By Ken Paulson
This Wednesday I’ll have the privilege of presenting the Free Speech in Music award to Buffy St. Marie at the Americana Music Association’s Awards and Honors event at the Ryman Auditorium in Nashville.
I’m particularly honored to be presenting the award with John Kay, founder and lead singer of Steppenwolf. Though many associate the band with the biker culture (“heavy metal thunder”) the truth is that Steppenwolf was one of the most socially conscious and politically engaged groups of the ’60s.
A new collection from Real Gone Music reminds us of the depth and impact of the band. The ABC/Dunhill Singles Collection includes largely mono recordings of the band’s output for the label, plus all of Kay’s solo singles.
By definition, all of the hits are here: “Born to Be Wild,” “Magic Carpet Ride,” “Rock Me,” “Move Over” and “Hey Lawdy Mama.” But the singles also included a stirring cover of Hoyt Axton’s “Snowblind Friend,” the driving “Who Needs Ya” and “Monster,” a powerful political anthem included here in its full version because Kay objected to the truncated version released as the single.
Kay’s solo albums were outstanding and largely overlooked, and it’s good to have a sampling included here, particularly his versions of “You Win Again” and “I’m Movin’ On.”
Kay participated in the Real Gone Music collection and his comments inform the comprehensive and fascinating booklet included here.
It’s an impressive collection and it was good to reconnect with the band’s many worthy B-sides. I seem to recall Steppenwolf performing “Berry Rides Again” from their first album on American Bandstand, but there’s video proof of their performance of the song in 1968 on “Playboy After Dark:”