(Alois Kurt Koch)
DISCOGRAPHY 1973-2013 (13CD)
BIOGRAPHY
At the close of the second World War, he was brought back to
Vienna, where he was raised in a working-class family, where his
life went the unspectacular and average way until he was 15.
Al wanted to become a scientist, studying astronomy and physics, but
his family could not afford any higher education and he had to take a
job as a mechanic in a nearby factory, that left him completely
dissatisfied and certainly was not the place to live up to his being as
a natural born individualist.
But inside the young boy grew a desirable power to take off from the
ground and liberate himself from slaving among blockheaded proletarians
and to live a life, he simply did not enjoy.
But the evening of his first day at work resulted in a do-or-die
decision, when Al Cook dropped into a local movie-theater to watch Elvis
Presley, playing the role of Deke Rivers in „Loving You“, a catchy
teen melodram from 1957.
Al heard about Elvis, but at that time, he was still unaware of the
singer's meaning in the world of his generation. But when he left the
cinema, the idea of becoming a Rock n Roll Star in order to escape
social inferiority, changed his attitudes for the rest of his
life.
After several years of intensive studies of Elvis' recordings, Al
bought a cheap „campfire“ guitar and made himself aquainted with the
rudimentary requirements of self-backing.
On October 17th 1964, Al Cook was ready to perform at a local variety
show, but his appearance failed to impact, because his music was played
before the wrong audience. Younger people had already followed the
upcoming advent of Beatlemania and Rock n Roll music simply turned
obsolete.
Just at that time, the kick to another direction was given by listening
to some odd tape recordings, containing vintage blues by black rural
singers of the 20s and 30s.
From this day on, Al Cook was convinced, that this kind of music was
the perfect vehicle to transcribe his feelings into song. The purity and
primitive savageness of the country-blues seemed to take hold of the
young man and he began to walk the rocky road of self-education.
There was neither anybody to teach him how to play and sing the blues,
nor any educational material at local record stores.
When Al Cook purchased his first blues albums, he had to learn all that
stuff by ear. Even the technique of the bottleneck and other slide
guitar styles, then still unknown in the german-speaking countries had
to be discovered by the aspiring bluesman.....
(Al Cook)