JOHN KAY
John Kay (born Joachim Fritz Krauledat, 12 April 1944) is a German-Canadian-American rock singer, songwriter, and guitarist known as the frontman of Steppenwolf. (More from Wikipedia)
Adversity in life seems to be one of the sparks that have ignited many a talented musician over the years. The idea that being blind aids hearing and, thus, musical talent is nearly a cliché. Two of the greatest R&B artists of all time are blind: Stevie Wonder and Ray Charles; other notable blind musicians include José Feliciano, Clarence Carter, Terri Gibbs, Ronnie Millsap, and Doc Watson. There are many others who are less well known, such as Blind Lemon Jefferson (apparently the source of the name of the 1990’s band Blind Melon), Blind Willie Johnson, Blind Willie McTell, and (from the world of gospel music) the Blind Boys of Alabama and the Five Blind Boys of Mississippi (also called the Five Blind Boys of Alabama, the Original Five Blind Boys of Alabama and the Original Five Blind Boys of Mississippi). Frontman John Kay of Steppenwolf didn’t just wear sunglasses to look cool; he has a degenerative eye disease. There is no telling how many better known blind artists I am inadvertently omitting, there are so many.
(June 2011)
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My home town of Winston-Salem, North Carolina also has a reputation as being kind of prudish. Their feud with the rock band Steppenwolf is rather well known in rock circles, as the City fathers attempted to keep the band from singing “goddamn” when they performed their hit song “The Pusher” there. (Lead singer John Kay obliged, though the concert crowds always enthusiastically filled in the offending word).
(March 2013)
