Al Kooper (born Alan Peter Kuperschmidt, February 5, 1944) is an American songwriter, record producer and musician. He gained popularity by collaborating with many artists, including The Rolling Stones, Bob Dylan and B. B. King. He also played with Lynyrd Skynyrd. In the 1980s, he had his own studio room in Nashville. Kooper has got several music awards and was inducted into the Musicians Hall of Fame and Museum.