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EspañolSTEPPENWOLF (BAND)
:''This article is about the band. For other uses, see Steppenwolf.''
'Steppenwolf' is a rock band of Canadian origin that started in 1967 and is best known for the hits "Born to Be Wild", "Magic Carpet Ride", "Monster/Suicide/America", "Renegade" and "The Pusher". They were named after the novel ''Steppenwolf'' by author Hermann Hesse, which gained a cult following in the 1960s because of the popularity of the band. They have currently sold more than 25 million albums worldwide. [1]
At the age of 4, John Kay (born Joachim Friedrich Krauledat, April 12, 1944 in Tilsit, East Prussia, Germany; modern Sovetsk, Kaliningrad region, Russia) and his mother (his father, a German soldier, was killed in action on the East (Soviet-German) front a month before Joachim’s birth), after escaping from native place, fled from Soviet occupied East Germany to West Germany (an event recounted in the song "Renegade" on the album ''Steppenwolf Seven'' and "The Wall" on the album ''Rise and Shine''), before moving to Canada in 1958.
Steppenwolf had its roots in a Toronto blues band called The Sparrows, which was formed in 1964 and played coffeehouses in Yorkville. By 1967 they had settled in San Francisco, playing a high energy mix of blues rock, psychedelia and folk music. Producer Gabriel Mekler of the label Dunhill Records in Los Angeles suggested the band introduce more aggressive beats. With music that helped pioneer hard rock and heavy metal, they became Steppenwolf. This band's original members were:
★ John Kay, vocals, guitar, harmonica
★ Jerry Edmonton, drums
★ Michael Monarch, lead guitar
★ Goldy McJohn, keyboards
★ Rushton Moreve, bass
★ Matt Landry, Spoons
Steppenwolf rocketed to world-wide fame after their third single, "Born to Be Wild", and their cover of Hoyt Axton's "The Pusher" were used in the cult film ''Easy Rider'' (both titles originally were released on the band's debut album). "Born To Be Wild" was written by Jerry Edmonton's elder brother Dennis, who was lead guitarist of The Sparrows and early Steppenwolf. He left them to perform solo using the name Mars Bonfire. "Born To Be Wild" reached number 2 on the charts. The song introduced to rock lyrics the signature term "heavy metal" (in fact, not about a kind of music, but about a bike: "I like smoke and lightning, 'heavy metal' thunder, racin' with the wind...").
This was followed by several more hits, including "Magic Carpet Ride" (which reached #3) from ''Steppenwolf The Second'' and "Rock Me" (which reached #10) from ''At Your Birthday Party''. Many fans consider their double album ''Steppenwolf Live'' (an extended single album in the UK) the best of Steppenwolf's releases, though John Kay expressed a personal dislike for the album in his autobiography, ''Magic Carpet Ride''.
''Monster'', which criticized US policy of the Nixon-era, and ''Steppenwolf 7'' were the band's most political albums, and are still fondly remembered by fans as two of the best rock & roll snapshots of the attitudes of the late 1960s and early 1970s.
The band broke up in 1971 following the release of another political concept album, ''For Ladies Only'', and Kay went on to a successful though inconsistent solo career, scoring a minor solo hit in 1972 with "I'm Movin' On" from his album ''Forgotten Songs and Unsung Heroes''. Steppenwolf reformed in 1974 with the album ''Slow Flux'', which produced the minor hit "Straight Shooting Woman," then disbanded again in 1976. From 1977 until 1980 Steppenwolf reformed for touring, this time with various former members but without Kay himself. A new studio album, ''Night Of The Wolf'' was recorded in 1979 but never released. The new Steppenwolf, according to Kay's autobiography, turned out to be a shell of the original band, and caused the reputation of the band to deteriorate. Lawsuits were fought. To protect the name, John Kay formed a new version of Steppenwolf in the early 1980s and went on tour as "John Kay and Steppenwolf", as well as releasing a solo album in 2001.
The band still tours on a regular basis and enjoys world-wide popularity, and is especially popular in Canada and Ontario, where John Kay began his musical career.
The latest newsletter from John Kay's Wolfpack fanclub states the following: "As you are probably aware, 2007 marks our 40th anniversary and 2007 will also be the last year of touring for John Kay & Steppenwolf .... 1967-2007-ONE HELLUVA RIDE!"
There will be also some remastering of the band's classic albums throughout this year 2007.
In the Neil Young biography, "Shakey", Neil Young attributes his guitar style to the influence of John Kay. Young and Kay are both Canadians. Former founding Steppenwolf member Goldy McJohn once played in a band with Young and Rick James known as The Mynah Birds.
In 2004, John Kay was inducted onto Canada's Walk of Fame, in recognition of his early years as a Canadian citizen and the beginnings of his musical career in Toronto. Whereas any celebrity that meets criteria can finance their way into the Hollywood Walk of Fame, inductees to Canada's Walk of Fame are selected via a supervising committee, and thus must earn their honour. John Kay was present at the induction ceremony in Toronto, and reiterated his strong affection for Canada.
In the movie "Star Trek: First Contact", Zephram Cochrane, the originator of human warp-drive capacity is, among his other attributes, a collector of ancient music. As he is about to engage warp drive for the first time, he fumbles in his collection, pulls out what appears to be a holographic disc, slams it into the slot, and plays the perfect song for the occasion... "Magic Carpet Ride."
★ ''Steppenwolf'' (1968) - gold certified
★ ''Steppenwolf the Second'' (1968) - gold certified
★ ''At Your Birthday Party'' (1969) - gold certified
★ ''Early Steppenwolf'' (live album 1969 but recorded in 1967)
★ ''Monster'' (1969) - gold certified
★ ''Steppenwolf Live'' (1970) - gold certified
★ ''Steppenwolf 7'' (1970) - gold certified
★ ''For Ladies Only'' (1971)
★ '' (1971) ''Compilation album''
★ ''Rest In Peace'' (1972) ''Compilation album''
★ ''16 Greatest Hits'' (1973) ''Compilation album''
★ ''Slow Flux'' (1974)
★ ''Hour of the Wolf (album)'' (1975)
★ ''Skullduggery'' (1976)
★ ''The ABC Collection'' (1976) ''Compilation album''
★ ''Reborn To Be Wild'' (1976) ''Compilation album'' (re-issued on CD combined with ''Skullduggery'')
★ ''Live in London'' (1981)
★ ''Wolftracks'' (1982)
★ ''Paradox'' (1984)
★ ''Rock & Roll Rebels'' (1987)
★ ''Rise & Shine'' (1990)
★ ''Born To Be Wild - A Retrospective'' (1991) ''Compilation album''
★ ''Live At 25'' (1995) (double live album recorded during ''The Silver Anniversary Tour'')
★ ''Feed The Fire'' (1996) (re-recorded ''Rock & Roll Rebels'' with additions and removals)
★ ''Summerdaze'' (1997) (with other artists, 3 new songs)
★ ''The Millennium Collection'' (2000) ''Compilation album''
★ ''All Time Greatest Hits'' (1999) ''Compilation album''
★ ''Live In Louisville'' (2004) DVD + CD
★ ''Steppenwolf Gold'' (2005) ''Compilation double album'' (23 songs of ''A Retrospective'' plus 8 other ones, all digitally re-mastered, and with 20-page booklet)
★ ''Live In London'' (2006)
★ Canadian rock
★ Music of Canada
★ Official website
★ Biography
★ Bio at CanadianBands.com
★ Dispelling the Lambda Chi Alpha rumor
★ Photos from July 3rd 2007 Concert in Ogden UT
'Steppenwolf' is a rock band of Canadian origin that started in 1967 and is best known for the hits "Born to Be Wild", "Magic Carpet Ride", "Monster/Suicide/America", "Renegade" and "The Pusher". They were named after the novel ''Steppenwolf'' by author Hermann Hesse, which gained a cult following in the 1960s because of the popularity of the band. They have currently sold more than 25 million albums worldwide. [1]
| Contents |
| Background |
| Success |
| Breakup and reformation |
| Trivia |
| Discography |
| Steppenwolf and related bands line-up |
| See also |
| External links |
Background
At the age of 4, John Kay (born Joachim Friedrich Krauledat, April 12, 1944 in Tilsit, East Prussia, Germany; modern Sovetsk, Kaliningrad region, Russia) and his mother (his father, a German soldier, was killed in action on the East (Soviet-German) front a month before Joachim’s birth), after escaping from native place, fled from Soviet occupied East Germany to West Germany (an event recounted in the song "Renegade" on the album ''Steppenwolf Seven'' and "The Wall" on the album ''Rise and Shine''), before moving to Canada in 1958.
Steppenwolf had its roots in a Toronto blues band called The Sparrows, which was formed in 1964 and played coffeehouses in Yorkville. By 1967 they had settled in San Francisco, playing a high energy mix of blues rock, psychedelia and folk music. Producer Gabriel Mekler of the label Dunhill Records in Los Angeles suggested the band introduce more aggressive beats. With music that helped pioneer hard rock and heavy metal, they became Steppenwolf. This band's original members were:
★ John Kay, vocals, guitar, harmonica
★ Jerry Edmonton, drums
★ Michael Monarch, lead guitar
★ Goldy McJohn, keyboards
★ Rushton Moreve, bass
★ Matt Landry, Spoons
Success
Steppenwolf rocketed to world-wide fame after their third single, "Born to Be Wild", and their cover of Hoyt Axton's "The Pusher" were used in the cult film ''Easy Rider'' (both titles originally were released on the band's debut album). "Born To Be Wild" was written by Jerry Edmonton's elder brother Dennis, who was lead guitarist of The Sparrows and early Steppenwolf. He left them to perform solo using the name Mars Bonfire. "Born To Be Wild" reached number 2 on the charts. The song introduced to rock lyrics the signature term "heavy metal" (in fact, not about a kind of music, but about a bike: "I like smoke and lightning, 'heavy metal' thunder, racin' with the wind...").
This was followed by several more hits, including "Magic Carpet Ride" (which reached #3) from ''Steppenwolf The Second'' and "Rock Me" (which reached #10) from ''At Your Birthday Party''. Many fans consider their double album ''Steppenwolf Live'' (an extended single album in the UK) the best of Steppenwolf's releases, though John Kay expressed a personal dislike for the album in his autobiography, ''Magic Carpet Ride''.
''Monster'', which criticized US policy of the Nixon-era, and ''Steppenwolf 7'' were the band's most political albums, and are still fondly remembered by fans as two of the best rock & roll snapshots of the attitudes of the late 1960s and early 1970s.
Breakup and reformation
The band broke up in 1971 following the release of another political concept album, ''For Ladies Only'', and Kay went on to a successful though inconsistent solo career, scoring a minor solo hit in 1972 with "I'm Movin' On" from his album ''Forgotten Songs and Unsung Heroes''. Steppenwolf reformed in 1974 with the album ''Slow Flux'', which produced the minor hit "Straight Shooting Woman," then disbanded again in 1976. From 1977 until 1980 Steppenwolf reformed for touring, this time with various former members but without Kay himself. A new studio album, ''Night Of The Wolf'' was recorded in 1979 but never released. The new Steppenwolf, according to Kay's autobiography, turned out to be a shell of the original band, and caused the reputation of the band to deteriorate. Lawsuits were fought. To protect the name, John Kay formed a new version of Steppenwolf in the early 1980s and went on tour as "John Kay and Steppenwolf", as well as releasing a solo album in 2001.
The band still tours on a regular basis and enjoys world-wide popularity, and is especially popular in Canada and Ontario, where John Kay began his musical career.
The latest newsletter from John Kay's Wolfpack fanclub states the following: "As you are probably aware, 2007 marks our 40th anniversary and 2007 will also be the last year of touring for John Kay & Steppenwolf .... 1967-2007-ONE HELLUVA RIDE!"
There will be also some remastering of the band's classic albums throughout this year 2007.
Trivia
In the Neil Young biography, "Shakey", Neil Young attributes his guitar style to the influence of John Kay. Young and Kay are both Canadians. Former founding Steppenwolf member Goldy McJohn once played in a band with Young and Rick James known as The Mynah Birds.
In 2004, John Kay was inducted onto Canada's Walk of Fame, in recognition of his early years as a Canadian citizen and the beginnings of his musical career in Toronto. Whereas any celebrity that meets criteria can finance their way into the Hollywood Walk of Fame, inductees to Canada's Walk of Fame are selected via a supervising committee, and thus must earn their honour. John Kay was present at the induction ceremony in Toronto, and reiterated his strong affection for Canada.
In the movie "Star Trek: First Contact", Zephram Cochrane, the originator of human warp-drive capacity is, among his other attributes, a collector of ancient music. As he is about to engage warp drive for the first time, he fumbles in his collection, pulls out what appears to be a holographic disc, slams it into the slot, and plays the perfect song for the occasion... "Magic Carpet Ride."
Discography
★ ''Steppenwolf'' (1968) - gold certified
★ ''Steppenwolf the Second'' (1968) - gold certified
★ ''At Your Birthday Party'' (1969) - gold certified
★ ''Early Steppenwolf'' (live album 1969 but recorded in 1967)
★ ''Monster'' (1969) - gold certified
★ ''Steppenwolf Live'' (1970) - gold certified
★ ''Steppenwolf 7'' (1970) - gold certified
★ ''For Ladies Only'' (1971)
★ '' (1971) ''Compilation album''
★ ''Rest In Peace'' (1972) ''Compilation album''
★ ''16 Greatest Hits'' (1973) ''Compilation album''
★ ''Slow Flux'' (1974)
★ ''Hour of the Wolf (album)'' (1975)
★ ''Skullduggery'' (1976)
★ ''The ABC Collection'' (1976) ''Compilation album''
★ ''Reborn To Be Wild'' (1976) ''Compilation album'' (re-issued on CD combined with ''Skullduggery'')
★ ''Live in London'' (1981)
★ ''Wolftracks'' (1982)
★ ''Paradox'' (1984)
★ ''Rock & Roll Rebels'' (1987)
★ ''Rise & Shine'' (1990)
★ ''Born To Be Wild - A Retrospective'' (1991) ''Compilation album''
★ ''Live At 25'' (1995) (double live album recorded during ''The Silver Anniversary Tour'')
★ ''Feed The Fire'' (1996) (re-recorded ''Rock & Roll Rebels'' with additions and removals)
★ ''Summerdaze'' (1997) (with other artists, 3 new songs)
★ ''The Millennium Collection'' (2000) ''Compilation album''
★ ''All Time Greatest Hits'' (1999) ''Compilation album''
★ ''Live In Louisville'' (2004) DVD + CD
★ ''Steppenwolf Gold'' (2005) ''Compilation double album'' (23 songs of ''A Retrospective'' plus 8 other ones, all digitally re-mastered, and with 20-page booklet)
★ ''Live In London'' (2006)
Steppenwolf and related bands line-up
| Band Name | Vocals | Guitar | Bass | Keyboards | Drums | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jack London & The Sparrows I | Jack London | Dennis Edmonton | Bruce Palmer | CJ Feeney | Jerry Edmonton | |
| Jack London & The Sparrows II | Jack London | Dennis Edmonton | Nick St. Nicholas | CJ Feeney | Jerry Edmonton | |
| Jack London & The Sparrows III | Jack London | Dennis Edmonton | Nick St. Nicholas | Art Ayre | Jerry Edmonton | |
| The Sparrows | Jerry Edmonton | Dennis Edmonton | Nick St. Nicholas | Art Ayre | Jerry Edmonton | |
| The Sparrow I | John Kay | Dennis Edmonton | Nick St. Nicholas | Art Ayre | Jerry Edmonton | |
| The Sparrow II | John Kay | Dennis Edmonton | Nick St. Nicholas | Goldy McJohn | Jerry Edmonton | |
| The Sparrow III | John Kay | Michael Monarch | ??? | Goldy McJohn | Jerry Edmonton | |
| The Sparrow IV | John Kay | Michael Monarch | Rushton Moreve | Goldy McJohn | Jerry Edmonton |
| Band Name | Vocals | Guitar | Bass | Keyboards | Drums | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Steppenwolf I | John Kay | Michael Monarch | Rushton Moreve | Goldy McJohn | Jerry Edmonton | |
| Steppenwolf II | John Kay | Michael Monarch | John Russell Morgan (pseudo of R.Moreve; also aka Rob Black) | Goldy McJohn | Jerry Edmonton | |
| Steppenwolf III | John Kay | Michael Monarch | Nick St. Nicholas | Goldy McJohn | Jerry Edmonton | |
| Steppenwolf IV | John Kay | Larry Byrom | Nick St. Nicholas | Goldy McJohn | Jerry Edmonton | |
| Steppenwolf V | John Kay | Larry Byrom | George Biondo | Goldy McJohn | Jerry Edmonton | |
| Steppenwolf VI | John Kay | Kent Henry | George Biondo | Goldy McJohn | Jerry Edmonton | |
| John Kay Band I | John Kay | Kent Henry | George Biondo | Hugh O'Sullivan | Penti 'Whitey' Glan | |
| John Kay Band II | John Kay | Danny Kortchmar | Lee Sklar | Mike Utley | Russ Kunkel | |
| Steppenwolf VII | John Kay | Bobby Cochran | George Biondo | Goldy McJohn | Jerry Edmonton | |
| Steppenwolf VIII | John Kay | Bobby Cochran | George Biondo | Andy Chapin | Jerry Edmonton | |
| Steppenwolf IX | John Kay | Bobby Cochran | George Biondo | Wayne Cook | Jerry Edmonton | |
| Steppenwolf X | John Kay | Bobby Cochran | Jack Ryland | Wayne Cook | Jerry Edmonton |
| Band Name | Vocals | Guitar | Bass | Keyboards | Drums | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| The New Steppenwolf, Inc. I | Tom Pagon | Kent Henry | Nick St. Nicholas | Goldy McJohn | Tony DeSanti | |
| The New Steppenwolf, Inc. II | Tom Pagon | Kent Henry/ Jamie James | Nick St. Nicholas | Goldy McJohn | Tony DeSanti | |
| The New Steppenwolf, Inc. III | Tom Pagon | Tony Flynn/ Jamie James | Nick St. Nicholas | Goldy McJohn | Tony DeSanti | |
| The New Steppenwolf, Inc. IV | Larry Green | Jamie James | Nick St. Nicholas | Evan Smith | Jack White | |
| The New Steppenwolf, Inc. V | Bob Simpson | Kent Henry | Rushton Moreve | John Hall | Jerry Posin | |
| The New Steppenwolf, Inc. VI | Bob Simpson | Ruben Raven | Nick St. Nicholas | Armond Blackwater | Frankie Banali | |
| The New Steppenwolf, Inc. VII | Bob Simpson | Ruben Raven | Nick St. Nicholas | Armond Blackwater | Jack White | |
| The New Steppenwolf, Inc. VIII | Bob Simpson | Ruben Raven | Nick St. Nicholas | Geoff Emery | Dick Jurgens | |
| The New Steppenwolf, Inc. IX | Bob Simpson | Ruben Raven | Nick St. Nicholas | Geoff Emery | Jack White | |
| The New Steppenwolf, Inc. X | Tommy Holland | Ruben Raven | Nick St. Nicholas | Geoff Emery | Jack White | |
| The New Steppenwolf, Inc. XI | Tommy Holland | Ruben Raven | Nick St. Nicholas | Geoff Emery | Steve Riley | |
| The New Steppenwolf, Inc. XII | Tommy Holland | Tony Flynn | Nick St. Nicholas | Geoff Emery | Steve Riley | |
| The New Steppenwolf, Inc. XIII | Peter McGraw | Paul Nauman | Rick Reed | Goldy McJohn | Robbie Roberti | |
| The New Steppenwolf, Inc. XIV | Nick Graham | Kent Henry | Paul Conroe | Goldy McJohn | Lawrence Hammock |
| Band Name | Vocals | Guitar | Bass | Keyboards | Drums | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| John Kay Band III | John Kay | Larry Byrom | Bob Wray | Clayton Ivey | Roger Clark | |
| John Kay & Steppenwolf I | John Kay | Michael Palmer | Kurtis Teel | Danny Ironstone | Steven Palmer | |
| John Kay & Steppenwolf II | John Kay | Michael Palmer | Chad Peery | Brett Tuggle | Steven Palmer | |
| John Kay & Steppenwolf III | John Kay | Michael Palmer | Welton Gite | Michael Wilk | Steven Palmer | |
| John Kay & Steppenwolf IV | John Kay | Michael Palmer | Gary Link | Michael Wilk | Steven Palmer | |
| John Kay & Steppenwolf V | John Kay | Rocket Richotte | Michael Wilk | Michael Wilk | Ron Hurst | |
| John Kay & Steppenwolf VI | John Kay | Les Dudek | Michael Wilk | Michael Wilk | Ron Hurst | |
| John Kay & Steppenwolf VII | John Kay | Steve Fister | Michael Wilk | Michael Wilk | Ron Hurst | |
| John Kay & Steppenwolf VIII | John Kay | Danny Johnson | Michael Wilk | Michael Wilk | Ron Hurst | |
| John Kay Band IV | John Kay | Danny Johnson | Guy DeVito | Michael Wilk | Ron Hurst |
See also
★ Canadian rock
★ Music of Canada
External links
★ Official website
★ Biography
★ Bio at CanadianBands.com
★ Dispelling the Lambda Chi Alpha rumor
★ Photos from July 3rd 2007 Concert in Ogden UT
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psst.. try this: add to faves
