John Kay (musician)
Encyclopedia
John Kay is a German-Canadian
singer, songwriter and guitarist known as the frontman of Steppenwolf
. Kay has lived since 1990 in Franklin, Tennessee.
In the Evacuation of East Prussia
in early 1945, in harsh winter conditions, his mother first had to flee with the baby boy from the advancing Soviet troops. In 1948, the two also fled from Arnstadt
in the East German Soviet occupation zone to resettle in Hanover
, West Germany
(as recounted in his song "Renegade" on the album Steppenwolf Seven). Located in the British occupation zone
, teen aged Joachim, suffering from eyesight problems, listened to music broadcast by the British Forces Broadcasting Service
before his family moved to Canada in 1958.
He joined a blues rock and folk music
group known as The Sparrows
in 1965, which had moderate success in Canada
before moving to California
in the USA, augmenting its line-up and changing its name to Steppenwolf
in 1967. With music that pioneered hard rock
and heavy metal
, Kay's Steppenwolf had international success with songs such as "Born to Be Wild
", "Magic Carpet Ride
", "Monster", "The Pusher", and "Rock Me". This was multiplied by the use of "Born to Be Wild" and "The Pusher" in the 1969 movie Easy Rider
.
Kay recorded both as a solo artist and with Steppenwolf during the late 1970s, and wrapped up Steppenwolf's 40th year of touring with what was to be a final gig in October 2007. However, Kay and Steppenwolf appeared July 24, 2010, at the three-day HullabaLOU music festival in Louisville
, Ky.
In 2004 he was inducted into Canada's Walk of Fame
, in recognition of his early years as a Canadian citizen and the beginnings of his musical career in Toronto. Kay was present at the induction ceremony in Toronto, and reiterated his strong affection for Canada.
Kay suffers from increased sensitivity to light, so he wears his trademark sunglasses. He also has congenital achromatopsia
, complete colorblindness, a defect of the cone cells in the eyes which causes him to see in black and white, and results in legal blindness. Despite this condition, he is an avid videographer.
German-Canadian
German Canadians are Canadians of ethnic German ancestry. The 2006 Canadian census put the number of Canadians of German ethnicity at 3,179,425. Only a small fraction of German Canadians are descendants of immigrants from what is today Germany...
singer, songwriter and guitarist known as the frontman of Steppenwolf
Steppenwolf (band)
Steppenwolf are a Canadian-American rock group that was prominent in the late 1960s. The group 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 Toronto group The...
. Kay has lived since 1990 in Franklin, Tennessee.
In the Evacuation of East Prussia
Evacuation of East Prussia
The evacuation of East Prussia refers to the evacuation of the German civilian population and military personnel in East Prussia and the Klaipėda region between 20 January, and March 1945, as part of the evacuation of German civilians towards the end of World War II...
in early 1945, in harsh winter conditions, his mother first had to flee with the baby boy from the advancing Soviet troops. In 1948, the two also fled from Arnstadt
Arnstadt
Arnstadt is a town in Ilm-Kreis, Thuringia, Germany, situated on the Gera River. It is one of the oldest towns in Thuringia and is nicknamed Das Tor zum Thüringer Wald, The Gate to the Thuringian Forest....
in the East German Soviet occupation zone to resettle in Hanover
Hanover
Hanover or Hannover, on the river Leine, is the capital of the federal state of Lower Saxony , Germany and was once by personal union the family seat of the Hanoverian Kings of Great Britain, under their title as the dukes of Brunswick-Lüneburg...
, West Germany
West Germany
West Germany is the common English, but not official, name for the Federal Republic of Germany or FRG in the period between its creation in May 1949 to German reunification on 3 October 1990....
(as recounted in his song "Renegade" on the album Steppenwolf Seven). Located in the British occupation zone
Allied Occupation Zones in Germany
The Allied powers who defeated Nazi Germany in World War II divided the country west of the Oder-Neisse line into four occupation zones for administrative purposes during 1945–49. In the closing weeks of fighting in Europe, US forces had pushed beyond the previously agreed boundaries for the...
, teen aged Joachim, suffering from eyesight problems, listened to music broadcast by the British Forces Broadcasting Service
British Forces Broadcasting Service
The British Forces Broadcasting Service provides radio and television programmes for HM Forces, and their dependents, in Afghanistan, Bosnia, Brunei, Canada, Cyprus, the Falkland Islands, Germany, Gibraltar, Kosovo, the Middle East, Northern Ireland and Tristan da Cunha as well as a live satellite...
before his family moved to Canada in 1958.
He joined a blues rock and folk music
Folk music
Folk music is an English term encompassing both traditional folk music and contemporary folk music. The term originated in the 19th century. Traditional folk music has been defined in several ways: as music transmitted by mouth, as music of the lower classes, and as music with unknown composers....
group known as The Sparrows
The Sparrows
The Sparrow was a Canadian blues-rock band that existed in the 1960s, and which evolved out of Jack London & The Sparrow and later morphed into heavy rock group, Steppenwolf.-Early years:...
in 1965, which had moderate success in Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
before moving to California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
in the USA, augmenting its line-up and changing its name to Steppenwolf
Steppenwolf (band)
Steppenwolf are a Canadian-American rock group that was prominent in the late 1960s. The group 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 Toronto group The...
in 1967. With music that pioneered hard rock
Hard rock
Hard rock is a loosely defined genre of rock music which has its earliest roots in mid-1960s garage rock, blues rock and psychedelic rock...
and heavy metal
Heavy metal music
Heavy metal is a genre of rock music that developed in the late 1960s and early 1970s, largely in the Midlands of the United Kingdom and the United States...
, Kay's Steppenwolf had international success with songs such as "Born to Be Wild
Born to Be Wild
"Born to Be Wild" is a rock song written by Mars Bonfire and made famous by the Canadian-American rock band Steppenwolf. It is often used in popular culture to denote a biker appearance or attitude...
", "Magic Carpet Ride
Magic Carpet Ride
"Magic Carpet Ride" is a rock song written by John Kay and Rushton Moreve from the Canadian-American band Steppenwolf. The song was initially released in 1968 on the album The Second. It was the lead single from that album, peaking at No. 3 in the US, and becoming the band's second-biggest hit,...
", "Monster", "The Pusher", and "Rock Me". This was multiplied by the use of "Born to Be Wild" and "The Pusher" in the 1969 movie Easy Rider
Easy Rider
Easy Rider is a 1969 American road movie written by Peter Fonda, Dennis Hopper, and Terry Southern, produced by Fonda and directed by Hopper. It tells the story of two bikers who travel through the American Southwest and South with the aim of achieving freedom...
.
Kay recorded both as a solo artist and with Steppenwolf during the late 1970s, and wrapped up Steppenwolf's 40th year of touring with what was to be a final gig in October 2007. However, Kay and Steppenwolf appeared July 24, 2010, at the three-day HullabaLOU music festival in Louisville
Louisville, Kentucky
Louisville is the largest city in the U.S. state of Kentucky, and the county seat of Jefferson County. Since 2003, the city's borders have been coterminous with those of the county because of a city-county merger. The city's population at the 2010 census was 741,096...
, Ky.
In 2004 he was inducted into Canada's Walk of Fame
Canada's Walk of Fame
Canada's Walk of Fame , located in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, is a walk of fame that acknowledges the achievements and accomplishments of successful Canadians...
, in recognition of his early years as a Canadian citizen and the beginnings of his musical career in Toronto. Kay was present at the induction ceremony in Toronto, and reiterated his strong affection for Canada.
Kay suffers from increased sensitivity to light, so he wears his trademark sunglasses. He also has congenital achromatopsia
Achromatopsia
Achromatopsia , is a medical syndrome that exhibits symptoms relating to at least five separate individual disorders. Although the term may refer to acquired disorders such as color agnosia and cerebral achromatopsia, it typically refers to an autosomal recessive congenital color vision disorder,...
, complete colorblindness, a defect of the cone cells in the eyes which causes him to see in black and white, and results in legal blindness. Despite this condition, he is an avid videographer.
Albums
| Year | Album | Chart positions | |
|---|---|---|---|
| CAN | US Billboard 200 The Billboard 200 is a ranking of the 200 highest-selling music albums and EPs in the United States, published weekly by Billboard magazine. It is frequently used to convey the popularity of an artist or groups of artists... |
||
| 1972 | Forgotten Songs and Unsung Heroes Forgotten Songs and Unsung Heroes Forgotten Songs & Unsung Heroes is a country-blues album by German-Canadian musician John Kay, released on Dunhill Records in 1972.Kay was well known as the lead singer of the band, Steppenwolf, in the 1960s. This album is his first solo work since Steppenwolf's split. It mixes pure acoustic tunes... |
50 | 113 |
| 1973 | My Sportin' Life | — | 200 |
| 1978 | All in Good Time | — | — |
| 1987 | Lone Steppenwolf | — | — |
| 1996 | Feed the Fire | — | — |
| 1997 | The Lost Heritage Tapes | — | — |
| 2001 | Heretics and Privateers | — | — |
| 2004 | Live in Louisville | — | — |
| 2006 | Live in London | — | — |
Singles
| Year | Single | Chart positions | Album | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| CAN | CAN AC | CAN Country | US Billboard Hot 100 The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday... |
|||
| 1972 | "I'm Movin' On" | 45 | — | — | 52 | Forgotten Songs and Unsung Heroes |
| 1973 | "Moonshine (Friend of Mine)" | 26 | 19 | 44 | 105 | My Sportin' Life |
| "Easy Evil" | 82 | — | — | 102 |
External links
- Steppenwolf's official website
- Kay's Biography
- John Kay & Company - The Lost Heritage Tapes (CD 1997; recorded 1976, but previously unreleased) Matthias Greffrath, ZEITmagazin LEBEN, Nr. 8, 14.02.2008 (report from a childhood friend)