Jan 11, 2022
Today on the Rarified Heir Podcast encore episode we talk to Shawn Kay, daughter of Steppenwolf’s John Kay. Our host Josh Mills grew up with Shawn in Los Angeles – they even saw The Police’s 1982 Ghost in the Machine tour at the Forum back in middle school. This encore episode is a deep dive as we discuss her father being born in Prussia, his emigration to Canada founding his early band The Sparrows in Toronto and his move with his soon-to-be wife move to LA and the formation of Steppenwolf. The band sold more than 25 million albums and had huge mega hits such as “Born to Wild,” “Magic Carpet Ride” and “Rock Me” in the late ‘60s and early ‘70s. We discuss the hit counterculture film Easy Rider which cemented Steppenwolf’s place in pop culture history. We also talk to Shawn about everything from her hippie parents to the lean years when a John Kay-less New Steppenwolf was touring after the real band broke up. This forced her father to reignite the band to control their legacy and hit the road again in the late 1970s all the way through into the 2000s. We also hear about Halloween parties with music executive Lou Adler & Cheech & Chong, how Shawn and fellow podcast guest Carnie Wilson introduced The Beach Boys in concert as well as her stint at Jimmy Buffett’s Margaritaville Records in the 90s. But today, it is her passion for animals – dogs, elephants, you name it – that motivates her. Her Mind, Body, Dog dog training business is her passion now and as a client, Josh couldn’t recommend her highly enough. We hear all about this and more as we head out on the highway on this week’s encore episode of the Rarified Heir Podcast.