An evening with former J. Geils Band lead singer Peter Wolf

NEWTON — Peter Wolf, lead singer of the acclaimed J.Geils Band, will perform at the Newton Theatre on Friday, Nov. 1.

Peter Wolf was an artist from the start. As a child and teenager he drew constantly. When he was seven, and his father was working at the Tanglewood Music Festival, he would spend afternoons at the studio of local painter, Norman Rockwell.

Wolf also had a heart for music. His father was a musician and music always filled his house. When Wolf was 14 he left home in the Bronx and went to live in Manhattan to pursue his art. During this period, Wolf frequented Birdland, the renowned jazz capital of the world, as well as the acclaimed Five Spot and Village Vangard. There he saw jazz greats Art Blakey, Cannonball Adderley, John Coltrane, Miles Davis, Thelonius Monk and Charles Mingus.

One night, Wolf attended a loft party where a band that was performing, had a little too much to drink and the singer couldn't remember the lyrics to a song. Though he had drunk several glasses of wine himself, Wolf jumped in and helped the band finish the song. Performing at this party was a revelation for Wolf. The experience was so powerful that he became completely consumed with the idea of joining this band.

After much persistence, Wolf became a member and, eventually, the band's lead singer. They all dropped out of art school to devote themselves completely to the band. They called themselves the Hallucinations and became one of the most popular young groups in New England.

In 1967, several members of the Hallucinations began to pursue other artistic interests, leaving Wolf bandless. In his search for new musicians to play with, Wolf attended an open mike night at a Boston coffeehouse where he met J. Geils, and other musicians and they decided to form a new band, which became the J. Geils Band.

In 1968 the band was signed to Atlantic Records. Seth Justman, a young Boston University student and musician from Washington, DC, after much persistence, became the final member of the J. Geils Band.

In 1978 the band signed to a new record label, EMI America. The company provided hope and energy for the financially distressed and road weary band. They recorded a series of albums, each one further expanding their popularity. Their first release on EMI America was Sanctuary in 1978, followed by Love Stinks in 1980.

In the new decade, the fast-paced lifestyle began to exhaust some of the group's members. Ironically, in 1981, during the making of what later became their greatest commercial success, Freeze Frame, some of the members expressed a desire to leave the band. But with the release of Freeze Frame, the advent of MTV, and a worldwide tour with the Rolling Stones, the J. Geils Band finally achieved international acclaim and became known as one of America's great rock 'n' roll bands. During their own headlining tour, one of their opening acts was U2, who were just beginning to gain recognition.

For the first time in more than 12 years, the band was finally out of debt and filling arenas and stadiums as headliners. Just when they seemed to achieve everything they had worked so hard for, artistic differences between Wolf and Seth became more divisive. The tension continued to build and the band rejected many of Wolf's songs. They felt his material was too roots and R&B-based and wanted to move in the Pop direction that Seth was leaning towards. Ultimately, the band decided to continue without Wolf's involvement. After 17 years with no personnel changes, Wolf was gone and Seth became the band's new lead singer.

Wolf turned the materials he had written for the J. Geils Band into his first solo effort Lights Out, which was released in 1984. Wolf continues recording and touring and has even reunited with the J. Geils Band over the years, including an end of the century tour in 1999.

In 2005, the J. Geils Band reunited again for a special charity event hosted by the Cam Neely Cancer Foundation, Denis Leary's Firefighters Association of New England and Michael J. Fox's Parkinson's Disease Research Foundation.

Tickets for Peter Wolf are $39 for premium seating, $34 for orchestra and $29 for balcony. Purchase tickets by visiting www.thenewtontheatre.com or contact the box office at 973-383-3700.

The historic Newton Theatre, located at 234 Spring Street in Newton.