#427 Peter Wolf - Sleepless (2002)

MUSIC HISTORY WRITTEN BY HEAD WRITER DJ MORTY COYLE:

Released on September 10th, 2002 on Artemis Records and produced by Peter Wolf and Kenny White this is the sixth solo album by American Rock, Blues, and Soul vocalist Peter Wolf. Wolf was the energetic quip-slinging singer for Boston legends The J. Geils (Guy-els) Band from 1967 to 1983 when he left to pursue his solo career.

Born Peter Blankfield in the Bronx, New York on March 7, 1946 he attended the High School of Music & Art in West Harlem near the historic Apollo Theater.
It was at the Apollo that Peter saw many of the greatest R&B and Soul artists of the era.

A few years after dropping out of high school he headed up North to study painting at the School of the Museum of Fine Arts at Tufts University Wolf and shortly after formed the R&B band The Hallucinations with some art school friends.
He was also spinning raw R&B, Rock n’ Roll, and Soul records as a fast-talking, all-night, Boston radio DJ on WBCN using the nickname, “The Woofa Goofa.”

A bit later he saw the acoustic J. Geils Blues Band and left painting and radio to join them with Hallucinations drummer Stephen Jo Bladd.

After adding keyboardist Seth Justman whose songwriting partnership with Wolf would become the band’s creative driving force, the now electric group dropped “Blues” from their name and became an instant success in the Boston area. They signed a deal with Atlantic Records and from 1970 until 1983 would put out 13 album with numerous top 10 singles.

But after their biggest success with 1981’s New Wavey number 1 record “Freeze Frame”, which featured the chart topping hit, “Centerfold”, Peter left the band over creative differences with songwriting partner Seth Justman for a solo career.

He had some continuing fame and success with his first couple albums but after three charting solo albums and singles Wolf had some record company issues with his following two records which left him feeling abandoned.

By the recording of “Sleepless” he figured it would get buried in corporate bureaucracy anyway so he had limited expectations and did what he wanted without worrying about commercial viability, hooks, and singles

So besides covering some of his favorite Blues, Soul, and R&B songs, Wolf composed half the record with his longtime songwriting partner Will Jennings, who also had successful partnerships with Steve Winwood and B.B. King and who wrote “Tears in Heaven” for Eric Clapton and “My Heart Will Go On” for Celine Dion from the Titanic soundtrack.

In the “Sleepless” liner notes Wolf wrote that “…changes and surprises are the results of good collaborations” and three of those good collaborators were Steve Earle, Keith Richards, and Mick Jagger (who are all on The 500).

When this was released it was praised for its devotion to Wolf’s roots and his return to form.

Although Peter Wolf had numerous reunion tours and gigs with the J. Geils Band his solo career has continued on to various other critical successes.