Steppenwolf | Artist

Steppenwolf was a Canadian-American psych-rock band formed 1967 in Los Angeles, California, by lead singer John Kay, keyboardist Goldy McJohn, drummer Jerry Edmonton, guitarist Michael Monarch and bass guitarist Rushton Moreve. The trio of Kay, McJohn and Edmonton were all formerly of the Canadian band the Sparrows. Nick St. Nicholas replaced Rushton Moreve on bass in 1969. Steppenwolf was incredibly popular during 1968-70, selling over 25 million records worldwide, released seven gold albums and one platinum album, and had 13 Billboard Hot 100 singles, of which seven were Top 40 hits, including three top 10's': "Born to Be Wild", "Magic Carpet Ride" and "Rock Me". Their classic song "Born to be Wild" was actually written by former Sparrows guitarist Dennis Edmonton aka Mars Bonfire. With their heavy sound and counter-culture image, as portrayed on cult classic movie "Easy Rider", Steppenwolf enjoyed worldwide success, but clashing personalities led to the end of the core lineup. From 1980 to 2018, John Kay, who went on to release several creditable solo albums, was the only original member involved, having been the lead singer from the start. As a recording outfit, between the years 1968-1990 they released nine studio albums as Steppenwolf, then a further four albums as John Kay & Steppenwolf. Their first five albums Steppenwolf (1968), The Second (1968), At Your Birthday Party (1969), Monster (1969) and Steppenwolf 7 (1970) are standouts. Also highly recommended is Steppenwolf Live (1970) which is actually a studio album captured live with a small audience. An interesting fact about Steppenwolf involves their guitarist Nick St. Nicholas, who was fired from the band in the mid-1970. He had supposedly appeared in nothing but rabbit ears and a jock strap at the Fillmore East in April 1970, and his habit of wearing muumuus and kaftans on stage began to wear on Kay, whose penchant for leather vests and pants was more in line with the image he wanted for the band. The band name Steppenwolf was inspired by Hermann Hesse's "outsider" novel of the same name.

Artist Website: steppenwolf.com

Featured Albums: Steppenwolf

Related Artists: John Kay & The Sparrow, John Kay, Mars Bonfire, Detective, Easy Rider