Watch Steppenwolf “Born To Be Wild” on The Ed Sullivan Show

Steppenwolf left a lasting impression on Sullivan fans when they visited for the first and only time on the infamous TV show.  “Now for all of you teenagers, the long-haired Steppenwolf rock & rollers!” cried Ed Sullivan, as the faces of newly-emerging political rock stepped forward and perform perhaps one of the longest-enduring songs of the century.

This band from Southern California arose in the late ‘60s as a result of the rockstar edginess they symbolized. During a time of great intellectual and political unrest, adolescent Steppenwolf formed as a solution to angst-fueled choruses with deep meaning. As a result, they had already committed to other plans by the time Woodstock weekend rolled around, including a performance on the Ed Sullivan Show (their one and only television appearance) in 1969.

Based on the popular novel Steppenwolf by German author Hermann Hess, the band members Joachim Krauledat (vocals), Michael Monarch (lead guitar), John Goadsby (keyboards), Rushton Moreve (bass), and Jerry McCrohan (drums) adopted the moniker in 1967.

The band played several of their most popular songs, including “Born to be Wild,” often credited as the pioneering example of heavy metal rock. The song encapsulated everything about being a part of the counterculture at the time when drugs were commonplace and people had nothing to hide from. Watch it below.