John Kay (musician)

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Not to be confused with Johnny Kay or John K (musician).

John Kay
Kay performing at Lillehammer Rock Weekend in Norway, 2007
Kay performing at Lillehammer Rock Weekend in Norway, 2007
Background information
Birth nameJoachim Fritz Krauledat
Born (1944-04-12) April 12, 1944 (age 80)
Tilsit, East Prussia, Germany
Genres
Occupation(s)
  • Singer
  • musician
  • songwriter
Instrument(s)
  • Vocals
  • guitar
  • harmonica
Years active1964–present
Member ofThe John Kay Band
Formerly of
Websitesteppenwolf.com

John Kay (born Joachim Fritz Krauledat; April 12, 1944) is an American[a] rock singer, songwriter and guitarist known as the frontman of Steppenwolf.[2]

Early life[edit]

Kay was born on April 12, 1944[3] in Tilsit, East Prussia, Germany (now Sovetsk, Kaliningrad Oblast, Russia).[1] His father Fritz, born 1913 in Absteinen near Pogegen in the Memelland (today Opstainys in Pagėgiai Municipality, Lithuania),[4] was killed a month before Kay was born.[5]

In early 1945, Kay's mother fled with him from the advancing Soviet troops during the evacuation of East Prussia in harsh winter conditions. Their train got stuck near Arnstadt, which was first occupied by the Americans, but then became part of the East German Soviet occupation zone. In 1949, they crossed the already-fortified border to resettle in Hanover, West Germany (as recounted in his song "Renegade" on the album Steppenwolf 7). Now living in the British occupation zone, the young Joachim, who had eye problems and could not speak or understand English, was first inspired by and learned about rock 'n' roll music while listening to Little Richard on U.S. Armed Forces radio.[6] When his family moved to Toronto in 1958, teachers had a hard time pronouncing his birth name, so he was called John K instead. Five years later, they moved to Buffalo, New York.

Career[edit]

Kay in a performance in South Carolina, United States, on 1 January 1971

In the early 1960s, Kay worked at the Troubadour club in Los Angeles without success.[7] After hitchhiking to Canada in 1965, he was invited by fellow German-born bass player Nick St. Nicholas to join the blues-rock band the Sparrows. The band had moderate success in Canada before moving to California, 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".

Kay recorded both as a solo artist and with Steppenwolf during the late 1970s, and wrapped up Steppenwolf's 50th year of touring with what was to be a final gig in October 2018. Kay and Steppenwolf appeared on 24 July 2010 at the three-day HullabaLOU music festival in Louisville, Kentucky.[8]

Awards and recognition[edit]

Kay's star on Canada's Walk of Fame

Though never holding Canadian citizenship,[1] Kay was inducted into Canada's Walk of Fame in recognition of the beginning of his musical career in Toronto. Kay was present at the induction ceremony in Toronto and reiterated his strong affection for Canada.[9] He was also nominated as part of Steppenwolf for induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2016 for the induction year 2017.[10] In 2018, Steppenwolf's "Born to Be Wild" was one of the first five record singles to be inducted into The Rock n Roll Hall of Fame.[11]

Personal life[edit]

Kay is married to German-born Jutta Maue,[7] whom he met in 1965 in Canada while she was working in a coffeehouse where Kay's band, the Sparrows, were playing. They have one daughter, Shawn. The couple founded the Maue-Kay Foundation, which supports human rights and the protection of wildlife and the environment.[12]

In 2016, Kay credited his relationship with Jutta as part of the inspiration for Steppenwolf's "Magic Carpet Ride".[13]

As of 2005, Kay has residences in West Vancouver, British Columbia, and Nashville, Tennessee.[14]

Discography[edit]

Main article: Steppenwolf discography

Steppenwolf[edit]

Year Album Chart positions
CAN US
1968 Steppenwolf 1 6
1968 The Second 2 3
1969 At Your Birthday Party 12 7
1969 Monster 11 17
1970 Steppenwolf 7 14 19
1971 For Ladies Only — 54
1974 Slow Flux — 47
1975 Hour of the Wolf — 155
1976 Skullduggery — —
1980 Live In London (John Kay and Steppenwolf album) — —
1982 Wolftracks (John Kay and Steppenwolf album) — —
1984 Paradox (John Kay and Steppenwolf album) — —
1987 Rock & Roll Rebels (John Kay and Steppenwolf album) — 171
1990 Rise & Shine (John Kay and Steppenwolf album) — —
1996 Feed the Fire (John Kay and Steppenwolf album) — —
2004 Live in Louisville (John Kay and Steppenwolf album) — —

Solo[edit]

Year Album Chart positions
CAN AUS[15] US
1972 Forgotten Songs and Unsung Heroes 50 48 113
1973 My Sportin' Life — — 200
1978 All in Good Time — — —
1987 Lone Steppenwolf (compilation) — — —
1997 The Lost Heritage Tapes — — —
2001 Heretics and Privateers — — —

Solo singles[edit]

Year Single Chart positions Album
CAN CAN AC CAN Country US
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

Notes[edit]

  1. ^ Although Kay is sometimes described as Canadian, author Ryan Edwardson wrote: "Kay immigrated to Canada from Europe in March 1958 at the age of fourteen and did not take up citizenship before moving to the United States five years later, at which point his family became American citizens."[1]

References[edit]

  1. ^ a b c Edwardson, Ryan (2009). Canuck Rock: A History of Canadian Popular Music. Toronto: University of Toronoto Press International. pp. 268, 111. ISBN 978-0-8020-9715-6.
  2. ^ Prato, Greg. "Biography: John Kay". Allmusic. Retrieved June 9, 2010.
  3. ^ Greg Prato. "John Kay | Biography & History". AllMusic. Retrieved March 8, 2016.
  4. ^ "Detailansicht". Volksbund.de. Retrieved January 12, 2020.
  5. ^ "Empowerment of Music: guest John Kay of Steppenwolf". YouTube. Archived from the original on December 21, 2021. Retrieved January 12, 2020.
  6. ^ "Exclusive Interview: John Kay of Steppenwolf Returns to Protect Wildlife and Human Rights". Classicrockhereandnow.com. Retrieved June 7, 2021.
  7. ^ a b McCabe, Nick (May 31, 2021). "Steppenwolf's John Kay sings the blues in Reno". This Is Reno. Retrieved December 18, 2023.
  8. ^ "HullabaLOU Line-up". Churchill Downs Entertainment Group. Archived from the original on January 1, 2011. Retrieved June 6, 2010.
  9. ^ "John Kay". Canada's Walk of Fame. Archived from the original on October 14, 2007. Retrieved November 3, 2010.
  10. ^ "Steppenwolf Frontman John Kay on Rock Hall of Fame Nomination: 'It's a Surprise'". Billboard.com. Retrieved January 12, 2020.
  11. ^ "Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Inducts Songs for the First Time, Including 'Born to Be Wild' & 'Louie Louie'". Billboard.com. Retrieved June 7, 2021.
  12. ^ * Kay, John and Jutta Maue. "John Kay & Jutta Maue-Kay Bios". Mauekay.org. Retrieved December 25, 2016.
  13. ^ Myers, Marc (July 12, 2016). "The Story Behind Steppenwolf's 'Magic Carpet Ride'". Wall Street Journal. Retrieved October 13, 2020.
  14. ^ Ghianni, Tim (March 20, 2005). "Life's been a wild ride". The Tennessean. Retrieved October 23, 2022 – via steppenwolf.com.
  15. ^ Kent, David (1993). Australian Chart Book 1970–1992 (illustrated ed.). St Ives, N.S.W.: Australian Chart Book. p. 164. ISBN 0-646-11917-6.

External links[edit]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to John Kay.
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