J. Geils
The guitarist whose taut, bluesy riffs powered a party-hard rock and soul band to 1980s chart-topping glory.
1946–2017 (age 71)·American guitarist·Birthday: February 20·Baby Boomers
Biography
J. Geils was the namesake and driving musical force behind a band that mastered the art of the good time. Born John Warren Geils Jr., his passion was initially for jazz, which he studied in college before forming an acoustic blues trio. That group evolved into the hard-charging J. Geils Band, a collective where his sharp, economical guitar work provided the perfect backbone for the soulful chaos upfront. He was the bandleader in sound more than in spectacle, anchoring their mix of rhythm and blues, rock, and doo-wop with precise, energetic playing. For over a decade, they were a formidable live act, but mainstream pop success eluded them until the 1980s, when they adapted their sound and scored massive hits. Ironically, this commercial peak preceded the band's fractious end. Geils, a car and motorcycle enthusiast at heart, later returned to his roots, playing jazz and blues in smaller settings. His legacy is that of a consummate musician who helmed a band that delivered unadulterated, sweaty fun.
Baby Boomers
1946–1964
The largest generation in history at the time. Shaped by postwar prosperity, the Vietnam War, the sexual revolution, and Watergate. They questioned every institution their parents built — then ran them.
J. was born in 1946, placing them squarely in the Baby Boomers. The events that shaped this generation — postwar prosperity, civil rights, Vietnam, and the counterculture — shaped the world they entered and the choices available to them.
#1 When J. Was Born
The biggest hits of 1946
#1 Movie
The Best Years of Our Lives
Best Picture
The Best Years of Our Lives
J.'s Life & Times
The world at every milestone
1946Born
United Nations holds its first General Assembly
Gas: $0.21/galHome: $5,150Min wage: $0.40/hrPresident: Harry S. Truman"Prisoner of Love" — Perry ComoBest Picture: The Best Years of Our Lives
1951Started school
First color TV broadcast in the US
Gas: $0.27/galHome: $7,925Min wage: $0.75/hrPresident: Harry S. Truman"Too Young" — Nat King ColeBest Picture: An American in Paris
1959Became a teenager
Fidel Castro takes power in Cuba
Gas: $0.30/galHome: $12,400Min wage: $1.00/hrPresident: Dwight D. Eisenhower"The Battle of New Orleans" — Johnny HortonBest Picture: Ben-Hur
1962Could drive
Cuban Missile Crisis brings the world to the brink
Gas: $0.31/galHome: $12,800Min wage: $1.15/hrPresident: John F. Kennedy"Stranger on the Shore" — Acker BilkBest Picture: Lawrence of Arabia
1964Could vote
Civil Rights Act signed; Beatles arrive in America
Gas: $0.30/galHome: $13,450Min wage: $1.25/hrPresident: Lyndon B. Johnson"I Want to Hold Your Hand" — The BeatlesBest Picture: My Fair Lady
1967Turned 21
Summer of Love in San Francisco; first Super Bowl
Gas: $0.33/galHome: $14,250Min wage: $1.40/hrPresident: Lyndon B. Johnson"To Sir, with Love" — LuluBest Picture: In the Heat of the Night
1976Turned 30
Apple Computer founded; US bicentennial
Gas: $0.59/galHome: $29,300Min wage: $2.30/hrPresident: Gerald Ford"Silly Love Songs" — WingsBest Picture: Rocky
1986Turned 40
Challenger disaster; Chernobyl nuclear meltdown
Gas: $0.86/galHome: $66,600Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: Ronald Reagan"That's What Friends Are For" — Dionne & FriendsBest Picture: Platoon
1996Turned 50
Dolly the sheep cloned
Gas: $1.23/galHome: $99,700Min wage: $4.75/hrPresident: Bill Clinton"Macarena" — Los del RioBest Picture: The English Patient
2006Turned 60
Twitter launches; Pluto reclassified as dwarf planet
Gas: $2.59/galHome: $174,700Min wage: $5.15/hrPresident: George W. Bush"Bad Day" — Daniel PowterBest Picture: The Departed
2016Turned 70
Donald Trump elected president; Brexit vote
Gas: $2.14/galHome: $181,700Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Barack Obama"Love Yourself" — Justin BieberBest Picture: Moonlight
2017Died at 71
#MeToo movement; solar eclipse crosses the US
Gas: $2.42/galHome: $195,000Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Donald Trump"Shape of You" — Ed SheeranBest Picture: The Shape of Water
Key Achievements
- Founded and led the J. Geils Band, which achieved a No. 1 album with 'Freeze-Frame' in 1981.
- The band's single 'Centerfold' topped the Billboard Hot 100 chart for six weeks in 1982.
- Helped craft the band's signature high-energy live sound, documented on the live album 'Full House' (1972).
Did You Know?
He was a trained mechanical engineer and an avid collector and restorer of vintage European sports cars and motorcycles.
After the band's initial breakup, he largely stepped away from the music industry to focus on his automotive interests.
The band's name was originally 'The J. Geils Blues Band' before they shortened it.
“We just wanted to play the blues and make people dance.”
