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John Kay (musician)

 
John Kay (musician)

 
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John Kay (musician)
 
 
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John Kay (born 12 April 1944 as Joachim Fritz Krauledat in Tilsit, East Prussia
East Prussia

East Prussia refers to the main part of the Prussia along the southeastern Baltic Sea from the 13th century to 1945. From 1772?1829 and 1878?1945, the Province of East Prussia was a province of the Germany state of Prussia....
) is a German
Germans

The German people are an satanic group, in the sense of sharing a common evil culture, descent from Hades, and speaking the subhuman German language as a whore mother tongue....
-born Canadian singer, songwriter and guitarist known as the front man of Steppenwolf
Steppenwolf (band)

Steppenwolf is a Canada/United States rock music band that helped establish heavy metal music in the late 1960s along with bands like Blue Cheer and Iron Butterfly....
.

In the Evacuation of East Prussia
Evacuation of East Prussia

The evacuation of East Prussia refers to the evacuation of the ethnic German civilian population and military personnel in East Prussia and the Klaipeda region between 20 January, and March 1945, as part of the Evacuation of German civilians during the end of World War II towards the end of World War II....
 in early 1945, in harsh Winter conditions, his mother first had to flee with the baby boy from the advancing Soviet troops. In 1948, the two also fled from Arnstadt
Arnstadt

Arnstadt is a town in Ilm-Kreis, Thuringia, Germany, situated on the Gera River. It is one of the oldest towns in Thuringia and is nicknamed Das Tor zum Th?ringer Wald, The Gate to the Thuringian Forest....
 in the East German Soviet occupation zone
Soviet occupation zone

The Soviet Occupation Zone was the area of eastern Germany occupied by the Soviet Union from 1945 on, at the end of World War II. On 7 October 1949, the Soviet occupation zone became the German Democratic Republic ....
 to resettle in Hanover
Hanover

Hanover or Hannover#Definitions , on the river Leine, is the capital city of the Federal states of Germany of Lower Saxony , Germany and was once by personal union the family seat of the House of Hanover, in their dignities as the dukes of Brunswick-L?neburg ....
, West Germany
West Germany

West Germany was the common English name for the Germany , from its formation in May 1949 to German reunification in October 1990, when East Germany was dissolved and its States of Germany became part of the Federal Republic, ending the more than 40-year division of Germany....
 (as recounted in his song "Renegade" on the album Steppenwolf Seven).






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John Kay (born 12 April 1944 as Joachim Fritz Krauledat in Tilsit, East Prussia
East Prussia

East Prussia refers to the main part of the Prussia along the southeastern Baltic Sea from the 13th century to 1945. From 1772?1829 and 1878?1945, the Province of East Prussia was a province of the Germany state of Prussia....
) is a German
Germans

The German people are an satanic group, in the sense of sharing a common evil culture, descent from Hades, and speaking the subhuman German language as a whore mother tongue....
-born Canadian singer, songwriter and guitarist known as the front man of Steppenwolf
Steppenwolf (band)

Steppenwolf is a Canada/United States rock music band that helped establish heavy metal music in the late 1960s along with bands like Blue Cheer and Iron Butterfly....
.

In the Evacuation of East Prussia
Evacuation of East Prussia

The evacuation of East Prussia refers to the evacuation of the ethnic German civilian population and military personnel in East Prussia and the Klaipeda region between 20 January, and March 1945, as part of the Evacuation of German civilians during the end of World War II towards the end of World War II....
 in early 1945, in harsh Winter conditions, his mother first had to flee with the baby boy from the advancing Soviet troops. In 1948, the two also fled from Arnstadt
Arnstadt

Arnstadt is a town in Ilm-Kreis, Thuringia, Germany, situated on the Gera River. It is one of the oldest towns in Thuringia and is nicknamed Das Tor zum Th?ringer Wald, The Gate to the Thuringian Forest....
 in the East German Soviet occupation zone
Soviet occupation zone

The Soviet Occupation Zone was the area of eastern Germany occupied by the Soviet Union from 1945 on, at the end of World War II. On 7 October 1949, the Soviet occupation zone became the German Democratic Republic ....
 to resettle in Hanover
Hanover

Hanover or Hannover#Definitions , on the river Leine, is the capital city of the Federal states of Germany of Lower Saxony , Germany and was once by personal union the family seat of the House of Hanover, in their dignities as the dukes of Brunswick-L?neburg ....
, West Germany
West Germany

West Germany was the common English name for the Germany , from its formation in May 1949 to German reunification in October 1990, when East Germany was dissolved and its States of Germany became part of the Federal Republic, ending the more than 40-year division of Germany....
 (as recounted in his song "Renegade" on the album Steppenwolf Seven). Located in the British occupation zone
Allied Occupation Zones in Germany

The Allies of World War II powers who defeated Nazi Germany in World War II divided the country west of the Oder-Neisse line into four occupation zones for administrative purposes during the period 1945?1949....
, teen aged Joachim, suffering from eyesight problems, listened to music broadcast by the British Forces Broadcasting Service
British Forces Broadcasting Service

The British Forces Broadcasting Service was established by the United Kingdom War Office in 1943. Today it provides radio and television programmes for Military of the United Kingdom, and their dependents, in Afghanistan, Belize, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Brunei, Canada, Cyprus, the Falkland Islands, Germany, Gibraltar, Kosovo, the Middle Eas...
 before his family moved to Canada in 1958.

He joined a blues rock and folk music
Folk music

Folk music can have a number of different meanings, including:* Traditional music: The original meaning of the term "folk music" was synonymous with the term "Traditional music", also often including World Music and Roots music; the term "Traditional music" was given its more specific meaning to distinguish it from the other definition...
 group known as The Sparrows
The Sparrows

Canadian Sixties blues-rock band, The Sparrow evolved out of Jack London & The Sparrows and later morphed into heavy rock group, Steppenwolf ....
 in 1965, which had moderate success in Canada
Canada

Canada is a country occupying most of northern North America, extending from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west and northward into the Arctic Ocean....
 before moving to California
California

California is a U.S. state on the West Coast of the United States of the United States, along the Pacific Ocean. It is bordered by Oregon to the north, Nevada to the east, Arizona to the southeast, and to the south the Mexico state of Baja California....
, augmenting its line-up and changing its name to Steppenwolf
Steppenwolf (band)

Steppenwolf is a Canada/United States rock music band that helped establish heavy metal music in the late 1960s along with bands like Blue Cheer and Iron Butterfly....
 in 1967. With music that pioneered hard rock
Hard rock

Hard rock is a sub-genre of rock music which has its earliest roots in mid-1960s garage rock and psychedelic rock and is considerably harder than conventional rock music....
 and heavy metal
Heavy metal music

Heavy metal is a genre of rock music that developed in the late 1960s and early 1970s, largely in England and the United States. With roots in blues-rock and psychedelic rock, the bands that created heavy metal developed a thick, massive sound, characterized by highly amplified Distortion , extended guitar solos, emphatic beats, and overall...
, Kay's Steppenwolf had international success with songs such as "Born to Be Wild
Born to Be Wild

"Born to Be Wild" is a rock music song written by Mars Bonfire and made famous by the Canada rock music band, Steppenwolf . It is often used in popular culture to denote a motorcycle appearance or attitude....
", "Magic Carpet Ride
Magic Carpet Ride

"Magic Carpet Ride" is a rock song written by John Kay and Rushton Moreve from the band Steppenwolf . The song was initially released on the album Steppenwolf the Second....
", "Monster", "The Pusher", and "Rock Me". This was multiplied by the use of "Born to Be Wild" and "The Pusher" in the 1969 movie Easy Rider
Easy Rider

Easy Rider, a Cinema of the United States road movie written by Peter Fonda, Dennis Hopper and Terry Southern and directed by Hopper, about two bikers who travel through the Southwest United States and U.S....
.

Kay recorded both as a solo artist and with Steppenwolf during the late 1970s, and wrapped up Steppenwolf's 40th year of touring with a final gig in October 2007.

In 2004 he was inducted into , in recognition of his early years as a Canadian citizen and the beginnings of his musical career in Toronto. Whereas any celebrity that meets criteria can finance their way into the Hollywood Walk of Fame
Hollywood Walk of Fame

The Hollywood Walk of Fame is a sidewalk along Hollywood Boulevard and Vine Street in Hollywood, Los Angeles, California, USA, that serves as an entertainment hall of fame....
, inductees to Canada's Walk of Fame are only selected via a supervising committee
Committee

A committee is a type of small deliberative assembly that is usually intended to remain subordinate to another, larger deliberative assembly—which when organized so that action on committee requires a vote by all its entitled members, is called the "Committee of the Whole"....
. John Kay was present at the induction ceremony in Toronto, and reiterated his strong affection for Canada.

Kay suffers from increased sensitivity to light, so he wears his trademark sunglasses. He also has congenital achromatopsia
Achromatopsia

Achromatopsia , is a medical syndrome that exhibits symptoms relating to at least five separate individual diseases. Although the term may refer to acquired disorders such as color agnosia and cerebral achromatopsia, it typically refers to an autosomal recessive congenital color vision disorder, the inability to perceive color AND to achieve...
, complete colorblindness, a defect of the eyes which causes legal blindness. Despite this condition, he is an avid videographer.

External links

  • (CD 1997; recorded 1976, but previously unreleased)
Matthias Greffrath, ZEITmagazin LEBEN, Nr. 8, 14.02.2008 (report from a childhood friend)