Peter Wolf
The hyperkinetic frontman of the J. Geils Band, a soul-shouting showman who fused R&B fire with rock and roll chaos for over a decade.
Born 1946 (age 80)·American musician·Birthday: March 7·Baby Boomers
Biography
Peter Wolf is rock and roll's eternal hipster, a vortex of energy who made the stage his personal carnival. Before the J. Geils Band became MTV staples with 'Centerfold,' Wolf was the band's engine: a fast-talking, endlessly moving conductor of good times drawn from deep R&B and blues roots. His partnership with guitarist J. Geils and harmonica player Magic Dick created a potent live act where Wolf's jive-talking raps and soul-shouter vocals were the main attraction. The band's 70s albums were celebrations of American music, but it was Wolf's livewire persona that defined them. After a bitter split at their commercial peak, he embarked on a solo career that allowed a more personal, roots-oriented voice to emerge, collaborating with artists like Mick Jagger and Keith Richards. Wolf’s legacy is that of a true music fanatic—a walking encyclopedia of blues 45s and soul singles—who lived to transmit that passion directly from the stage to the crowd.
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.
Peter 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 Peter Was Born
The biggest hits of 1946
#1 Movie
The Best Years of Our Lives
Best Picture
The Best Years of Our Lives
Peter'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
2026Turned 80
Gas: $3.91/galPresident: Donald Trump
Key Achievements
- Served as the dynamic lead vocalist for the J. Geils Band from its formation in 1967 through its initial breakup in 1983.
- Co-wrote and sang on the J. Geils Band's number-one hit 'Centerfold' in 1981.
- Released multiple critically acclaimed solo albums, including 'Lights Out' (1984) and 'Sleepless' (2002).
- Inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as a member of the J. Geils Band in 2018.
Did You Know?
He was a late-night radio DJ on Boston's WBCN in the late 1960s under the name 'Woofa Goofa'.
He was briefly married to actress Faye Dunaway from 1974 to 1979.
He is an accomplished visual artist and has had his paintings exhibited in galleries.
“For me, it was always about the romance of the music. The mystery of the 45, the picture sleeve, the B-side.”
