Otis Redding, the Mamas & the Papas and Al Kooper to be inducted into RockWall on May 11

OTIS REDDING, THE MAMAS & THE PAPAS, AND AL KOOPER TO BE INDUCTED INTO HOLLYWOOD’S ROCKWALK
40th Anniversary of Monterey Pop Saluted With Induction of Three of the Festivals Performers

WHO: The leading vocal group of the ’60s, the Mamas & the Papas epitomized the ‘60s pop culture of live free, play free and love free. Their folk foundation and extraordinary harmonies along with the easygoing southern California lifestyle they endorsed brought them legions of loyal fans.
Formed in 1965 by John Phillips, Michelle Phillips, Denny Doherty and Cass Elliott, the group headed to California where they auditioned for Lou Adler at Dunhill Records who signed them on the spot. Their debut single “California Dreamin’” shot up the charts and was followed by their album If You Can Believe Your Eyes and Ears. In addition to the album’s two hit singles “California Dreamin’” and “Monday, Monday,” other memorable songs on the album included “Go Where You Wanna Go,” and “Got A Feeling.” They released two albums over the next two years spawning the hit songs “I Saw Her Again,” “Words of Love,” “Dedicated to the One I Love,” “Creeque Alley,” and “Twelve-Thirty.”
In the late spring of 1967, John Phillips’ influence on popular culture reached an all time high when he and Lou Adler organized the Monterey International Pop Festival. Celebrating its 40th Anniversary this year, the Monterey International Pop Festival was the first and most renowned of all the rock festivals of the 1960s. The festival helped to launch the careers of dozens of acts including Jimi Hendrix, Janis Joplin, The Who, Otis Redding and Al Kooper. Their fourth album, a collection of their greatest hits, The Papas & the Mamas was released in 1968 followed by their final album, People Like Us, which was released in 1971 following a year apart due to the band disbanding.

Born into a Baptist minister’s family in southern Georgia, Otis Redding began his career as a singer and musician at an early age in the choir of the Vineville Baptist Church. After years of hard work performing in churches and at talent shows, Redding’s sacrifices paid off with the release of “I’ve Been Loving You Too Long.”
His concert tours were amongst the biggest box office successes of his time and in June of 1967, Otis Redding performed for 200,000 at the Monterey International Pop Festival. His energy, showmanship and his relationship with the crowd made Redding a performer who had a rare gift of being able to reach both white and black audiences at the time. 1968 was set to be his greatest year of success; nominated for three GRAMMY awards his hit “(Sittin’ On) The Dock of The Bay went on to win both R&B Vocal Performance and R&B Song. He had appearances slated at New York’s Philharmonic and Washington’s Constitution Hall, along with television appearances set for The Ed Sullivan Show, The Smothers Brothers Show and his own television special; but Redding’s life was tragically cut short when his twin engine Beechcraft crashed on December 10, 1967.

A professional musician since his early teens, Al Kooper joined the Royal Teens in 1958, just after their #1 hit "Short Shorts." Kooper then went on to become a session-player guitarist and songwriter. After co-writing the #1 hit "This Diamond Ring for Gary Lewis, a friendship with producer Tom Wilson led to Kooper playing the signature organ riff on Dylan’s “Like A Rolling Stone,” as well as on the rest of the Highway 61 Revisited and Blonde on Blonde albums. Kooper later joined the Blues Project whose urban blues sound graced three critically acclaimed records.
After three years with the Blues Project Kooper left to form the trend-setting Blood Sweat & Tears. After recording just one album with the band, Kooper took a job in the Columbia Records A&R department. Here, he began recording solo albums as well as continuing to do session work for the likes of The Rolling Stones, Jimi Hendrix and The Who.
In 1972, Kooper moved to Atlanta where he discovered Lynyrd Skynyrd. He formed his own label and produced their first three albums, which included the hits “Sweet Home Alabama,” “Saturday Night Special,” and “Free Bird.” Kooper went on to continue playing on sessions such as George Harrison’s#1 hit "All Those Years Ago" as well as touring with the likes of Dylan and Joe Walsh.
His 2005 solo release Black Coffee came out to rave reviews and Kooper has continued to produce, play and tour both as a solo artist and with some of music’s most legendary musicians. His catalogue work has been sampled by the likes of Jay-Z, The Beastie Boys and Pharcyde. In 2008 he will celebrate his 50th anniversary in the music business.

WHAT: Otis Redding will be posthumously inducted and The Mamas & the Papas and Al Kooper will be inducted into HOLLYWOOD’S ROCKWALK, the only sidewalk gallery dedicated to honoring those artists who have made a significant impact and lasting contribution to the growth and evolution of Rock ‘n’ Roll. Redding, The Mamas & the Papas and Al Kooper will join other equally accomplished musicians and innovators who have been inducted into RockWalk such as Jimi Hendrix, Eric Clapton, Carlos Santana, Johnny Cash, Van Halen, Bonnie Raitt, Jerry Lee Lewis, Carl Perkins, The Ramones, Marvin Gaye, James Brown, Brian Wilson, Stevie Wonder, John Lee Hooker and Earth Wind & Fire.

WHERE: Hollywood’s RockWalk,
7425 Sunset Blvd. in Hollywood, CA
WHEN: Friday, May 11, 2007 at NOON
*This event is FREE and OPEN to the public*