Steppenwolf was an American rock band that was prominent from 1968 to 1972. The group was formed in late 1967 in Los Angeles by lead singer John Kay, keyboardist Goldy McJohn, and drummer Jerry Edmonton, all formerly of the Canadian band the Sparrows. Guitarist Michael Monarch and bass guitarist Rushton Moreve were recruited via notices placed in Los Angeles-area record and musical instrument stores.
Leave the existential stuff to The Doors and those fey prog rock groups. Steppenwolf arrived just a touch later at their breakthrough than many other bands from the L.A. psychedelic rock scene, so why now are they regarded as a dusty old relic with a couple of memorable hits? They actually existed in one form or another up until 2018, but their heyday can be neatly compressed into a three-year stretch in the public eye as America's no-nonsense biker/rock rebels during a time when it was actually radical to play the role - at least in the mainstream. Of course it followed that three-fifths of the group hailed from Canada or Germany, in the case of front man John Kay. All of their records are recommended listening, although the closest the band got to a cohesive record - for me, anyway - was Steppenwolf 7, where Kay really got some deep authentic statements on record. They were always at their best when they mined clear, keyboard-driven, street-style pop songs, and deserve more credit for this.
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