Peter Wolf

For other people named Peter Wolf, see Peter Wolf (disambiguation).

Peter Wolf
Background information
Birth name	Peter Blankfield
Also known as	Wolfer Goofer
Born	(1946-03-07) March 7, 1946 Bronx, New York, US
Genres	Rock 'n' roll, blues, soul
Occupation(s)	Musician, performer, songwriter and painter
Instrument(s)	Vocals, piano, guitar, harmonica, and percussion
Years active	1964 – present
Website	www.peterwolf.com

Peter Wolf (born Peter Blankfield, March 7, 1946) is an American musician best known as the lead vocalist for the J. Geils Band from 1967 to 1983 and for a successful solo career with writing partner Will Jennings.

Life and career

Peter Wolf was born in Bronx, New York. He was accepted at the prestigious High School of Music & Art, located in west Harlem near the famed 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 when he received a scholarship to School of the Museum of Fine Arts, where he studied painting. His first roommate was film director David Lynch. In 1964, Wolf and fellow art students Paul Shapiro, Doug Slade, Joe Clark, and Stephen Jo Bladd formed a group called The Hallucinations. They performed at nightclubs in the famed Combat Zone and developed a large following as one of the first bands to play at the legendary Boston Tea Party nightclub. 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 and Sun Ra. .

While performing with the Hallucinations, Wolf was asked to join Boston's legendary radio station WBCN as their "all night" D.J. His show was very popular and he interviewed many of the great rock, blues and jazz artists that were touring through Boston in the late 1960s.

In 1967, the newly 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. During the early days of MTV they achieved wider success with their widely played videos. Because of the bands constant touring they established international success and toured stadiums with The Rolling Stones. Wolf and keyboardist Seth Justman were responsible for most of the band's songwriting. Creative differences followed their multi platinum album Freeze Frame, and Wolf parted ways with the J. Geils Band in 1983 and went on to a successful solo career.

Peter Wolf with the J. Geils Band in Candlestick Park, San Francisco, California

In 1999 the J. Geils Band reunited for a series of tours, while Wolf continued recording and performing as a solo artist.

The J. Geils Band have been nominated to Rock and Roll Hall of Fame five times.

Solo work

Peter Wolf jumping (1982)

Wolf's first solo record, Lights Out (1984), was produced with Michael Jonzun, of the Jonzun Crew, and featured Adrian Belew, G. E. Smith, Elliot Randall, Yogi Horton, Mick Jagger, Elliot Easton, and Maurice Starr. The single "Lights Out" written with the famed Don Covey became a hit the same year, peaking at No. 12 on the Billboard Hot 100.

Wolf appeared on the Artists United Against Apartheid project's song, "Sun City" in 1987.

In 1987, Wolf released his second solo album, Come As You Are, with the title track notching Wolf not only another top-15 hit on the pop charts but also a number one hit on the Mainstream Rock Charts. A later single, "Can't Get Started", also had wide radio plays.

His album Long Line (1996) and with his fifth album, Fool's Parade, started his long collaboration with singer/songwriter Kenny White and Sleepless (the latter featuring guest appearances from Mick Jagger and Keith Richards), were both highly praised by Rolling Stone, receiving five stars, respectively. Sleepless (2002) was noted as one of the 500 greatest albums of all time in Rolling Stone issue 937.

Wolf's 2010 album Midnight Souvenirs won Album of the Year at the Boston Music Awards.

On the album Midnight Souvenirs, Wolf performed duets with Shelby Lynne, Neko Case and Merle Haggard.

Wolf had inducted one of his idols, Jackie Wilson and the Paul Butterfield Blues Band into The Rock 'n' Roll Hall of Fame.

His eighth solo album, A Cure for Loneliness, was released in April 2016 to critical acclaim.

Personal life

Wolf was married to actress Faye Dunaway from 1974 to 1979.

Discography

Studio albums

List of albums, with selected details and chart positions

Title	Album details	Peak chart positions					Sales
		US	US Rock	US Folk	US Indie	SWE
Lights Out	Released: July 1984 Label: EMI America	24	—	—	—	17
Come As You Are	Released: March 20, 1987 Label: EMI America	53	—	—	—	26
Up to No Good	Released: February 19, 1990 Label: MCA	111	—	—	—	46
Long Line	Released: May 14, 1996 Label: Reprise	—	—	—	—	—
Fool's Parade	Released: September 29, 1998 Label: Mercury	—	—	—	—	—
Sleepless	Released: September 10, 2002 Label: Artemis	—	—	—	39	—
Midnight Souvenirs	Released: April 6, 2010 Label: Verve	45	12	—	—	—	US: 42,000
A Cure for Loneliness	Released: April 8, 2016 Label: Concord	144	18	5	—	—
"—" denotes a recording that did not chart or was not released in that territory.

Singles

Year	Song	US Hot 100	US MSR	US Dance	Album
1984	"Lights Out"	12	-	11	Lights Out
1984	"I Need You Tonight"	36	22	-
1984	"Crazy"	-	26	-
1985	"Oo-Ee-Diddley-Bop!"	61	-
1987	"Come as You Are"	15	1	49	Come as You Are
1987	"Can't Get Started"	75	16	-
1990	"99 Worlds"	77	9	-	Up to No Good
1996	"Long Line"	-	-	-	Long Line
1998	"Turnin' Pages"	-	-	-	Fool's Parade

External links

• Peter Wolf website
• Peter Wolf at IMDb