John kay

Born in East Prussia, Germany at the end of World War II., John Kay grew up trapped behind the iron curtain. His first distinct memory is a daring nighttime escape with his mother to West Germany; where later he was profoundly affected by the American rock 'n' roll he heard on U.S. Armed Forces Radio. Though he didn't speak English at the time, the music's primal energy touched something deep in him, instilling both a driving ideal of personal freedom and an abiding interest in American culture. In 1958 he immigrated to Canada and continued his love affair with music, performing as a folk and blues singer throughout North America before joining the rock band The Sparrow which became part of the scene happening in Toronto’s Yorkville, later, San Francisco’s Haight Ashbury and finally LA’s Sunset Strip. There in 1967 Kay formed Steppenwolf, which quickly became one of the world’s foremost rock n’ roll bands releasing such standards as "Born to Be Wild," "Magic Carpet Ride”, songs which catapulted the band into international prominence and which today stand amongst Rock's most indelible anthems. Other classics include powerful songs like “The Pusher” and “Snow Blind Friend” In addition, because of the lyrical content of songs such as “Monster” Steppenwolf has long been considered “The thinking man’s Rock Band” Since the group’s humble beginning in a garage on Fountain Avenue in Hollywood, John has led and continues to lead the band, now in its sixth decade. As Steppenwolf’s v...

Patricia Kay Cotham Obituary With heavy hearts, we announce the death of Patricia Kay Cotham of John Day, Oregon, who passed away on June 12, 2023 at the age of 89. Leave a sympathy message to the family on the memorial page of Patricia Kay Cotham to pay them a last tribute. Memorial contributions may be made to the John Day Senior Center through Driskill Memorial Chapel, 241 S. Canyon Blvd., John Day, Oregon 97845. Funeral arrangement under the care of

Steppenwolf were one of the most influential Rock bands to emerge from the late 1960’s rock scene The legendary rocker John Kay from Steppenwolf turns 79 today The legendary Rocker John Kay was born Joachim Fritz Krauledat in Tilsit, East Prussia, Germany, now Sovetsk, Kaliningrad Oblast, Russia on April 12, 1944. His early years were marked by the post-war scenario on the German/Russian war zone and he moved to Canada with his family in 1958. Kay joined a blues rock and folk music group known as The Sparrows in 1965, which had moderate success in Canada before moving to California, augmenting its line-up and changing its name to Steppenwolf in 1967. The band became one of the most important Rock acts during the late 1960’s and were pivotal on the development of Hard Rock and Heavy Metal, being the first band to use the word “heavy metal” on their lyrics. The success of Steppenwolf was not limited to North America, the band became popular worldwide due to hits such as “Magic Carpet Ride”, “Born To Be Wild” (theme song from the 1969 movie “Easy Rider”, “Monster”, “The Pusher”, “Sookie Sookie” and “Rock Me”. Steppenwolf released several albums but their most signficant and influential remain “Steppenwolf” and “The Second” both by 1968, “At Your Birthday Party” and “Monster” both released in 1969. In 1968, the popularity of Steppenwolf made them open for The Doors at the famous Hollywood Bowl concert. After several break ups and line up changings of the band, Steppenwolf perf...

John Kay talks his journey to fame, Steppenwolf's rise and his Pabst Theater gig John Kay, the leather-clad vocalist for Steppenwolf, has led a life filled with uncertainty and challenges that he overcame long before forming of one of the greatest rock and roll bands in history. He talked about his journey with OnMilwaukee before his Aug. 13 Pabst Theater show. “Until I was five years old, my mother and I were trapped in East Prussia, Germany, which was behind the Iron Curtain. I never met my father. He was killed a few months before I was born. "In 1949, my mother and I fled the county in the middle of the night, avoiding searchlights, dogs and barbed wire fences to keep from being shot. Ultimately, we made it to West Germany and freedom."–JoachimFritz Krauledat, aka John Kay John Kay, the leather-clad vocalist for Steppenwolf, has led a life filled with uncertainty and challenges that he overcame long before forming of one of the greatest rock and roll bands in history. “The journey out of East Prussia was dangerous enough,” he said, “but it was compounded because I had a congenital eye condition called achromatopsia. I’m legally blind as well as being totally color blind.” Kay said his eyes were always extremely sensitive to light, and he wore dark prescription glasses at a very early age. The intimidating shades that became an integral part of his stage persona protected his eyes from the many bright spotlights used in Steppenwolf’s shows. "My ability to make eye conta...

Kay suffers from increased sensitivity to light, so he wears his trademark sunglasses. He also has congenital achromatopsia (complete colorblindness), a defect of the cone cells in the eyes which causes him to see in black and white, and results in legal blindness. Despite this condition, he is an avid videographer. •

Stepphenwolf frontman John Kay says he initially had misgivings about Born To Be Wild being used in the iconic film Easy Rider. The song was a hit in 1968. But a year later, when it became part of the soundtrack to the Oscar-nominated film, it took on a whole new life in the public's imagination. And it has remained there for five decades. "Initially, I thought, well, wait a minute — it's about motorcycles. The last thing that I know Peter [Fonda] did was something called The Wild Angels, and that was a bit of a turkey, so you know, what's this going to be like?" the Canadian musician told As It Happens host Carol Off. But then he and some other musicians were treated to a private screening of the film. He says they walked in during the opening scene, where Fonda and Hopper complete a cocaine sale to the The Pusher — another Steppenwolf track. "And then the ending came," he said. "And there was just complete silence in the room." • Actor Peter Fonda, who starred in Easy Rider, dead at 79 To mark the 50th anniversary of the movie — which starred Fonda and Dennis Hopper, who also directed — a screening with a live performance of the soundtrack is taking place in New York at Radio City on Sept. 20. Canadian-born Dennis McCrohan wrote Born to Be Wild, Kay said. McCrohan initially billed himself as Dennis Edmonton as a member of the Toronto-based band The Sparrows — the precursor to Steppenwolf. By the time he wrote Born to Be Wild, he had changed his name again, this time to M...

"John Kay's gruff, yet accessible roar is always front & center... He's another of those longstanding rock stars that is still going strong." – Sea of Tranquility After 50 years of performing, Steppenwolf played its final show in October 2018 and John Kay (founder, vocalist and primary songwriter of Steppenwolf) has returned to his early musical days and will perform solo. Over the years, as leader and singer of Steppenwolf ( Born To Be Wild, Magic Carpet Ride, The Pusher, Monster, etc.), John recorded a number of solo albums, rooted in Folk Music, Blues and the Singer/Songwriter tradition. His anticipated solo performances will feature select songs from those albums as well as newly written material; showcasing the more private side of his music and songwriting. After five decades as a well-known player in the global music arena, John Kay will now begin an additional chapter and bring his more personal songs and stories to audiences; those familiar with Steppenwolf and John Kay and those who will encounter John Kay and his music for the first time. Join us for dinner before or during the show. Did you know that we offer a premium seating option for those who pre-order a $39 food/beverage voucher? Call 612-332-5299 to learn more and order. • In 1967, John Kay formed Steppenwolf, which quickly became one of the world’s foremost rock n’ roll bands releasing such standards as “Born to Be Wild” and “Magic Carpet Ride”. • His first exposure to American music was through the Arm...

John Kay was just a young man when he became the manager of one of his father's mills. He developed skills as a machinist and engineer and made many improvements to the machines in the mill. He apprenticed with a hand-loom reed maker and also designed a metal substitute for the natural reed that became popular enough to sell throughout England. After traveling the country making, fitting, and selling his wire reeds, Kay returned home and, in June 1725, married a woman from Bury. The Flying Shuttle The flying shuttle was an improvement to the loom that enabled weavers to work faster. The original tool contained a bobbin onto which the weft (crossways) yarn was wound. It was normally pushed from one side of the warp (the series of yarns that extended lengthways in a loom) to the other side by hand. Because of this, large looms needed two weavers to throw the shuttle. Bellis, Mary. "The Flying Shuttle and John Kay." ThoughtCo, Jan. 26, 2021, thoughtco.com/flying-shuttle-john-kay-4074386. Bellis, Mary. (2021, January 26). The Flying Shuttle and John Kay. Retrieved from https://www.thoughtco.com/flying-shuttle-john-kay-4074386 Bellis, Mary. "The Flying Shuttle and John Kay." ThoughtCo. https://www.thoughtco.com/flying-shuttle-john-kay-4074386 (accessed June 17, 2023).

"John Kay's gruff, yet accessible roar is always front & center... He's another of those longstanding rock stars that is still going strong." – Sea of Tranquility After 50 years of performing, Steppenwolf played its final show in October 2018 and John Kay (founder, vocalist and primary songwriter of Steppenwolf) has returned to his early musical days and will perform solo. Over the years, as leader and singer of Steppenwolf ( Born To Be Wild, Magic Carpet Ride, The Pusher, Monster, etc.), John recorded a number of solo albums, rooted in Folk Music, Blues and the Singer/Songwriter tradition. His anticipated solo performances will feature select songs from those albums as well as newly written material; showcasing the more private side of his music and songwriting. After five decades as a well-known player in the global music arena, John Kay will now begin an additional chapter and bring his more personal songs and stories to audiences; those familiar with Steppenwolf and John Kay and those who will encounter John Kay and his music for the first time. Join us for dinner before or during the show. Did you know that we offer a premium seating option for those who pre-order a $39 food/beverage voucher? Call 612-332-5299 to learn more and order. • In 1967, John Kay formed Steppenwolf, which quickly became one of the world’s foremost rock n’ roll bands releasing such standards as “Born to Be Wild” and “Magic Carpet Ride”. • His first exposure to American music was through the Arm...

Patricia Kay Cotham Obituary With heavy hearts, we announce the death of Patricia Kay Cotham of John Day, Oregon, who passed away on June 12, 2023 at the age of 89. Leave a sympathy message to the family on the memorial page of Patricia Kay Cotham to pay them a last tribute. Memorial contributions may be made to the John Day Senior Center through Driskill Memorial Chapel, 241 S. Canyon Blvd., John Day, Oregon 97845. Funeral arrangement under the care of