Forgotten Songs and Unsung Heroes | ||||
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Studio album by | ||||
Released | 1972 | |||
Genre | Blues-rock | |||
Label | Dunhill Records | |||
Producer | Richard Podolor [1] | |||
John Kay chronology | ||||
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Review scores | |
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Source | Rating |
AllMusic | [1] |
The Rolling Stone Album Guide | [2] |
Forgotten Songs and Unsung Heroes is the first solo album by German-Canadian musician John Kay. [3] [4] It was released on Dunhill Records in 1972. [5] [6]
Kay was well known as the lead singer of the band Steppenwolf. His first solo album contained a mixture of rock songs and country songs, including a number of covers.
Kay toured in support of the album on the 1972 Steppenwolf European farewell tour. The John Kay band was the support band and would play a short set before Steppenwolf came on. Steppenwolf members George Biondo (bass/vocals) and Kent Henry (lead guitar) played in both The John Kay Band and Steppenwolf during the tour.
AllMusic called the album "a serious attempt by Kay to break away from the hard rock persona he established with Steppenwolf ... that he pulls it off is impressive." [1] The Rolling Stone Album Guide praised Kay's "cool" cover of "I'm Moving On." [2] Billboard called the album "an affirmation of the talent that was overshadowed by [Steppenwolf's] flashy pyrotechnics." [6]
All tracks composed by John Kay; except where indicated
Chart (1972) | Peak position |
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Australia (Kent Music Report) [7] | 48 |
with:
Steppenwolf was a Canadian-American rock band that was prominent from 1968 to 1972. The group was formed in late 1967 in Los Angeles by lead singer John Kay, keyboardist Goldy McJohn, and drummer Jerry Edmonton, all formerly of the Canadian band the Sparrows. Guitarist Michael Monarch and bass guitarist Rushton Moreve were recruited via notices placed in Los Angeles-area record and musical instrument stores.
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The Steve Miller Band is an American rock band formed in 1966 in San Francisco, California. The band is led by Steve Miller on guitar and lead vocals. The group had a string of mid- to late-1970s hit singles that are staples of classic rock, as well as several earlier psychedelic rock albums. Miller left his first band to move to San Francisco and form the Steve Miller Blues Band. Shortly after Harvey Kornspan negotiated the band's contract with Capitol Records in 1967, the band shortened its name to the Steve Miller Band. In February 1968, the band recorded its debut album, Children of the Future. It went on to produce the albums Sailor, Brave New World, Your Saving Grace, Number 5, Rock Love, Fly Like an Eagle, Book of Dreams, among others. The band's Greatest Hits 1974–78, released in 1978, sold over 13 million copies. In 2016, Steve Miller was inducted as a solo artist in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.
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Steppenwolf is the debut studio album by Canadian-American rock band Steppenwolf, released on January 29, 1968, on ABC Dunhill Records. It includes songs written by band members and songs written by others such as the Willie Dixon blues classic "Hoochie Coochie Man", retitled "Hootchie Kootchie Man".
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