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

Steppenwolf
Steppenwolf c. 1968
Background information
Origin	Los Angeles, California, USA
Genre(s)	Acid rock, hard rock, psychedelic rock, proto-metal
Years active	1967 - present
Label(s)	ABC Dunhill Records Mums Records Epic Records MCA Records
Associated acts	The Mynah Birds, The Sparrows, T.I.M.E., Janis Joplin, World Classic Rockers
Website	www.steppenwolf.com
Members
John Kay Danny Johnson Michael Wilk Ron Hurst

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]

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 Sparrow 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 New York before moving to California, recording an album for Columbia Records (not released until after Steppenwolf became popular). 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 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.

Steppenwolf reformed in 1974 with it's 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.

Steppenwolf in 1978 featuring Frankie Banali, Ruben DeFuentes, Bob Simpson, and Nick St. Nicholas.

From 1977 until 1980 Steppenwolf reformed for touring, this time with 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. Another, The Night Of The Wolf was recorded in 1979 but never released. A third album was recorded in 1980, but halted with legal action.

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

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.

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.

Further information: List of Steppenwolf personnel

Further information: Steppenwolf discography

• July 5, 1968 at the Hollywood Bowl in Hollywood, CA with the Doors
• August 4, 1968 in Costa Mesa, CA, as part of the Newport Pop Festival with Canned Heat, Sonny & Cher, the Grateful Dead & The Byrds
• September 11, 1968 at the Avalon Ballroom in San Francisco, CA with Santana
• December 6, 1968 at the Spectrum in Philadelphia, PA, as part of the Quaker City Rock Festival with the Grateful Dead & Iron Butterfly
• December 28, 1968 in Hallandale Beach, FL, as part of the Miami Pop Festival with the Grateful Dead, Marvin Gaye, Chuck Berry, The Turtles, & Joni Mitchell
• June 20, 1969 at Devonshire Downs in Northridge, CA , as part of the '69 Pop Festival with Jimi Hendrix, Joe Cocker, The Byrds & Creedence Clearwater Revival
• June 26, 1970 in Shepton Mallet, Somerset, England, as part of the Bath Festival of Blues and Progressive Music with Led Zeppelin, The Byrds, Donovan, Frank Zappa, & Santana
• August 6, 1970 at Shea Stadium in New York, NY with Paul Simon, Janis Joplin & Johnny Winter
• July 28, 1991 at Poplar Creek Music Theater in Hoffman Estates, IL, as part of the Psychedelic Celebration with Dave Mason, Robbie Krieger, Arlo Guthrie & Three Dog Night

• The songs of Steppenwolf appear in numerous films, especially "Born to Be Wild", which is associated with motor cycles.
• In the movie "Star Trek: First Contact" set in the year 2063, Zefram 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".

• Canadian rock

• Official website of John Kay & Steppenwolf
• Official website of Goldy McJohn
• Official website of Michael Monarch
• Official website of Nick St. Nicholas
• Official website of Bobby Cochran
• Dispelling the Lambda Chi Alpha rumor
• Photos from July 3rd 2007 Concert in Ogden UT