Rockstar to Wildlife Advocate with John Kay of Steppenwolf

It's Oct 1965 and the clubs in Toronto's Yorkville Village are buzzing with bands like The Sparrows and The Mynah Birds with Rick James and Neil Young,...yes, you read that right. I meet the love of my life, Jutta, at a Sparrows gig, follow her home and move in with her. Lonnie Johnson, renowned blues / jazz guitarist, shares a little musical history with me before The Sparrows get a record deal in NYC and move to Manhatten in early '66. We play Jetset Club Arther's and the Downtown Club, where Bette Midler runs the Coat Ck room, but California is calling. We arrive in LA, play "It's Boss" and "The Whisky a go go" but riots on Sunset Strip make us try our luck in San Francisco's Haight Ashbury. The Family Dog runs the Avalon Ballroom, with its mesmerizing lightshows, and we're welcome there. There are Angels on Acid at the Ark and The first Human Be-in draws over 30 thausand ...with LSD the libation of choice. The Matrix Club records our shows without our concent and in early '67 we're back in LA. Jutta arrives from Toronto with INS Visa instructions to get married. We get our $5 marriage certificate and spend our Honeymoon 'night' at Sandy Kaufax' elegant Tropicana Motel in West Hollywood. The Sparrow starts its week-long gig at The Galaxy on the Strip, but after a blowout with the owner The Sparrow breaks up......WELL NOW WHAT. ....Out of The Sparrow's ashes Steppenwolf is Born --- to be wild in EP4. Stay tuned: JK LEARN MORE ABOUT MAUE KAY FOUNDATION: https://mauekay.org/ VISIT OUR YOUTUBE CHANNEL: https://www.youtube.com/@RSTWA WATCH THIS EPISODE - EP 3 ON YOUTUBE: https://youtu.be/9GN1CpUPLdY

In 1948 at age 4, Mother & I escape from Communism. At age 9, In West Germany, I become politicized and later become obsessed with Rock’n Roll. In Toronto, by age 14, I’m deemed ‘legally blind’ and become a High School ‘Drop In’ and bootlegger. I discover Ronnie Hawkins and his great band the Hawks (who later became simply “The Band”) and in 1963, while in Buffalo, I begin performing Folk Music and Blues in Coffee Houses. That Summer I attend The Newport Folk Festival to see Muddy Waters, Son House, Bob Dylan and learn from young song writers who are following in the footsteps of Woody Guthrie. Still at Newport I meet Taj Mahal, with whom I would play in a Los Angeles Coffee House just a year later. Then, after a great Route 66 road trip to California in the Summer of ’64, I move to Santa Monica and…..continued in Episode 2…...stay tuned 😊 LEARN MORE ABOUT MAUE KAY FOUNDATION: https://mauekay.org/ VISIT OUR YOUTUBE CHANNEL: https://www.youtube.com/@RSTWA WATCH THIS EPISODE - EP 1 ON YOUTUBE: https://youtu.be/cwJkfIHM9ic

It's 1964, I'm playing "The New Balladeer" in West LA with Taj Mahal, David Crosby & others, At "The Troubadour" in West Hollywood I learn "The Pusher" from Hoyt Axton, see the great "T-bone Walker" and meet "Mr Tambourine Man". After hitchhiking from LA to Toronto I wind up playing "The Half Beat", one of 17 clubs in Yorkville Village, and there jam with "The Sparrows". I hitch to the Newport Folk Festival in Rode Island, see Bob Dylan go electric, get a ride to NY and play a basket joint in Manhattan's Greenwich Village, where I hear Woody Allan muttering to himself. After returning to Toronto I join "The Sparrows", we kill in Waterloo and we get a record deal with......Continued in EP3......Stay with me. JK LEARN MORE ABOUT MAUE KAY FOUNDATION: https://mauekay.org/ VISIT OUR YOUTUBE CHANNEL: https://www.youtube.com/@RSTWA WATCH THIS EPISODE - EP 2 ON YOUTUBE: https://youtu.be/JrJmE6E1P7o

1969: We make it home for Christmas… and a 13 ft delight. Dick Clark’s American Bandstand “Tribute to Steppenwolf” kicks off 1970. Our “Concert for Peace” becomes the “Steppenwolf Live” LP, but we part ways with Gabriel. An evening backstage at the Grand Ole Opry, Jimmy Buffet’s review of our Nashville concert and a Sunday afternoon at Johnny Cash & June Carter’s home. Monster and more at Playboy After Dark and Bunny Ears at the Fillmore East? New blood in the band for “Steppenwolf 7” with Richie Podolor producing. Nixon expands the war into Cambodia, 900 campuses demonstrate, with 4 students killed at the Kent State campus in Ohio and we play concert at USC for the “Students against the war in Cambodia” committee. Back in England we play Bath Festival with Zepplin, Pink Floyd, Zappa’s Mothers and Santana, then lots of fun in ‘swinging’ London. Royal Albert Hall concert audience can’t get enough and its frenzy makes this special night unforgettable for us. Sailing to the Big Apple on the QE2 to play “Festival of Peace” at Shea Stadium, where I see Janice for the last time. Heatstroke danger at the Warehouse in New Orleans, but a great audience to play for. Become friends with Michael Blake who years later receives his Oscar for writing “Dances with Wolves.” We sue our label, Dunhill Records, in 1971 and strong arm a better deal. Our “For Ladies Only” LP, with a new lead guitarist, has its moments but lacks luster. My batteries are drained, I want time to recharge and do a solo album when I feel ready. Valentine’s Day is declared “Steppenwolf” day, but it’s also the day the Wolf says “Good Bye”…..wait, so this is the END?....Well, not so fast, stay tuned, the fat Lady has yet to sing. JK LEARN MORE ABOUT MAUE KAY FOUNDATION: https://mauekay.org/ VISIT OUR YOUTUBE CHANNEL: https://www.youtube.com/@RSTWA WATCH THIS EPISODE - EP 6 ON YOUTUBE: https://youtu.be/TNfHoOdy9H4

Magic Carpet Ride is number 2, but one of us is missing in action. “Steppenwolf The Second” is just released but Dunhill already wants the next LP, so it’s back into the studio. “Candy,” with Marlon Brando & Richard Burton, becomes the first film featuring Wolf music: “Magic Carpet Ride” and “Rock Me.” There’s a new - old player in the band, the “At your Birthday Party” LP is coming along and we’re treated like Rockstars….even at the Playboy mansion, where the Alpha Playboy shows us “Big Bunny.” I get tipsy at the Bear’s ruined house, but we take the LP cover shot anyway. My Mother gets to see her boy play for thousands and is pleased that he amounts to something. It’s arena shows and festivals near and far, with the Grateful Dead, Sly & the family Stone, Marvin Gaye etc. and New Years Eve at the Phoenix Coliseum. 1969 starts with The Smothers Brothers TV show on CBS and another Playboy After Dark gig, Hef says “Big Bunny” is on the way. It’s off to Europe to play the UK, Germany, Holland etc. and coming home with vintage English cars. Newport’69 draws over 200,000 and we’re having a blast, next day in Toronto…..not so much. Peter Fonda & Dennis Hopper show us “Easy Rider” and we say YES, use “The Pusher” and “Born to be wild.” Good move, because the film’s success brings our music to many far flung corners of the globe. Our Ed Sullivan TV show gig goes well, but Ed’s not sure about “The Fugs” and rolls his eyes. A hot, new guitar player’s talents make our Monster album stand out. Jimi Hendrix likes the “Don’t step on the grass Sam” riff, while Jutta likes his swimming pool. The writing of the Monster LP becomes a true group effort and the album is a hit on University and College Campuses during the nationwide anti-Viet Nam War demonstrations. The LP’s lyrics resonate with many and give voice to some who make these songs their own. Jimmy Buffet reviews our show in Nashville, we visit the Man in Black at home, we then….to be continued in EP6….hope you’re still with me then: JK LEARN MORE ABOUT MAUE KAY FOUNDATION: https://mauekay.org/ VISIT OUR YOUTUBE CHANNEL: https://www.youtube.com/@RSTWA WATCH THIS EPISODE - EP 5 ON YOUTUBE: https://youtu.be/EnQI2yllF8c