‘The J. Geils Band’ Turns 50
November 16, 1970. Worcester’s favorite sons The J. Geils Band release their debut album. 50 years on, it sounds as timeless as it did then.
If you grew up in New England and are of a certain age, you know The J. Geils Band started their career as a blues band. But what they grew into was so much more than that. The beginnings of that growth are evident on The J. Geils Band, as guitarist J. Geils, lead singer Peter Wolf, keyboardist Seth Justman, bassist Danny Klein, drummer Stephen Bladd, and harmonica assassin Magic Dick blended blues, R&B, and rock into a heady musical brew.
The album is rock-solid for a debut, but The J. Geils Band was never about studio output: they were all about the live experience. So let’s travel back to the summer of ’71 and listen to the band bring songs from their debut album to life at the Filmore East in New York City. A fitting tribute for the 50th anniversary of an album that’s not just important in the history of Boston rock but in the history of rock overall.