Peter Wolf turned 74 today!
He was pretty popular here in Indonesia back in the early 80s via “Centerfold”, “Freeze-Frame” and “Love Stinks” with the band he fronted, the J. Geils Band.
Born Peter W. Blankfield in the Bronx, New York, he attended High School of Music & Art, located in west Harlem near the Apollo Theater. He often attended the Apollo, seeing many of the great soul, rhythm & blues and gospel artists that had an enormous influence on him. He moved to Boston, Massachusetts to attend the School of the Museum of Fine Arts at Tufts University on scholarship, where he studied painting His first roommate was film director David Lynch.
In 1964 he formed The Hallucinations. They were one of the first bands to play at the Boston Tea party nightclub. During this period, they appeared on bills with The Velvet Underground, Howlin’ Wolf, Muddy Waters, Van Morrison, John Lee Hooker and Sun Ra.
In 1967, a revamped J. Geils Band was formed with Wolf on vocals. As the group’s frontman, Wolf was known for his charismatic presence and fast-talking quips made him known as one of rock’s most dynamic stage performers (watch the video to witness it). Because of the band’s constant touring and widely played videos on MTV, they established international success and toured stadiums with The Rolling Stones. Wolf parted ways with the band in 1983 to pursue a solo career.
The J. Geils Band have been nominated to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame five times.
Peter Wolf’s solo album, Sleepless (2002) is ranked 427 on Rolling Stone’s 500 Greatest Albums of All Time.
Wolf was once married to US actress Faye Dunaway.
Happy birthday, Peter Wolf! Freeze-frame!
