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| Associated_acts = [[The Mynah Birds]], [[The Sparrows]], T.I.M.E., [[Janis Joplin]], [[World Classic Rockers]]
| Associated_acts = [[The Mynah Birds]], [[The Sparrows]], T.I.M.E., [[Janis Joplin]], [[World Classic Rockers]]
| URL = [http://www.steppenwolf.com www.steppenwolf.com]
| URL = [http://www.steppenwolf.com www.steppenwolf.com]
| Current_members = [[John Kay (musician)|John Kay]]<br>[[Nick St. Nicholas]]<br>[[Goldy McJohn]]<br>[[Jerry Edmonton]]<br>[[Danny Johnson]]<br>[[Michael Wilk]]<br>[[Ron Hurst]]
| Current_members = [[John Kay (musician)|John Kay]]<br>[[Danny Johnson]]<br>[[Michael Wilk]]<br>[[Ron Hurst]]
| Past_members =
| Past_members =
}}
}}

Revision as of 11:24, 27 January 2008

This article is about the band. For other uses, see Steppenwolf.
Steppenwolf

Steppenwolf is a rock band that helped establish heavy metal music in the late 1960s along with bands like Blue Cheer and Iron Butterfly. The band was formed in 1967 in Los Angeles by vocalist John Kay, guitarist Michael Monarch, bassist Rushton Moreve, keyboardist Goldy McJohn and drummer Jerry Edmonton after the dissolution of its predecessor, The Sparrows.

The band has sold more than 25 million units worldwide, releasing 8 gold albums and 13 Hot 100 singles, including three top-10 hits in "Born to Be Wild", '"Magic Carpet Ride", and "Rock Me". Steppenwolf enjoyed worldwide success from 1968 to 1974, but clashing personalities led to the end of the core lineup. Today, frontman John Kay is the only original member left, having served as lead singer for almost all of the 40 years since 1967. Kay has stated that there will be no more Steppenwolf tours, but according to band manager Charlie Wolf, he has left open the possibility of doing "a half dozen shows in '09".[1]

History of Steppenwolf

The Sparrows

Steppenwolf had its roots in a Toronto blues-influenced rock band called The Sparrows, which was established in 1964 by brothers Dennis and Jerry Edmonton and Nick St. Nicholas. Kay joined The Sparrows in September 1965 to sing and play guitar after the original singer, Jack London, left the group. Shortly thereafter, Goldy McJohn, who had once played in The Mynah Birds with Neil Young and Rick James, was brought in to replace departed keyboardist Art Ayre. The band shortened its name to The Sparrow in May 1966.

The band had some success in Toronto, and then Stanton J. Freeman became their Manager and took them to New York where he booked them into The Barge in Westhampton for a month and arranged a record deal with Columbia Records. The Album was not released until Steppenwolf became popular. Freeman then took them to San Francisco for the "Summer of Love". Dennis Edmonton and Nick St. Nicholas quit at this point to pursue other musical ventures. 17-year-old Michael Monarch and Rushton Moreve replaced them for a short time in The Sparrows before the band changed its name to Steppenwolf, at the suggestion of Dunhill Records producer Gabriel Mekler, who facilitated the band's signing with his employer.

Steppenwolf

Steppenwolf rocketed to world-wide fame after their third single, "Born to Be Wild", and their cover of Hoyt Axton's "The Pusher" were prominently used in the 1969 cult film Easy Rider (both titles originally had been released on the band's debut album). In the movie, "The Pusher" accompanies a drug deal, and Peter Fonda stuffing Dollar bills into his Stars&Stripes-clad fuel tank, while "Born to Be Wild" is then seen in the opening credits, with Fonda and Hopper riding their Harley choppers through the American West. The song, which is closely associated with motorcycles ever since, introduced to rock lyrics the signature term "heavy metal" (in fact, not about a kind of music, but about a motorcycle: "I like smoke and lightning, heavy metal thunder, racin' with the wind..."). The song reached number 2 on the charts. It had been written by Jerry Edmonton's elder brother, who had begun using the pen name Mars Bonfire.

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.

Reunion

Steppenwolf reformed in 1974 with its core linup of Kay, Edmonton, and McJohn, along with longtime bassist George Biondo and newcomer Bobby Cochran, Eddie Cochran's nephew. The band signed with Mums Records in retaliation for what Kay perceived as a lack of support by Dunhill Records for his solo album. Their first album apart from Dunhill was Slow Flux which included their last Top-40 hit, "Straight Shootin' Woman". Following the tour in support of the album's release, McJohn was dismissed for what Kay described as a decline in his quality in play, as well as erratic behavior. McJohn was replaced by Andy Chapin on Hour of the Wolf, though McJohn appeared in artwork for the single to Caroline (Are You Ready) and claims that his keyboard work can be heard on many of the album's tracks. After the album peaked at #155, the band attempted to break up, but the label, now Epic Records, insisted Steppenwolf record one more album to satisfy their contractual obligations. The ensuing album, Skullduggery, featuring Wayne Cook on keyboards, was released without a tour to support it, and Steppenwolf disbanded a second time.

New Steppenwolf

From 1977 until 1980 Steppenwolf reformed for touring with concert promoter David Pesnell also acting as manager for the band. There was a variety of incarnations featuring former members Nick St. Nicholas (German-born like Kay), Goldy McJohn, Kent Henry, Rushton Moreve, but without Kay himself. A new studio album, produced by Phil Spector was attempted in 1978, and abandoned due to the Pesnell and Spector hateful relationship with each other. The relationship ended with a well documented fist fight between the two at the Whiskey in which Pesnell sent Spector to the hospital, where he stayed for three nights. Asualt charges were dropped against Pesnell after it was determined by the Los Angeles Police Department that Spector had instigated the fight. Another album, The Night Of The Wolf was recorded by Steppenwolf and produced by Pesnell in 1979 and released featuring the songs "Night of the Wolf" and "I Don't Want To Lose You" and enjoying chart success in the U.S. and Europe. The follow up concert tour in the U.S., Canada and Europe was promoted by Pesnell with the opening acts including Iron Butterfly and Rush. The band eventually disbanded for a time due to exhaustion and heavy drug use by Nick St. Nicholas, Goldy McJohn, Frankie Banali and David Pesnell. While Pesnell went into rehab with several other individuals in his management and concert company, John Kay reformed another edition of the band. Frankie Banali went on to help form the band Quiet Riot, who Pesnell and one of his partners, Joel Henry had introduced him.

John Kay & Steppenwolf

John Kay & Steppenwolf at Lillehammer Rock Weekend in Lillehammer, Norway.

John Kay formed a new version of Steppenwolf in the early 1980s and wanted to tour as "John Kay and Steppenwolf". John Kay had a couple of meetings with David Pesnell, (after his release from rehab for his drinking and drug problems), about management, concert promotions and producing a new album for the band. Pesnell wanted to produce an album featuring new songs on Side A, by the reformed band, Three Dog Night and with Side B of the album featuring songs by Steppenwolf. The album's working name was "Back to Back", a play on each band having a side of the album and the fact the bands were back together again. Pesnell's concept was simple; each band would record four new songs, with a fifth song on each side featuring a melody of the band's past songs. This would give the Pesnell produced album a double release of singles to support a concert tour featuring the two bands. Many individuals inside the music industry believed the concept was solid and would lead to greater success for the two reunited bands, but Pesnell could not get John Kay or the members of Three Dog Night to agree on the various elements of the project and he eventually dropped the project, much to the dismay of Danny Hutton of Three Dog Night. As crazy as it may be, even though both bands liked the concept of the album and tour, the arguments included who would be Side A and Side B and which of the two would headline the upcoming concert tour.

As the band was named after the Steppenwolf (novel) by German author Hermann Hesse, who was born in the Black Forest town of Calw, the city invited them to come over and play in the International Hermann-Hesse-Festival 2002, along with other bands inspired by Hesse, like Anyone's Daughter. The concert drew considerable media coverage, with Kay's fluent German stunning those who did not know beforehand about him growing up in Germany.

The band performed its farewell concert October 6, 2007 at Ripken Stadium in Aberdeen, Maryland featuring Kay, longtime keyboardist Michael Wilk, drummer Ron Hurst, and guitarist Danny Johnson.

A 2007 newsletter from John Kay's Wolfpack fanclub states there will be some remastering of the band's classic albums throughout 2007 and 2008.

Personnel

Further information: List of Steppenwolf personnel

Discography

Further information: Steppenwolf discography

Notable performances

See also

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