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Peter Wolf
(born Peter W. Blankfield
, March 7, 1946, Bronx, New York) is an American rock and roll musician, best known as the lead vocalist for the J. Geils Band from 1967 to 1983.
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PETER WOLF TICKETS
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History
Wolf planned a career as an artist, but got a job in the late 1960s as a
disc jockey on then-cutting edge
Boston FM radio station
WBCN and began exploring his interest in
blues and
rhythm and blues music, giving himself the nickname "the Wolfa Goofa", sometimes expanded to "the Wolfa Goofa with the Green Teeth"(as mentioned in the intro to "Musta Got Lost" on the Blow Your Face Out album. Later as solo artist he called himself Woofa Goofa Mama Toofa). He formed a group called the Hallucinations who performed with
The Velvet Underground,
Howlin' Wolf,
Muddy Waters,
Van Morrison,
John Lee Hooker, and
Sun Ra. He then saw the J. Geils Blues Band in concert and quickly joined. He was the vocalist and frontman, and often acted as a sort of manager. He was known for his charismatic stage antics of fast-talking quips and "pole-vaulting" with the mic stand. He and keyboard player
Seth Justman were responsible for most of the song writing. Creative differences followed their
Freeze-Frame
album, causing the J. Geils Band and Peter Wolf to part ways in 1983.
Wolf became a solo artist for the next 15 years, but in 1999 the J. Geils Band reunited for several appearances, with Wolf resuming his duties as lead vocalist. They separated again, and Wolf began touring once more, as a solo act.
The J. Geils Band has re-united for a few shows in 2009, with Peter Wolf again as frontman. They opened the House of Blues in Boston in February, 2009. The show sold out in record time, and they have since added a second performance April 28, 2009. They are also scheduled to perform two shows at the Filmore, Detroit also in April, 2009.
Wolf's first solo record,
Lights Out
, was produced by
Michael Jonzun of the
Jonzun Crew, also features
Adrian Belew, and has a somewhat funky, electro sound. The eponymous single became a hit single in 1984, peaking at #12 on the
Billboard Hot 100. He recorded many duets with the likes of
Aretha Franklin,
Little Milton,
John Lee Hooker,
Don Covay, and
Wilson Pickett to name just a few.
Long Line was co-produced with two musician friends,
Johnny A., and
Bob Dylan band member,
Stu Kimball. His last two solo albums,
Fool's Parade
and
Sleepless
(the latter featuring guest appearances from
Mick Jagger and
Keith Richards), were both highly praised by
Jann Wenner in
Rolling Stone
, receiving four-and-a-half and five stars, respectively.
Sleepless
was noted as one of the 500 greatest albums of all time in
Rolling Stone
issue 937. He has performed on stage with such diverse people as
Bruce Springsteen and
Phil Lesh.
Wolf was married to actress
Faye Dunaway from 1974 to 1979. He studied painting in
Stockbridge, Massachusetts with
Norman Rockwell as a boy.
Wolf was a roommate of well-known surrealist filmmaker
David Lynch at the
School of the Museum of Fine Arts in
Boston.
Wolf toured in 2008 with
Kid Rock and
Rev. Run on The Rock N Roll Revival Tour. He performed Love Stinks solo with Kid Rock's band. Then he joined Kid Rock for Ain't Too Proud To Beg, Musta Got Lost, Centerfold and For What It's Worth.
Discography
- Lights Out
(1984)
- Come As You Are
(1987)
- Up to No Good
(1990)
- Long Line
(1996)
- Fool's Parade
(1998)
- Sleepless
(2002)
References