Steppenwolf is an American rock band from Los Angeles, California>. Born in the 1960s and 1970s, he is best known for the successes of Born to Be Wild, Magic Carpet Ride and The Pusher.
The band's name comes from a novel by the German author Hermann Hesse, Der Steppenwolf (The Steppe Wolf, 1927).
Originally, band members John Kay, vocals and electric guitar, Jerry Edmonton on drums, Michael Monarch on guitar, Goldie McJohn on organ and keyboards, and Rushton Moreve on bass. In 1968, Nick St. Nicholas replaced Moreve on bass. John Kay began playing in Toronto in 1964 with Jerry Edmonton and Goldy McJohn in a blues band, The Sparrow, or Jack London and The Sparrows. In 1967, they moved to San Francisco and formed Steppenwolf.
Their first album, the homonymous Steppenwolf, is recorded very quickly, because their demo has already convinced a record company. This first album includes covers, such as Sookie Sookie by Don Covay, or Berry Rides Again, originally from Chuck Berry, but also original compositions. The group finds glory when their third single, Born to Be Wild, and another of their songs, The Pusher, are used in the film Easy Rider by, and with Denis Hopper, Peter Fonda and Jack Nicholson in the lead roles . Born to be Wild becomes a classic rock of rebellion.
