Editing Steppenwolf (band) (section)

===John Kay and Steppenwolf (1980–2018)===
[[File:John Kay.JPG|thumb|Kay and Steppenwolf performing in [[Lillehammer]], Norway, May 2007]]
Kay had a few meetings with David Pesnell about management, concert promotions and producing a new album for the band. Pesnell wanted to produce an album featuring new songs on side A, by the reformed band [[Three Dog Night]] and with side B of the album featuring songs by Steppenwolf. The album's working name was "Back to Back", a play on each band having a side of the album and the fact the bands were back together again. Pesnell's concept was simple: each band should record four new songs, with a fifth song on each side featuring a medley of the band's past songs. This would give the Pesnell-produced album a double release of singles to support a concert tour featuring the two bands. Though both bands liked the concept of the album and tour, the arguments included who would be side A and side B and which of the two would headline the upcoming concert tour.

The reformed John Kay and Steppenwolf line-up featured John Kay, Michael Palmer (guitars, backing vocals), Steve Palmer (drums, backing vocals), Danny Ironstone (keyboards, backing vocals) and Kurtis Teel on bass. The Palmer brothers had played in a group called Tall Water and had also been involved with Kay in his solo career playing live gigs in the late 1970s. Teel was replaced by Chad Peery and Ironstone by Brett Tuggle by 1981, and the new grouping released ''Live in London'' overseas. Tuggle was then displaced by [[Michael Wilk]] and a new studio album, ''[[Wolftracks]]'', was released in 1982. ''Wolftracks'' was one of the earliest digitally recorded albums in the industry. It was recorded live on a two-track Sony digital recording system. Bassist [[Welton Gite]], who appeared on this album, left shortly after its completion and was replaced by Gary Link, formerly with [[Back in the Streets|Dokken]]. Another album, ''Paradox'', followed in 1984.

In December 1984 the band as it was disbanded and Kay and Wilk decided to continue in early 1985 with a pared-down quartet composed of Kay, Wilk, Wilk's friend Ron Hurst (drums, backing vocals) and Rocket Ritchotte (guitars, backing vocals). Wilk also handled bass duties from his sequencing computer keyboards from then on. This line-up released ''Rock N' Roll Rebels'' (1987) and ''Rise & Shine'' (1990); these were on the Qwil and [[I.R.S. Records]] imprints, respectively. Ritchotte had departed temporarily in 1989 to be replaced by [[Les Dudek]] and then Steve Fister, but then returned in 1990 for three more years. Fister (ex–[[Iron Butterfly]]) then came back in late 1993, but turned guitar duties over to Danny Johnson (formerly of Derringer, [[Rod Stewart]] and others) in 1996.

As the band was named after the novel ''[[Steppenwolf (novel)|Der Steppenwolf]]'' by German author [[Hermann Hesse]], who was born in the [[Black Forest]] town of [[Calw]], the city invited them to come over and play in the International Hermann-Hesse-Festival 2002,<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.calw.de/hessejahr2002/dokumentation/hessejahr2002/festivalcalw/rockkonzerte/rockkonzerte.htm#Steppenwolf|title=Hermann-Hesse-Stadt Calw|publisher=Calw.de|date=March 19, 2003|access-date=November 5, 2011|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110928222926/http://www.calw.de/hessejahr2002/dokumentation/hessejahr2002/festivalcalw/rockkonzerte/rockkonzerte.htm#Steppenwolf|archive-date=September 28, 2011}}</ref> along with other bands inspired by Hesse, such as [[Anyone's Daughter]]. 

The band performed what they then labeled their "Farewell Concert" on October 6, 2007, at [[Ripken Stadium]] in [[Aberdeen, Maryland]], featuring Kay, keyboardist and programmer Michael Wilk, drummer Ron Hurst and guitarist Danny Johnson.  However, the band, rejoined by bassist Gary Link, began touring again in June 2009.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://steppenwolf.com/p-4915-2009-concert-tour.html|title=2009 Concert Tour|website=Steppenwolf.com|access-date=September 10, 2019|archive-date=January 19, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210119180039/https://steppenwolf.com/p-4915-2009-concert-tour.html|url-status=dead}}</ref>

Steppenwolf were nominated for the [[Rock and Roll Hall of Fame]] in 2017, but were not inducted.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.iheartradio.ca/en/music-news/canada-s-steppenwolf-nominated-for-rock-and-roll-hall-of-fame-1.2038436.html|title=Canadas Steppenwolf Nominated For Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame|website=Iheartradio.ca}}</ref><ref>{{Cite magazine|last=Bliss|first=Karen|url=https://www.billboard.com/articles/columns/rock/7549738/steppenwolf-rock-hall-fame-nomination-surprise|title=Steppenwolf's John Kay on Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Nomination: 'It's a Surprise'|magazine=[[Billboard (magazine)|Billboard]]|date=October 20, 2016}}</ref>

On November 22, 2019 John Kay announced that the band's October 14, 2018 show was their last.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://steppenwolf.com/n-11242-the-end-of-an-era-a-new-beginning.html|title=The End of an Era & A New Beginning'|website=Steppenwolf.com|access-date=December 2, 2019|archive-date=August 7, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200807180230/https://steppenwolf.com/n-11242-the-end-of-an-era-a-new-beginning.html|url-status=dead}}</ref>