Peter Wolf (born March 7, 1946) is an American musician best known as the lead vocalist of

the J. Geils Band The J. Geils Band was an American rock band formed in 1967, in Worcester, Massachusetts, under the leadership of guitarist John "J." Geils. The original band members included vocalist Peter Wolf, harmonica and saxophone player Richard "Magic ...

from 1967 to 1983 and as a solo artist.

Early life and education

Peter Wolf was born Peter Walter Blankfield on March 7, 1946, in The Bronx,

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 * '' ...

. He attended the High School of Music & Art, located in west Harlem, Manhattan, near the

Apollo Theater The Apollo Theater is a music hall at 253 West 125th Street between Adam Clayton Powell Jr. Boulevard (Seventh Avenue) and Frederick Douglass Boulevard (Eighth Avenue) in the Harlem neighborhood of Upper Manhattan in New York City. It is a not ...

. He often attended the Apollo, seeing many of the famous soul, rhythm & blues, and gospel artists who influenced him. He moved to Boston, Massachusetts, to attend the School of the Museum of Fine Arts at Tufts on scholarship, where he studied painting. His first roommate was film director

David Lynch David Keith Lynch (born January 20, 1946) is an American filmmaker, visual artist and actor. A recipient of an Academy Honorary Award in 2019, Lynch has received three Academy Award nominations for Best Director, and the César Award for Be ...

Career

In 1964, Wolf and fellow art students Paul Shapiro (guitar), Doug Slade (guitar), Joe Clark (bass), and Stephen Jo Bladd (drums) formed a music group, The Hallucinations. They performed at nightclubs in the Combat Zone area of Boston and developed a large following as one of the first bands to play at the Boston Tea Party. During this period, they appeared on bills with The Velvet Underground, Howlin' Wolf, Muddy Waters, Van Morrison (who became close with Wolf while residing in nearby Cambridge, Massachusetts),

John Lee Hooker John Lee Hooker (August 22, 1912 or 1917 – June 21, 2001) was an American blues singer, songwriter, and guitarist. The son of a sharecropper, he rose to prominence performing an electric guitar-style adaptation of Delta blues. Hooker often ...

, and Sun Ra. During his time performing with the Hallucinations, Wolf was asked to help establish Boston's radio station WBCN and became their first all-night deejay creating the moniker Woofa Goofa as his on-air personality. His show became a popular late night staple where he interviewed many of the well-known rock, blues, and jazz artists that were touring through Boston in the late 1960s. In 1967, Wolf and Bladd joined the J. Geils Band. Wolf and keyboardist

Seth Justman Seth Justman (born January 27, 1951) is the keyboard player for the U.S. rock band, The J. Geils Band. Biography Justman was born in Washington, D.C., grew up in Atlantic City, and is Jewish. He co-wrote many of the band's songs with singer Pet ...

were responsible for most of the band's songwriting. During the early days of

MTV MTV (Originally an initialism of Music Television) is an American cable channel that launched on August 1, 1981. Based in New York City, it serves as the flagship property of the MTV Entertainment Group, part of Paramount Media Networks, a di ...

, the band enjoyed heavy airplay of their videos " Centerfold" and " Love Stinks". They toured stadiums with the Rolling Stones and others. Following the success of '' Freeze Frame'', the other band members wanted to take the band in a new pop direction musically, but Wolf wanted to stick to a more roots-based direction so he was asked to leave in 1983. In the ensuing years the band has been nominated five times for the

Rock and Roll Hall of Fame The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame (RRHOF), sometimes simply referred to as the Rock Hall, is a museum A museum ( ; plural museums or, rarely, musea) is a building or institution that cares for and displays a collection of artifacts and othe ...

Solo work

Wolf's first solo record ''

Lights Out Lights Out may refer to: Events and times * Institutional, and thence colloquial, term for bedtime *Lights Out (event), an event in the UK on 4 August 2014 to commemorate the start of World War I * Lights Out Hong Kong, a campaign to protest air ...

'' (1984) was produced with Michael Jonzun of the

Jonzun Crew Jonzun Crew was an American electro and early funk– hip hop group that was active in the 1980s. The group was led by Michael Jonzun, his brothers Maurice Starr and Soni Jonzun, and Carl (Captain Fingers). Overview The Jonzun Crew was forme ...

. The album features Adrian Belew,

G. E. Smith George Edward Smith (''né'' Haddad; born January 27, 1952) is an American guitarist. Smith was the lead guitarist for the duo Hall & Oates during the band's heyday from 1979 to 1985, playing on five number one singles. After Hall & Oates went i ...

, Elliot Randall, Yogi Horton, Mick Jagger, Elliot Easton, and Maurice Starr. The single "Lights Out" written with

Don Covay Donald James Randolph (March 24, 1936 – January 31, 2015), better known by the stage name Don Covay, was an American R&B, rock and roll, and soul singer-songwriter most active from the 1950s to the 1970s. His most successful recordings incl ...

became a hit the same year, peaking at No. 12 on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100. In 1985, Wolf duetted with

Aretha Franklin Aretha Louise Franklin ( ; March 25, 1942 – August 16, 2018) was an American singer, songwriter and pianist. Referred to as the " Queen of Soul", she has twice been placed ninth in ''Rolling Stone''s "100 Greatest Artists of All Time". With ...

on the track "Push" from her album '' Who's Zoomin' Who?'' and also appeared on the Artists United Against Apartheid song, " Sun City". In 1987, Wolf released his second solo album '' Come as You Are'', with the title track notching Wolf another top-15 hit on the pop chart and a number one hit on the Mainstream Rock Chart. A later single "Can't Get Started" received radio play. His album '' Long Line'' (1996) and ''

Fool's Parade ''Fool's Parade'' is the fifth solo album by Peter Wolf, released in 1998 (see 1998 in music). The album was named one of the Essential Recordings of the '90s by ''Rolling Stones Jann Wenner. Track listing #"Long Way Back Again" (Will Jennings ...

'' (1998) started his collaboration with singer/songwriter Kenny White producing. '' Sleepless'' (2002) featured guest appearances from Mick Jagger and Keith Richards and was highly praised by ''Rolling Stone''. as one of the 500 greatest albums of all time. Wolf has collaborated with Angelo Petraglia and long-time writing partner Will Jennings. Wolf's 2010 album ''

Midnight Souvenirs ''Midnight Souvenirs'' is the seventh solo album by Peter Wolf. It won the award for Album of the Year at the 2010 Boston Music Awards, was No. 27 on ''Rolling Stone''s list of the 30 Best Albums of 2010.Boston Music Awards. On the album, Wolf performed duets with Shelby Lynne, Neko Case, and Merle Haggard. His eighth solo album, ''A Cure for Loneliness'', was released in April 2016. Wolf inducted

Jackie Wilson Jack Leroy Wilson Jr. (June 9, 1934 – January 21, 1984) was an American singer and performer of the 1950s and 60s. He was a prominent figure in the transition of rhythm and blues into soul. Nicknamed "Mr. Excitement", he was considered a mas ...

and the Paul Butterfield Blues Band into the

Personal life

Wolf married actress Faye Dunaway in 1974. They divorced in 1979.

Discography

Studio albums

Singles

References

External links

Peter Wolf website
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Wolf, Peter 1946 births American blues singers American radio DJs American rock singers American rock songwriters EMI Records artists Jewish American musicians Living people Musicians from Boston People from the Bronx Reprise Records artists The J. Geils Band members 21st-century American Jews