Rock show was a magic carpet ride

By David Maurer

Published: May 18, 2008

Word of mouth was about the only advertisement needed.

In practically no time at all, every ticket was sold for one of the most anticipated concerts in University Hall history. The University of Virginia venue has hosted superstars of the magnitude of Janis Joplin, but in the spring of 1971, Steppenwolf was one of the most popular groups in the world.

When news began to circulate that the band was going to perform here to raise money for scholarship funds for the school’s Inter-Fraternity Council, it was glad tidings for many. They rushed to Mincers’, Stacy’s Music Shop, Hi-Fi House and Newcomb Hall to buy tickets.

When John Kay, lead singer for the band, peered through his sunglasses at the audience that had gathered at U-Hall on the evening of March 20, 1971, he saw bobbing heads and smiling faces for as far as he could see.

Light show

Due to the sweeping psychedelic patterns created by flashing lights, the German-born singer from Canada probably couldn’t see all that many fans. That didn’t hinder his delivery of some of the 1960s’ most powerful songs.

With pulsating blue and red lights reflecting off his dark shades, Kay unleashed his growling voice, which could be as soft as a whisper one moment and raspy as a metal file the next. It was a voice that managed to express the entire spectrum of coming-of-age emotions. While being celebratory and joyous it also held the menacing tones of alienation.

By the time Steppenwolf exploded into thunderous life on the U-Hall stage, it had fathered one of the most poignant anthems in rock history — “Born to Be Wild.”

“Wild” Bonfire

The song was written by guitarist Dennis Edmonton, also known as Mars Bonfire. The lyrics suggest a straightforward grasping of life with a focus on living it as a grand adventure.

Kay’s early life was laced with both fear and danger. He was born Joachim Fritz Krauledat on April 12, 1944, in East Prussia.

A month before Kay was born, his father was killed fighting the Russians. Before he was a year old, Kay’s mother had to bundle him up and head out into frigid winter conditions to escape advancing Russian troops.

The refugees settled in East Germany, but life under communist rule soon became unbearable. When Kay was 4, he and his mother risked a harrowing midnight sprint for freedom.

Kay sings about their successful escape to Hanover, West Germany, in 1971’s “Renegade,” which he co-wrote with Goldy McJohn and George Biondo. In the song he tells how the guide who took them to the border whispered, “When you get to the other side just run like hell.”

Kay and his mother settled in the British occupation zone. He already was suffering from sensitivity to light, so much of his time was spent indoors listening to music on U.S. Armed Forces Radio.

The youngster enjoyed the music even though he couldn’t understand the lyrics. When rock ’n’ roll started hitting the airways in the mid-1950s it had a profound effect on the teenager.

The music awoke a passion to create his own music and sparked a fascination with American culture. In 1958, he and his mother and stepfather immigrated to Toronto, Canada.

Now the radio was filled with every kind of music. All Kay had to do was turn the dial a fraction to hear gospel, country, blues, jazz or rock.

The disc jockeys spinning the records became his English teachers. Singing along with songs made him realize he had a good voice, and in 1965 he joined a group called the Sparrows.

The band played a style of music that merged blues, rock and folk. Encouraged by its success in Canada the group moved to California, and by 1967 had evolved into Steppenwolf.

Kay and his bandmates named the group after German author Hermann Hesse’s 1928 novel “Der Steppenwolf.” The band launched its bid for worldwide fame in the summer of 1968 with its debut “Steppenwolf.”

The album was recorded in just four days, but its monster hit “Born to Be Wild” continues to resonate to this day. The song hit the charts in August 1968 climbing all the way to the No. 2 position.

Leading the song’s second versus are the words, “I like smoke and lightning, heavy-metal thunder.” The first mention of heavy metal was actually a reference to a motorcycle, but came to define a style of rock music driven by guitars and drums.

The song became indelibly stamped into counterculture history when it was used in the soundtrack of the 1969 film “Easy Rider.”

Providing a worthy follow-up to a signature song is a tough assignment. Nonetheless, in November 1968 the band released “Steppenwolf the Second.” This LP contained the venerable classic “Magic Carpet Ride.”

The song came close to matching its blockbusting predecessor in popularity and remains a staple on oldie radio stations. By the time Steppenwolf arrived at U-Hall in 1971, it had established itself as one of the greatest bands in rock history.

The fact that the group had sold millions of records, 25 million at last count, and enjoyed worldwide popularity, wasn’t reflected in ticket prices. Tickets sold for $3.25, $3.75 at the door.

Those fortunate enough to get a ticket to the sold-out show were witnesses to the closing of an era. Within a year the band had broken up.

Kay went solo, but it wasn’t long before he began to realize that Steppenwolf was an important part of his musical identity. He reformed the group in 1974, and that incarnation lasted for two years.

During the late 1970s a variety of groups calling themselves Steppenwolf came and went. Fed up with the bogus bands, Kay created John Kay and Steppenwolf in 1980 and hit the road.

The band presented its last concert on Oct. 6, 2007, at Ripken Stadium in Aberdeen, Md. But perhaps recalling the band’s premature retirement in 1972, Kay has hinted at the possibility of the band doing a half-dozen gigs in 2009.

Whether or not the band ever plays again, it leaves behind a legacy of some of rock’s most enduring tunes.