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There is no band that says more about the motorcycle scene of the 1960s than Steppenwolf. Quintessentially American, it may surprise most people that the band’s founder, John Kay wasn’t American at all. Born in East Prussia, Germany at the end of World War II, Kay grew up trapped behind the iron curtain. His first distinct memory is a daring nighttime escape with his mother to West Germany; where later he was profoundly affected by the American rock 'n' roll he heard on U.S. Armed Forces Radio. Though he didn't speak English at the time, the music's primal energy touched something deep in him, instilling both a driving ideal of personal freedom and an abiding interest in American culture. In 1958 he immigrated to Canada and continued his love affair with music, performing as a folk and blues singer throughout North America before joining the rock band The Sparrow which became part of the scene happening in Toronto’s Yorkville, later, San Francisco’s Haight Ashbury and finally L.A.’s Sunset Strip. There, in 1967, Kay formed Steppenwolf, which quickly became one of the world’s foremost rock n’ roll bands releasing such standards as "Born to Be Wild," "Magic Carpet Ride”, songs which catapulted the band into international prominence and which today stand amongst Rock's most indelible anthems. Other classics include powerful songs like “The Pusher” and “Snow Blind Friend” and “Monster.”