John Kay (musician)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
John Kay (born 12 April 1944 as Joachim Fritz Krauledat in Tilsit, East Prussia) is a German-born Canadian singer, songwriter and guitarist known as the front man of Steppenwolf.
After the Expulsion of Germans after World War II, Kay's mother also fled the Soviet occupied East Germany in 1948 to resettle in Hanover, West Germany (as recounted in his song "Renegade" on the album Steppenwolf Seven). Young Joachim had listened to the music broadcast by the American Forces Network before moving 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, augmenting its line-up and changing its name to Steppenwolf in 1967. With more aggressive 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", which 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 is still touring with a new Steppenwolf line-up.
In 2004 he was inducted into Canada's Walk of Fame.
Kay suffers from congenital achromatopsia, a defect of the eyes which causes legal blindness, complete colorblindness, and increased sensitivity to light, the latter of which he wears his trademark sunglasses to combat. Despite this condition, he is an avid videographer.
[edit] Solo discography
- Forgotten Songs and Unsung Heroes (1972)
- My Sportin' Life (1973)
- All in Good Time (1978)
- Lone Steppenwolf (1987) (compilation of Forgotten and Sporting)
- Lost Heritage Tapes (1997) (recorded 1978)
- Heretics and Privateers (2001)
- John Kay & Friends (2004)
- Tighten Up Your Wig - Best Of John Kay and the Sparrow (1993) (compilation)
- John Kay and the Sparrow (2001) (compilation)
