Forgotten Songs and Unsung Heroes
| Forgotten Songs and Unsung Heroes | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | 1972 | |||
| Genre | Blues-rock | |||
| Label | Dunhill Records | |||
| Producer | Richard Podolor[1] | |||
| John Kay chronology | ||||
| ||||
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| 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.
Critical reception[edit]
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]
Track listing[edit]
All tracks composed by John Kay; except where indicated
- "Many a Mile" (Patrick Sky)
- "Walk Beside Me"
- "You Win Again" (Hank Williams)
- "To Be Alive"
- "Bold Marauder" (Richard Fariña)
- "Two of a Kind"
- "Walkin' Blues" (Robert Johnson)
- "Somebody"
- "I'm Moving On" (Hank Snow)
Charts[edit]
| Chart (1972) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Australia (Kent Music Report)[7] | 48 |
Personnel[edit]
- John Kay - vocals, guitars
- Kent Henry - lead guitar
- Hugh O'Sullivan - keyboards
- George Biondo - bass
- Pentti Glan - drums
with:
- Mars Bonfire - lead guitar on "I'm Moving On"
- Richard Podolor - guitar, organ, mandolin, percussion
- Alexandra Sliwin, Joan Sliwin, Marsha Temmer
- Technical
- Bill Cooper - engineer
- Tom Gundelfinger - art direction, design, photography
References[edit]
- ^ a b c "Forgotten Songs & Unsung Heroes - John Kay | Songs, Reviews, Credits | AllMusic" – via www.allmusic.com.
- ^ a b The Rolling Stone Album Guide. Random House. 1992. pp. 388–389.
- ^ "John Kay | Biography & History". AllMusic.
- ^ Zimmerman, Lee. "John Kay of Steppenwolf fame commits to a solo career". Goldmine Magazine: Record Collector & Music Memorabilia.
- ^ "Steppenwolf | The Canadian Encyclopedia". www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca.
- ^ a b "Album Reviews". Billboard. Nielsen Business Media, Inc. April 8, 1972 – via Google Books.
- ^ Kent, David (1993). Australian Chart Book 1970–1992 (illustrated ed.). St Ives, N.S.W.: Australian Chart Book. p. 164. ISBN 0-646-11917-6.
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