The J. Geils Band

Formed in 1967 The J. Geils Band is a blues-rock group from Worcester, MA that evolved from an acoustic blues trio composed of vocalist and guitarist John Geils, bassist Danny Klein and harmonica player Richard Salwitz, known by his stage name Magic Dick. After signing to Atlantic Records in 1970, the band earned radio play with cover versions of The Valentinos' "Looking for a Love" and the Showstoppers' "Give It To Me." The band seemed to be garnering a reputation as a party cover band until the late 1970s, when The J. Geils Band dropped Monkey Island in 1977 and Sanctuary in 1978. After the departure of lead vocalist Peter Wolf and an unsuccessful 1985 album titled You're Gettin' Even While I'm Gettin' Odd, the band broke up and wouldn't return to the stage for over a decade. In 1999 the band reunited with Wolf for a 13-stop tour of the East Coast, sparking a handful more reunion shows over the next few years including a 2012 US tour that did not include guitarist and founder J. Geils.