George Michael Biondo (born September 3, 1945) is a musician who served as
bass guitar
The bass guitar, electric bass or simply bass (), is the lowest-pitched member of the string family. It is a plucked string instrument similar in appearance and construction to an electric or an acoustic guitar, but with a longer neck and ...
ist of the Canadian rock band Steppenwolf from April 1970 to October 1976. Born in
New York
New York most commonly refers to:
* New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York
* New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States
New York may also refer to:
Film and television
* '' ...
, Biondo has been based in
Southern California
Southern California (commonly shortened to SoCal) is a geographic and Cultural area, cultural region that generally comprises the southern portion of the U.S. state of California. It includes the Los Angeles metropolitan area, the second most po ...
throughout a career as a
session musician
Session musicians, studio musicians, or backing musicians are musicians hired to perform in recording sessions or live performances. The term sideman is also used in the case of live performances, such as accompanying a recording artist on a ...
and
songwriter
A songwriter is a musician who professionally composes musical compositions or writes lyrics for songs, or both. The writer of the music for a song can be called a composer, although this term tends to be used mainly in the classical music gen ...
Los Angeles
Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world' ...
area band called Storybook People during which time they released a
single
Single may refer to:
Arts, entertainment, and media
* Single (music), a song release
Songs
* "Single" (Natasha Bedingfield song), 2004
* "Single" (New Kids on the Block and Ne-Yo song), 2008
* "Single" (William Wei song), 2016
* "Single", by ...
on
Dunhill Records
Dunhill Records was started in 1964 by Lou Adler, Jay Lasker, Pierre Cossette and Bobby Roberts as Dunhill Productions to release the music of Johnny Rivers on Imperial Records. It became a record label the following year and was distributed b ...
, which received limited
airplay
Airplay is how frequently a song is being played through broadcasting on radio stations. A song which is being played several times every day (spins) would have a significant amount of airplay. Music which became very popular on jukeboxes, in n ...
in Los Angeles. In 1968, Biondo replaced
Nick St. Nicholas
Nick St. Nicholas (born Klaus Karl Kassbaum on September 28, 1943) is a German bandleader, bass guitarist, singer and songwriter; best known for his partnership in Steppenwolf.
Early life
He was born in Plön, Schleswig-Holstein, Germany ...
in another Los Angeles area band called T.I.M.E., when St. Nicholas departed for Steppenwolf. After T.I.M.E. guitarist Larry Byrom also left to join Steppenwolf, T.I.M.E. briefly attempted to carry on with Biondo as lead
singer
Singing is the act of creating musical sounds with the voice. A person who sings is called a singer, artist or vocalist (in jazz and/or popular music). Singers perform music (arias, recitatives, songs, etc.) that can be sung with or without ...
, but never released any further
recordings
A record, recording or records may refer to:
An item or collection of data Computing
* Record (computer science), a data structure
** Record, or row (database), a set of fields in a database related to one entity
** Boot sector or boot record, r ...
.
Steppenwolf
In early 1970, Biondo replaced St. Nicholas a second time when he joined Steppenwolf for the recording of ''
Steppenwolf 7
''Steppenwolf 7'' is the fifth studio album by Canadian-American rock band Steppenwolf. The album was released in November 1970, by Dunhill Records. It is the first Steppenwolf album with new bass player George Biondo. The album’s numerical t ...
'', contributing lead vocals on "Fat Jack" and co-lead vocals on "Foggy Mental Breakdown" and the chart-hit, "Who Needs Ya'". In 1971, the band released their last new album for Dunhill, ''
For Ladies Only
''For Ladies Only'' is the sixth studio album by Canadian-American rock band Steppenwolf. The album was released in November 1971, by Dunhill Records. It is a political concept album mainly about feminism but with several more conventional so ...
'' for which Biondo wrote "Sparkle Eyes" with John Kay and "In Hopes of a Garden". He sang lead on the latter, as well as "Jaded Strumpet". When Steppenwolf went on hiatus in 1972, Biondo became a founding member of the John Kay Band, appearing on both of Kay's solo albums on Dunhill Records. When Steppenwolf reconvened in the mid-1970s, Biondo was brought back for the album ''
Slow Flux
''Slow Flux'' is the seventh studio album by Canadian-American rock band Steppenwolf. The album was released in August 1974, by Epic Records. In the US it was released on the Mums Records label, a short-lived CBS Records subsidiary. It was the f ...
''. Then writing "Two for the Love of One" for the ''
Hour of the Wolf
''Hour of the Wolf'' ( sv, Vargtimmen, lit=The Wolf Hour) is a 1968 Swedish psychological horror film directed by Ingmar Bergman and starring Max von Sydow and Liv Ullmann. The story explores the disappearance of fictional painter Johan Borg ...
'' album. Biondo later wrote "Sleep" and co-wrote the instrumental "Lip Service" with
Bobby Cochran
Bobby Cochran (born 1950) is an American guitarist, singer, songwriter, and record producer. He has worked with many bands, including Steppenwolf, the Flying Burrito Brothers, Leon Russell, and Bob Weir's band Bobby and the Midnites. He was in ...
and
Wayne Cook
Wayne Cook (1949) is an American keyboardist best known for his time with Steppenwolf and Player. He co-wrote the instrumental "Lip Service" and played keyboards on Steppenwolf's 1976 '' Skullduggery'' album. The following year, he joined Playe ...
for the '' Skullduggery'' album in 1976. In 1981, Biondo added backing vocals to '' Wolftracks'', the first
studio
A studio is an artist or worker's workroom. This can be for the purpose of acting, architecture, painting, pottery (ceramics), sculpture, origami, woodworking, scrapbooking, photography, graphic design, filmmaking, animation, industrial design ...
album by John Kay and his new band, now under the moniker ''John Kay & Steppenwolf''.
After Steppenwolf
In 1980, Biondo reunited with Steppenwolf cofounder
Jerry Edmonton
Gerald Michael Edmonton (born Gerald McCrohan, October 24, 1946 – November 28, 1993) was a Canadian-American musician who was the drummer, and secondary lead vocalist for the rock band Steppenwolf.
Early life and career
Edmonton was born in O ...
in a band called Steel Rose. A Steel Rose single penned by Biondo, "Good That You're Gone", was released on Dore Records, and featured Biondo on lead vocals. When Steel Rose disbanded in 1984, Biondo returned to writing and freelance club and session work.
Gold
Gold is a chemical element with the symbol Au (from la, aurum) and atomic number 79. This makes it one of the higher atomic number elements that occur naturally. It is a bright, slightly orange-yellow, dense, soft, malleable, and ductile met ...
''
Dunhill Records
Dunhill Records was started in 1964 by Lou Adler, Jay Lasker, Pierre Cossette and Bobby Roberts as Dunhill Productions to release the music of Johnny Rivers on Imperial Records. It became a record label the following year and was distributed b ...
*''
For Ladies Only
''For Ladies Only'' is the sixth studio album by Canadian-American rock band Steppenwolf. The album was released in November 1971, by Dunhill Records. It is a political concept album mainly about feminism but with several more conventional so ...
'' 1971 U.S. #54 Dunhill Records
*''
Forgotten Songs and Unsung Heroes
''Forgotten Songs and Unsung Heroes'' is the first solo album by German-Canadian musician John Kay. It was released on Dunhill Records in 1972.
Kay was well known as the lead singer of the band Steppenwolf. His first solo album contained a mix ...
'' 1972 Dunhill Records
*'' My Sportin Life'' ("Sing with the Children" only) 1973 Dunhill Records
*''
Slow Flux
''Slow Flux'' is the seventh studio album by Canadian-American rock band Steppenwolf. The album was released in August 1974, by Epic Records. In the US it was released on the Mums Records label, a short-lived CBS Records subsidiary. It was the f ...
Hour of the Wolf
''Hour of the Wolf'' ( sv, Vargtimmen, lit=The Wolf Hour) is a 1968 Swedish psychological horror film directed by Ingmar Bergman and starring Max von Sydow and Liv Ullmann. The story explores the disappearance of fictional painter Johan Borg ...
'' 1975 U.S. #155
Epic Records
Epic Records is an American record label owned by Sony Music Entertainment, a subsidiary of Sony Corporation of America
Sony Corporation of America (SONAM, also known as SCA), is the American arm of the Japanese conglomerate Sony Group ...
Dore Records
Dore or Doré may refer to:
Geography Places
*Dore, South Yorkshire, England
**Dore and Totley, electoral ward that includes this village
*Abbey Dore, village in Herefordshire, England
*Dore, in the district of Gweedore, Ireland
*Dore Lake, Sa ...
Rest In Peace
Rest in peace (RIP), a phrase from the Latin (), is sometimes used in traditional Christian services and prayers, such as in the Catholic, Lutheran, Anglican, and Methodist denominations, to wish the soul of a decedent eternal rest and peace. ...
ABC Records
ABC Records was an American record label founded in New York City in 1955. It originated as the main popular music label operated by the Am-Par Record Corporation. Am-Par also created the Impulse! jazz label in 1960. It acquired many labels befo ...
MCA Records
MCA Records was an American record label owned by MCA Inc., which later became part of Universal Music Group.
Pre-history
MCA Inc., a powerful talent agency and a television production company, entered the recorded music business in 1962 wit ...
Universal Music Group
Universal Music Group N.V. (often abbreviated as UMG and referred to as just Universal Music) is a Dutch– American multinational music corporation under Dutch law. UMG's corporate headquarters are located in Hilversum, Netherlands and its ...
Geffen Records
Geffen Records is an American record label established by David Geffen and owned by Universal Music Group through its Interscope Geffen A&M Records imprint.
Founded in 1980, Geffen Records has been a part of Interscope Geffen A&M since 1999 and h ...