Paul Kossoff was born on September 14, 1950, in Hempstead, England. He took up classical guitar while still very young, but after hearing Eric Clapton, Paul became hooked on the blues. Eventually, Paul Kossoff developed into one of the most expressive and influental guitarists in rock history, using sustain and feedback in a way that reflected the inner torment of his essentially fragile character. In time he fell prey to the pressures of success and became heavily involved with heroin.
Along with Cream and Led Zeppelin, Free stands as one of the most influential Bands of the English blues revival of the late 60's and early 70's. Formed in London during the spring of 1968, Free's original lineup included Drummer Simon Kirke, Bassist Andy Fraser, Lead Vocalist Paul Rodgers and Guitarist Paul Kossoff. Originally with Black Cat Bones, Kirke and Kossoff recruited Rodgers from Brown Sugar and Fraser from John Mayall's Bluesbreakers.
In late 1968, Free entered the studio to record their debut album. It was the first time in a studio for all except Kossoff, who had previously logged some session time. They were all in fine form, and the resulting album, Tons of Sobs, shows just how far Free had come in their first few months together. Tons of Sobs sold moderately well in England, but sold poorly in the United States, where it reached a peak position of#197 on the charts almost a year after its release.
Free's second album, Free, was eventually released in November of 1969. The new album sold much better than Tons of Sobs, reaching #22 in the British charts.
Free's stunning combination of blues and rock was finally adequately reproduced on their seminal Album Fire and Water which was released in 1970. An engaging mix of ballads and strident rockers, Fire and Water also featured "All Right Now", the Groups breakthrough single. "All Right Now" has proved remarkably durable, remaining, after nearly three decades, the Band«s Signature tune and an all-time classic.
Kossoff reinvented his style in 1971, during Free's first split. He recorded a somewhat successful instrumental album with Simon Kirke and friends Tetsu Yamauchi and John "Rabbit" Bundrick. Free decided to reform in 1972. This was not the end of the rough times.
Andy Fraser left Free in 1972, and Kossoff was present for only some of the sessions for what would be Free's last album. During the subsequent tour Kossoff dropped out for good. After seeking treatment for his substance addictions in mid-1973, Paul led sessions for his frst solo album, Back Street Crawler, which he had been working on here and there since 1972. Soon he was recruiting musicians for a new band, which he named after the album. Back Street Crawler, made up of singer Terry Wilson-Slesser, Terry Wilson on bass, Tony Braunagel on drums, Mike Montgomery on keyboards and vocals, and Kossoff on guitar, recorded an album, The Band Plays On.
In August 1975, Paul Kossoff suffered a heart attack while in the hospital with a stomach ulcer. For a tense half-hour, his heart, lungs and kidneys all stopped functioning, but in the end he pulled through and was playing again in a matter of months. That winter, Back Street Crawler began recording their second album, but on March 19, 1976, on a flight from Los Angeles to New York, Paul Kossoff had a drug-induced heart attack and died in his sleep. The album was finished up and released as 2nd Street in May, and remains a sad reminder of what might have been.
