Peter Wolf
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For the Austrian-born composer, producer, songwriter and arranger, see Peter Wolf (producer).
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.
He planned a career as an artist, but landed 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 Woofer Goofer", sometimes expanded to "the Woofer Goofer with the Green Teeth". He formed a group called the Hallucinations who performed with The Velvet Underground, Howlin' Wolf, Muddy Waters, Pete's good friend Van Morrison, John Lee Hooker, and Sun Ra. He then saw the then 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 have since separated again, with little hopes of reunion. Wolf then began touring once more, as a solo act.
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.
His new recording, due out in late 2008, features Merle Haggard, Shelby Lynne, and Neko Case.
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 is currently on a tour with Kid Rock and Rev. Run on The Kid Rock Revival Tour.[citation needed]
[edit] Discography
- Lights Out (1984)
- Come As You Are (1987)
- Up to No Good (1990)
- Long Line (1996)
- Fool's Parade (1998)
- Sleepless (2002)
