Biography of Steppenwolf

Heavy metal band Steppenwolf was formed in California, fronted by Canadian singer/guitarist John Kay (b Joachim Krauledat, 1944). Their one great moment in the sun came when "Born to Be Wild" was used in the soundtrack for the movie Easy Rider and the song's lyric "heavy metal thunder" finally gave an assignable name to the new emerging genre. More hits followed, none as anthemic as their first, however, and the band ran out of gas and broke up into rival factions by the early '70s. Kay continued to record solo as other members put together ersatz versions of the band for touring purposes. They reformed in the mid '70s with scant success, Kay later reforming his own version of the band in the mid '80s, grinding out his hits at oldies shows. But they'll be fondly remembered for generations to come for creating one of the ultimate gas'n'go rock anthems of all time. ~ Cub Koda