Is john kay still alive

Steppenwolf was a Canadian-American rock band formed in Los Angeles in Steppenwolf sold over 25 million records worldwide, [ 6 ] released seven gold albums and one platinum album, and had 13 Billboard Hot singles, of which seven were Top 40 hits , [ 7 ] including three top 10 successes: " Born to Be Wild ", " Magic Carpet Ride " and " Rock Me ".

Steppenwolf singer dies

Steppenwolf enjoyed worldwide success from to , but clashing personalities led to the end of the core lineup. From to , John Kay was the only original member involved, having been the lead singer since In Canada , they had four top 10 songs, 12 top 40 and 14 in the top In the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame nominated them for induction in The group eventually broke up.

In late , Gabriel Mekler urged Kay to re-form the Sparrows and suggested the name change to Steppenwolf, inspired by Hermann Hesse 's novel of the same name. The band finally rocketed to worldwide fame after their third single, "Born to Be Wild", was released in , as well as their version of Hoyt Axton 's " The Pusher ". Both of these tunes were used prominently in the counterculture cult film Easy Rider [ 13 ] both titles originally had been released on the band's debut album.

Steppenwolf mythology

The song, which has been closely associated with motorcycles ever since, introduced to rock lyrics the signature term " heavy metal " [ 5 ] though not about a kind of music, but about a motorcycle: "I like smoke and lightning, heavy metal thunder, racin' with the wind In Steppenwolf played one of their biggest shows up to that time at the Fillmore East to rave reviews, sharing the bill with Buddy Rich and Children of God.

The group's following albums had several more hit singles, including " Magic Carpet Ride " which reached number three from The Second and "Rock Me" with its bridge lasting , which reached number 10 from At Your Birthday Party. Following the Monster album from , the following year, the band released Steppenwolf 7 , which included the song "Snowblind Friend", another Hoyt Axton-penned song about the era and attitudes of drugs and associated problems.

Several changes in the group's personnel were made after the first few years.