Steppenwolf

Steppenwolf was named after a Herman Hesse novel.  Many thanks to Jim Davenport, who provided the information about the makeup of John Kay and Steppenwolf from 1980 to the present, and who also helped me correct several errors.  And thanks to Michael Wilk and Tom White, who helped me correct some errors with the lineup in the 1990s.

Jack London and the Sparrows (1965)
  • Jack London - vocals
  • Dennis Edmonton - guitar - b. Dennis McCrohan.
  • Jerry Edmonton - drums - b. Jerry McCrohan, October 24, 1946, Canada; d. November 28, 1993, in a car accident near Santa Ynez, California - formerly with The Mynah Birds (with Neil Young and Rick James).
  • Bruce Palmer - bass
Albums:
  1. " " (?) - recorded one album for RCA.
Jack London departs for solo career. Bruce Palmer forms association with Neil Young leading to Buffalo Springfield.

The Sparrow (1965 - 1966)
  • John Kay - guitar/vocals - b. Joachim F. Krauledat, April 12, 1944, East Prussia (Tilsit, Germany). Legally blind since childhood.
  • Dennis Edmonton (a.k.a. Mars Bonfire) - guitar
  • Jerry Edmonton - drums
  • Nick St. Nicholas - bass - b. Germany - formerly with The Mynah Birds (with Neil Young, Rick James, and Goldy McJohn).
  • Goldy McJohn - keyboards - b. John Goadsby, May 2, 1945 - formerly with The Mynah Birds.
Albums:
  1. "John Kay and Sparrow" (1969) - released posthumously.
  2. "Tighten Up Your Wig: The Best of John Kay and The Sparrow" (1993)
During short hiatus, Goldy McJohn and Jerry Edmonton both go into bands; Nick St. Nicholas forms T.I.M.E. with guitarist Larry Byrom (from Huntsville, Alabama).

Steppenwolf I (1967 - 1969)
  • John Kay - guitar/vocals
  • Goldy McJohn - keyboards
  • Jerry Edmonton - drums
  • Michael Monarch - guitar - b. July 5, 1950, Los Angeles, California.
  • Rushton Moreve (a.k.a. John Russell Morgan) - bass - b. ca. 1948, Los Angeles, California; d. July 1, 1981, Los Angeles, California, in a car accident.
Albums:
  1. "Steppenwolf" (1968) - Single: "Born to be Wild" b/w "Everybody's Next One"
  2. "Steppenwolf the Second" (1968) - "Magic Carpet Ride"
  3. "Early Steppenwolf" (1969) - older Steppenwolf demos.
  4. "At Your Birthday Party" (1969) - Single: "Rock Me"
Michael Monarch later forms Detective, and later joins The World Classic Rockers.

Steppenwolf II (1969 - 1970)
  • John Kay - guitar/vocals
  • Goldy McJohn - keyboards
  • Jerry Edmonton - drums
  • Larry Byrom - guitar - b. December 27, 1948.
  • Nick St. Nicholas - bass
Albums:
  1. "Monster" (1969) - Singles: "Move Over", "Monster"
  2. "Steppenwolf Live" (1970) - Single: "Hey Lawdy Mama"
  3. "Steppenwolf 7" (1970) - Singles: "Who Needs Ya?", "Snowblind Friend"
The single "Screamin' Night Hog" was released in 1970.  Nick St. Nicholas later joins The World Classic Rockers.

Steppenwolf III (1970 - 1971)
  • John Kay - guitar/vocals
  • Goldy McJohn - keyboards
  • Jerry Edmonton - drums
  • Larry Byrom - guitar
  • George Biondo - bass - b. September 3, 1945, Brooklyn, New York - formerly with T.I.M.E.

Steppenwolf IV (1971 - 1972) (breakup)
  • John Kay - guitar/vocals
  • Goldy McJohn - keyboards
  • Jerry Edmonton - drums
  • Kent Henry - guitar - formerly with Blues Image.
  • George Biondo - bass
Albums:
  1. "For Ladies Only" (1971) - Single: "Ride With Me"
  2. "Rest in Peace" (1972)
Goldy McJohn forms Damian and later forms Manbeast. Jerry Edmonton joins Seven.  John Kay goes solo and later forms The John Kay Band.

Steppenwolf V (1974 - 1975) (reformed)
  • John Kay - guitar/vocals
  • Goldy McJohn - keyboards
  • Jerry Edmonton - drums
  • Bobby Cochran - guitar - b. Minnesota; Eddie Cochran's nephew. - formerly with Thee Midnighters, The Prophets, The Emperors, The Knack (not the same band that did "My Sharona"), The South, and Kindred [Ref: Bobby Cochran, May 2000].
  • George Biondi - bass
Album:
  1. "Slow Flux" (1974) - Single: "Straight Shootin' Woman"

Steppenwolf VI (1975)
  • John Kay - guitar/vocals
  • Andy Chapin - keyboards - Declined to tour and was replaced by Wayne Cook. Died December 31, 1985, DeKalb, Texas, in the same plane crash that killed Rick Nelson.
  • Jerry Edmonton - drums
  • Bobby Cochran - guitar
  • George Biondi - bass

Steppenwolf VII (1975 - 1976) (breakup)
  • John Kay - guitar/vocals
  • Wayne Cook - keyboards
  • Jerry Edmonton - drums
  • Bobby Cochran - guitar
  • George Biondi - bass
Albums:
  1. "Hour of the Wolf" (1975)
  2. "Skullduggery" (1976)
  3. "Reborn to be Wild" (1977) - released posthumously.
Bobby Cochran joins The Flying Burrito Brothers, and later joins The Bob Weir Band, Ibanez All Star Band (with Steve Miller, Bob Weir, Alphonso Johnson, and Billy Cobham), CCB (with Tim Bogert, ex-Vanilla Fudge, and Billy Cobham), The Trio, Kingfish (with Bob Weir), and Bobby and the Midnites (with Bob Weir) [Ref: Bobby Cochran, May 2000].

John Kay and Steppenwolf VIII (1980) (reformed)
  • John Kay - guitar/vocals
  • Michael Palmer - guitar
  • Chad Peery - bass
  • Danny Ironstone - keyboards
  • Steven Palmer - drums

John Kay and Steppenwolf IX (1981)
  • John Kay - guitar/vocals
  • Michael Palmer - guitar
  • Chad Peery - bass
  • Steven Palmer - drums
  • Brett Tuggle - keyboards
Album:
  1. "John Kay and Steppenwolf Live in London" (1981)

John Kay and Steppenwolf X (1981 - 1982)
  • John Kay - guitar/vocals
  • Michael Palmer - guitar
  • Welton Gite - bass
  • Steven Palmer - drums
  • Michael Wilk - keyboards
Album:
  1. "Wolftracks" (1982)

John Kay and Steppenwolf XI (1982 - 1984)
  • John Kay - guitar/vocals
  • Michael Palmer - guitar
  • Steven Palmer - drums
  • Michael Wilk - keyboards
  • Gary Link - bass
Album:
  1. "Paradox" (1984)
Group disbands.

John Kay and Steppenwolf XII (1985 - 1989) (reformed)
  • John Kay - guitar/vocals
  • Michael Wilk - bass/keyboards
  • Rocket Ritchotte - guitar
  • Ron Hurst - drums
Album:
  1. "Rock & Roll Rebels" (1987)

John Kay and Steppenwolf XIII (1989)
  • John Kay - guitar/vocals
  • Michael Wilk - bass/keyboards
  • Les Dudek - guitar
  • Ron Hurst - drums

John Kay and Steppenwolf XIV (1989 - 1994)
  • John Kay - guitar/vocals
  • Michael Wilk - bass/keyboards
  • Rocket Ritchotte - guitar
  • Ron Hurst - drums
Albums:
  1. "Rise and Shine" (1990)
  2. "Live at 25" (2-CDs) (1995) - recorded in 1992 [Ref: Tom White].

John Kay and Steppenwolf XV (1994 - January 1996)
  • John Kay - guitar/vocals
  • Michael Wilk - bass/keyboards
  • Ron Hurst - drums
  • Steve Fister - guitar

John Kay and Steppenwolf XVI (1996)
  • John Kay - guitar/vocals
  • Michael Wilk - bass/keyboards
  • Ron Hurst - drums
  • Rocket Ritchotte - guitar

John Kay and Steppenwolf XVII (1996 - Present)
  • John Kay - guitar/vocals
  • Michael Wilk - bass/keyboards
  • Ron Hurst - drums
  • Danny Johnson - guitar
Album:
  1. "Feed the Fire" (1996) - partially recorded in the 1980s, with many tracks remixes from "Rock & Roll Rebels" (1987) featuring Rocket Ritchotte [Ref: Tom White].
Compilations:
  1. "Steppenwolf Gold / Their Greatest Hits" (1971)
  2. "16 Greatest Hits" (1973)
  3. "Born to be Wild / A Retrospective 1966-1990" (2-CDs) (1991)
  4. "20th Century Masters: The Best of Steppenwolf (Millennium Collection)" (1999)
  5. "All Time Greatest Hits" (1999)

John Kay solo:
  1. "Forgotten Songs and Unsung Heroes" (1972) - Single: "I'm Movin' On"
  2. "My Sportin' Life" (1973)
  3. "All in Good Time" (1978)
  4. "Lone Steppenwolf" (1987)
  5. "Lost Heritage Tapes" (1997) (as John Kay and Company)
  6. "Heretics & Privateers" (scheduled for release in Spring 2000)

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Date Revised:  May 29, 2000