Steppenwolf Musicians to Present Lecture, Performance at UA

TUSCALOOSA, Ala. — Renowned rock musicians John Kay and Michael Wilk of Steppenwolf will offer a lecture and performance at 7:30 p.m. Monday, Oct. 10, in The University of Alabama’s Moody Music Building Concert Hall.

The non-ticketed event is free and open to the public.The School of Music, part of UA’s College of Arts and Sciences, is sponsoring the performance.

The talk and performance will feature Kay and Wilk playing a mix of songs from Kay’s solo efforts as well as the Steppenwolf songs. The production will feature a full-motion video presentation that illustrates the songs.

Steppenwolf was formed in 1967 and is known for such hits as “Born to be Wild,” “Magic Carpet Ride” and “Monster-Suicide-America.” A full history of the band can be found here. The band now is known as John Kay & Steppenwolf.

Born in East Prussia, Germany at the end of World War II, 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. In 1958 he moved to Canada and performed as a folk and blues singer throughout North America before joining a rock band, The Sparrow. In1967, Kay formed Steppenwolf in Los Angeles.

Wilk, Steppenwolf keyboardist, has worked with Boz Scaggs, Mick Fleetwood, Christy McVie, Billy Burnette, Phil Seymour, Rick Derringer, the Pointer Sisters and jazz saxophonist Tom Scott. Wilk and Steve Cropper of the Blues Brothers performed and recorded the music for the movie “Satisfaction,” starring Justine Batemen and Julia Roberts. He has worked on television commercials, including a Diet Pepsi ad.

The School of Music is part of UA’s College of Arts and Sciences, the University’s largest division and the largest liberal arts college in the state. Students from the College have won numerous national awards including Rhodes Scholarships, Goldwater Scholarships and memberships on the USA Today Academic All American Team.