Joachim Krauledat was born in 1944 in a section of Germany known as EAST PRUSSIA; he never knew his father, who was killed just a month before his birth while battling the Russians for control of East Germany. His early years were spent in poverty...... his one bright spot?

Listening to the Allied Armed Forces network..... his love of "Western Music" grew from this simple diversion from real life and at the age of 5 his family made their escape, moving to Toronto where he immediatly received a new identity....John Kay.

Fast fowrard to 1964 - Kay and several childhood friends formed the Group "SPARROW".... a coffee house band that had little commercial success. Their relationship with Columbia Records was teinous from the start and the three singles from their two first albums couldnt ease the tensions.

Columbia pulled the plug a year and a half later.

Sparrow was in the wind but there were better days to come for Mr. Kay.

Along with Jerry Edmonton, his brother Dennis, Goldy McJohn and Nick St. Nicholas Kay re-emeged in late '67 in San Francisco during the height of "FLOWER POWER". Their self titled MCA MUSIC debut album rocketed to the top of the charts on the back of a MEGA HIT  which appeared in the movie Easy Rider.

Many say that this may have been the beginning of the HEAVY METAL era.

They came back two years later with "THE SECOND" and showed they were ANYTHING but a "one hit wonder" after "Magic Carpet Ride" rose to the top of the charts along with ITS NEVER TOO LATER, a song that would probably be the closest thing they would ever come to doing a ballad.

In 69 came AT YOUR BIRTHDAY PARTY.... 3 albums in less than two years may be too much for some bands but their popularity steamrolled and the vinyl went gold on the heels of "Jupiter Child", "Rock Me Baby" and "It's Never Too Late".

The first year of the turbulent '70s saw MONSTER hit the shelves and they did their best to help stir the pot; the album contained the controversial song "FAG", an ode to San Franscisco nightlife and DRAFT REGISTER about the turmoil South of the 49th concerning the Vietnam War. Despite some public outcry the disc still went gold.

A Greatest hits double album was released in 71 and was one of the first compilation records to reach Gold.......it also gave the band some much needed rest.

They came back with FOR LADIES ONLY in 1972 but for a forward thinking band they were unable to do what they did best..... break new ground.

Yet ANOTHER Greatest hits was released while the band toiled in the studio; the problem was when they released their newest SLOW FLUX they did so in a market already inundated with their own music....

Several other releases over the next few years failed to meet both their and the companies expectations and 1976 saw the band "dis-band" due to "personal conflicts".

Strangely enuff two parties laid claim to the name and a LONG courtbattle over rights came to an end in 1981 when Mr. Kay emerged victorious and reformed......

JOHN KAY

AND

STEPPENWOLF

and one of MY all time favorites

BORN TO BE WILD

which was recently covered by current rock sensation HINDER for TNTs coverage of NASCAR

Wil