late-1960s albums, 1968’s Tons of Sobs and the self-titled 1969 set, attracted scant notice, prompting Kossoff to audition unsuccessfully for openings with the Rolling Stones and Jethro Tull. Commercial breakthrough arrived with 1970’s Fire and Water, whose hit single “All Right Now” became a classic-rock staple and earned the band a slot at the 1970 Isle of Wight Festival alongside the Who, Sly & the Family Stone, and what proved to be final performances by both Jimi Hendrix and the Doors.
That appearance marked Free’s commercial summit; after the 1971 release Highway the quartet disbanded. Island issued the live album Free Live while the members pursued separate ventures. Kossoff and Kirke remained together in the short-lived Kossoff, Kirke, Tetsu & Rabbit, which included bassist Tetsu Yamauchi and keyboardist John “Rabbit” Bundrick and produced one self-titled record that year. The original lineup briefly reunited in 1972 for the well-received Free at Last, yet Kossoff’s mounting drug dependence precipitated Fraser’s departure. Yamauchi assumed the bass chair and Bundrick joined permanently; the revised lineup attempted a sixth studio album, but Kossoff’s condition limited his participation, forcing Rodgers and an additional guitarist to fill his parts. The resulting 1973 album Heartbreaker was promoted on tour with Wendell Richardson replacing Kossoff; once the dates concluded, Free dissolved permanently, with Rodgers and Kirke later forming Bad Company.
That same year Kossoff assembled sufficient focus to record the solo album Back Street Crawler, which drew contributions from his former Free colleagues and Yes drummer Alan White. Satisfied with the outcome, he assembled a permanent band bearing the album’s title. Fronted by singer Terry Wilson-Slesser and featuring keyboardist Mike Montgomery, bassist Terry Wilson, and drummer Tony Braunagel, the group signed with Atlantic Records and issued 1975’s The Band Plays On and 1976’s Second Street. Kossoff’s health nevertheless continued to deteriorate; in 1975, while undergoing drug rehabilitation in London, his heart briefly stopped and required resuscitation. He persisted on his perilous course until March 19, 1976, when he suffered a fatal drug-induced heart attack aboard a flight from Los Angeles to New York at age 25.
Following his death, a 16-track retrospective titled Koss appeared in 1977. During the 1980s the Street Tunes label released several additional British collections: 1981’s The Hunter, 1982’s Leaves in the Wind, 1983’s Mr. Big, and 1984’s Croydon June 15th, 1975. Renewed attention in the late 1990s brought the 14-track anthology Blue Blue Soul, the five-disc Free box set Songs of Yesterday, and the biography Heavy Load—The Story of Free.
The pair soon joined vocalist Paul Rodgers and bassist Andy Fraser to launch Free, a name reportedly supplied by British blues figure Alexis Korner. Upon signing with Island/A&M Records, Kossoff matured into a distinctive soloist celebrated for his fluid, measured, and melodic lines alongside blues-inflected riffs. The group’s late-1960s albums, 1968’s Tons of Sobs and the self-titled 1969 set, attracted scant notice, prompting Kossoff to audition unsuccessfully for openings with the Rolling Stones and Jethro Tull. Commercial breakthrough arrived with 1970’s Fire and Water, whose hit single “All Right Now” became a classic-rock staple and earned the band a slot at the 1970 Isle of Wight Festival alongside the Who, Sly & the Family Stone, and what proved to be final performances by both Jimi Hendrix and the Doors.
That appearance marked Free’s commercial summit; after the 1971 release Highway the quartet disbanded. Island issued the live album Free Live while the members pursued separate ventures. Kossoff and Kirke remained together in the short-lived Kossoff, Kirke, Tetsu & Rabbit, which included bassist Tetsu Yamauchi and keyboardist John “Rabbit” Bundrick and produced one self-titled record that year. The original lineup briefly reunited in 1972 for the well-received Free at Last, yet Kossoff’s mounting drug dependence precipitated Fraser’s departure. Yamauchi assumed the bass chair and Bundrick joined permanently; the revised lineup attempted a sixth studio album, but Kossoff’s condition limited his participation, forcing Rodgers and an additional guitarist to fill his parts. The resulting 1973 album Heartbreaker was promoted on tour with Wendell Richardson replacing Kossoff; once the dates concluded, Free dissolved permanently, with Rodgers and Kirke later forming Bad Company.
That same year Kossoff assembled sufficient focus to record the solo album Back Street Crawler, which drew contributions from his former Free colleagues and Yes drummer Alan White. Satisfied with the outcome, he assembled a permanent band bearing the album’s title. Fronted by singer Terry Wilson-Slesser and featuring keyboardist Mike Montgomery, bassist Terry Wilson, and drummer Tony Braunagel, the group signed with Atlantic Records and issued 1975’s The Band Plays On and 1976’s Second Street. Kossoff’s health nevertheless continued to deteriorate; in 1975, while undergoing drug rehabilitation in London, his heart briefly stopped and required resuscitation. He persisted on his perilous course until March 19, 1976, when he suffered a fatal drug-induced heart attack aboard a flight from Los Angeles to New York at age 25.
Following his death, a 16-track retrospective titled Koss appeared in 1977. During the 1980s the Street Tunes label released several additional British collections: 1981’s The Hunter, 1982’s Leaves in the Wind, 1983’s Mr. Big, and 1984’s Croydon June 15th, 1975. Renewed attention in the late 1990s brought the 14-track anthology Blue Blue Soul, the five-disc Free box set Songs of Yesterday, and the biography Heavy Load—The Story of Free.
Albums
