Paul Kossoff Left us on this day March. 19th in 1976: from heroin-related heart problems, Kossoff’s unhappiness with the end of Free and his drug addictions contributed to a drastic decline in the guitarist’s health. On a flight from Los Angeles to New York on the 19th March 1976, Paul Kossoff died from heroin-related heart problems. at the young age of 25, best remembered as the guitarist with Free, and Back Street Crawler & his solo releases; he formed the groundbreaking British blues-rock band Free in 1968 with Paul Rodgers, Andy Fraser & Simon Kirke; by 1970, they were touring the world on the success of their third album and the UK chart hit single & US number 4 single “All Right Now” which remains one of the defining songs of ‘Classic Rock’ radio era, Kossoff started playing the guitar in the mid-1960s, being taught by session guitarist Colin Falconer, and at age 15 helped to found the band Black Cat Bones. The band played with touring blues piano player Champion Jack Dupree, and did many supporting shows for the British blues band Fleetwood Mac and other gigs with Fleetwood Mac cofounder Peter Green. Kossoff also jammed and spent hours discussing blues playing and players. Kossoff’s bandmate in Black Cat Bones was drummer Simon Kirke, and the two went on to play on Champion Jack Dupree’s April 1968 album When You Feel the Feeling You Was Feeling after their final dissolution in 1973,
In April 1968 Kossoff and Kirke teamed up with Paul Rodgers (vocals) and Andy Fraser (bass) to form Free. They did the Transit circuit for two years and recorded two albums: Tons of Sobs (1968) and Free (1969). Both albums showcased the band’s blues- and soul-influenced sound, a style which was in contrast to some of their progressive and heavier counterparts at the time.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NH5wbYP5xkQ
Success came in 1970 when their third album, Fire and Water (1970), spawned the big hit “All Right Now“. The band played the Isle of Wight festival to both audience and critical acclaim. Sellout tours in the United Kingdom, Europe, and Japan followed, but after the release of the next album, Highway (1970), band pressures led to a split. The live album Free Live, recorded in 1970, was released in 1971 as a farewell record. While Rodgers and Fraser pursued unsuccessful solo projects, Kossoff and Kirke teamed up with Texan keyboard player John “Rabbit” Bundrick and Japanese bass player Tetsu Yamauchi to release the 1971 album Kossoff, Kirke, Tetsu and Rabbit.
Free reformed and released the album Free at Last (1972). Following its release Fraser decided he had had enough and quit to form Sharks. Free drafted Tetsu and Rabbit for Free’s 1973 album Heartbreaker (1973) after which the group disbanded.
Rodgers & Kirke went on to form Bad Company while Paul Kossoff released a 1973 solo album ‘Back Street Crawler’; he then backed John Martyn on a 1975 tour before forming the group Back Street Crawler & releasing albums ‘The Band Plays On’ (’75) & ‘2nd Street’ (1976); he also undertook considerable amount of session work; Rolling Stone Magazine ranked Paul No51 on its list of ‘The 100 Greatest Guitarists of All Time’; his father, actor David Kossoff, later established the Paul Kossoff Foundation, with a mission to present the realities of drug addiction to children…
A 16-track career retrospective, Koss, was issued in 1977
The Fat Angel Sings 