Artist:Steppenwolf
Song:Monster/Suicide/America
Album:Born To Be Wild:A Retrospective
Steppenwolf was a very popular late 60s rock group that supposedly coined the term "Heavy Metal". They were led by lead singer John Kay. He was born Joachim Krauledat Apr. 12, 1944 in Tilsit, Germany and moved to Toronto as a teen. In 1965, he would form The Sparrow with fellow German immigrant Nick St. Nicholas and Canadians Goldy McJohn and Jerry & Dennis Edmonton. Dennis changed his name to Mars Bonfire. They all moved to Los Angeles in 1967 and Kay changed the group name to Steppenwolf. They signed with Dunhill Records and their third single was Mars Bonfire's Born To Be Wild. This was a big hit made even bigger by its use in the film Easy Rider. The song also had the term "Heavy Metal" in it. They had several more hits. Monster is from their fourth album in 1969. It reflects a trend at the time for rock groups to record lengthy politically charged songs. It holds up pretty well. This 2CD comp is the best comp out there but Steppenwolf is a group that probably merits a box set. Steppenwolf broke up in 1972. John Kay recorded as a solo artist and continues to tour today with a version of Steppenwolf. So Steppenwolf were a very good band and worth checking out. Here's Steppenwolf performing Monster in 1970.
No comments:
Post a Comment