Steppenwolf

Think of Steppenwolf, and you think of the classic cult 1960s road movie Easy Rider. Peter Fonda and Dennis Hopper scream down the highway on their low slung Harley-Davidsons, wind blowing in their side burns, sun on their backs with Born To Be Wild blasting away in the background. The 1978 hit song reached Number 2 in the US charts and became one of the tracks of the era and the ultimate biker anthem; kicked off with the cracking first line "Get your motors running." Led by Californian front man John Kay, the band named themselves after a Hermann Hesse novel and went on to score six Top 40 hits in the US, including Magic Carpet Ride and Rock Me and rack up record sales of over 25 million. Their grizzly, bluesy rock produced the Top 10 US albums Steppenwolf (1968), The Second (1968) and At Your Birthday Party (1969) and, through numerous line-up changes and an official retirement in 2007, they continue to play live and celebrate their one classic hit.