''Act Like Nothing's Wrong'' is the seventh solo studio

album An album is a collection of audio recordings (e.g., music) issued on a medium such as compact disc (CD), Phonograph record, vinyl (record), audio tape (like 8-track cartridge, 8-track or Cassette tape, cassette), or digital distribution, dig ...

by the American singer-songwriter

Al Kooper Al Kooper (born Alan Peter Kuperschmidt; February 5, 1944) is an American songwriter, record producer, and musician. Throughout much of the 1960s and 1970s he was a prolific studio musician, including playing organ on the Bob Dylan song " Like ...

, recorded and released in 1976.

Background

After the release of his sixth studio album '' Naked Songs'' in 1973, Kooper took time off from solo recording to concentrate on his new discovery,

Lynyrd Skynyrd Lynyrd Skynyrd (, ) is an American Rock music, rock band formed in Jacksonville, Florida in 1964. The group originally formed as My Backyard and comprised Ronnie Van Zant (vocals), Gary Rossington (guitar), Allen Collins (guitar), Larry Junstrom ...

. After producing and playing on their first three albums, he resumed his solo recording career in 1976. The resulting album, ''Act Like Nothing's Wrong'' was recorded mostly in Southeastern US studios with a wide array of musicians. The album opens with his own funky version of "

This Diamond Ring "This Diamond Ring" is a 1965 song written by Al Kooper, Bob Brass and Irwin Levine. The original demo was sung by Jimmy Radcliffe. It was first released as a single by Sammy Ambrose on Musicor #1061, then by Gary Lewis & the Playboys on Liberty # ...

", a song that he co-wrote for

Gary Lewis and the Playboys Gary Lewis & the Playboys were a 1960s pop and rock group, fronted by musician Gary Lewis, the son of comedian Jerry Lewis. They are best known for their 1965 ''Billboard'' Hot 100 number-one single "This Diamond Ring", which was the first ...

in 1964. The album continues in the “soul-funk” vein with a mix of covers and original compositions. This was Kooper's first and only album for

United Artists United Artists (UA) is an American film production and film distribution, distribution company owned by Amazon MGM Studios. In its original operating period, it was founded in February 1919 by Charlie Chaplin, D. W. Griffith, Mary Pickford an ...

. It was six years before he recorded his next album, ''Championship Wrestling''. The front cover shows Al Kooper's head superimposed on the body of the dancer and model Linda Hoxit (his girlfriend at the time), while on the back cover is Linda Hoxit's head on Kooper's body.

Track listing

All tracks composed by Al Kooper; except where indicated # "Is We on the Downbeat" – 0:36 # "

" (Kooper, Bob Brass,

Irwin Levine Irwin Jesse Levine (March 23, 1938 – January 21, 1997)
- accessed April 11, 2012 was an American songwriter, who co-wrote ...

) – 4:13 # "She Don't Ever Lose Her Groove" (

Willie Hale Willie George Hale (born August 15, 1945), often known by the name Little Beaver, is an American guitarist, singer and songwriter, who has been featured on many hit records since the 1960s. Early life and session musicianship Hale was born on Au ...

) – 3:47 # "I Forgot to Be Your Lover" (

Booker T. Jones Booker Taliaferro Jones Jr. (born November 12, 1944) is an American musician, songwriter, record producer and arranger, best known as the frontman of the band Booker T. & the M.G.'s. He has also worked in the studios with many well-known artis ...

, William Bell) – 2:58 # "Missing You" – 3:58 # "Out of Left Field" (

Dan Penn Dan Penn (born Wallace Daniel Pennington, November 16, 1941) is an American songwriter, singer, musician, and record producer, who co-wrote many soul hits of the 1960s, including " The Dark End of the Street" and " Do Right Woman, Do Right Man" ...

Spooner Oldham Dewey "Spooner" Lindon Oldham Jr. (born June 14, 1943) is an American songwriter and session musician. An organist, he recorded in Muscle Shoals, Alabama, at FAME Studios as part of the Muscle Shoals Rhythm Section on such hit R&B songs as Percy ...

) – 5:10 # "(Please Not) One More Time" – 3:33 # "In My Own Sweet Way" – 2:42 # "Turn My Head Towards Home" (Kooper, John Simon) – 4:35 # "A Visit to the Rainbow Bar and Grill" – 0:40 # "Hollywood Vampire" – 6:03

Personnel

Steve Alaimo Stephen Charles Alaimo (December 6, 1939 – November 30, 2024) was an American singer who was a teen idol in the early 1960s. He later became a record producer and label owner, but he is perhaps best known for hosting and co-producing Dick Clar ...

– engineer * Ron Bogdon – bass *

J. R. Cobb James Barney Cobb Jr. (February 5, 1944 – May 4, 2019) was an American guitarist and songwriter, most notable for co-writing "Spooky (Classics IV song), Spooky", "Stormy (song), Stormy" and "Traces (song), Traces", among others, as a member of ...

– bass * Gary Coleman – percussion, bongos, conga * Bob Edwards – engineer * Gene Eichelberger – engineer * Robert Ferguson – drums, vocals *

Dominic Frontiere Dominic Carmen Frontiere (June 17, 1931 – December 21, 2017) was an American composer, arranger, and jazz accordionist. He composed the theme and much of the music for the first season of the television series '' The Outer Limits'', as w ...

– horn arrangements * Steve Gibson – guitar, rhythm guitar * Hilda Harris – backing vocals * John Henning – engineer * Bruce Hensal – engineer *

Ron Hicklin Singers The Ron Hicklin Singers were a group of Los Angeles studio singers contracted and organized by Ron Hicklin. They are mostly known as the real singers behind the background vocals on The Partridge Family recordings. In Los Angeles studio circles ...

– backing vocals * Linda Hoxit – engineer *

Denis King Denis Andrew King (born 25 July 1939) is an English composer and singer. He is best remembered as a member of a family ensemble, The King Brothers. Early career: the King Brothers King was born in Hornchurch, Essex, England. He began his mus ...

– engineer *

– guitar, arranger, electric guitar, keyboards, vocals, clavinet, producer, engineer, horn arrangements * Kelly Kotera – engineer * Bobby Langford – engineer * Mike Leech – bass * Willie "Little Beaver" Hale – guitar *

Larrie Londin Ralph Gallant (October 15, 1943 − August 24, 1992), known professionally as Larrie Londin, was an American drummer and session musician. According to journalist James Byron Fox, "If not the best known, Larrie is one of the most listened to dr ...

– drums *

Harry Lookofsky Harry William Lookofsky (1 October 1913 – 8 June 1998) was an American jazz violinist. He was also the father of keyboardist-songwriter Michael Brown, who most notably was a founding member of the Left Banke and Stories. Early life and fa ...

– violin *

George "Chocolate" Perry George Wesly Perry (born 1953), known professionally as "Chocolate Perry" is an American bassist, songwriter and producer. Perry has worked with the Bee Gees, John Cougar, Jon Secada, Stephen Stills, Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young, Al Kooper, Di ...

– bass * Alan Robinson – liner notes * Tim Sadler – engineer * Rick Sanchez – engineer * John Simon – arranger, producer * Rick Smith – engineer * Steve Smith – engineer *

Marvin Stamm Marvin Louis Stamm (born May 23, 1939) is an American jazz trumpeter. Career Stamm was born in Memphis, Tennessee, United States. Stamm began on trumpet at age twelve. He attended North Texas State University, where he was a member of the One ...

– trumpet, soloist *

Tower of Power Tower of Power is an American R&B and funk based band and horn section, originating in Oakland, California, that has been performing since 1968. The band has had a number of lead vocalists, the best-known being Lenny Williams, who fronted ...

– horns *

Wendy Waldman Wendy Waldman (born Wendy Steiner on November 29, 1950) is an American singer, songwriter, and record producer. Biography Early life Waldman grew up in the Los Angeles area and was raised in a musical environment. Her father Fred Steiner was a ...

– backing vocals *

Joe Walsh Joseph Fidler Walsh (born Joseph Woodward Fidler; November 20, 1947) is an American guitarist, singer, and songwriter. Best known as a member of the rock band Eagles (band), Eagles, his five-decade career includes solo work and stints in other ...

– slide guitar * Bobby Wood – organ, piano, electric piano *

Reggie Young Reggie Grimes Young Jr. (December 12, 1936 – January 17, 2019) was an American musician who was lead guitarist in the American Sound Studio house band, The Memphis Boys, and was a leading session musician. He played on various recordings with ...

– guitar, vocals * Tubby Zeigler – drums

References

{{Authority control 1976 albums Al Kooper albums United Artists Records albums Albums produced by Al Kooper Albums produced by John Simon (record producer)