Steppenwolf is an American rock group that was prominent from 1968 till 1972. The group was formed in late 1967 in Los Angeles by vocalist John Kay, keyboardist Goldy McJohn and drummer Jerry Edmonton. Guitarist Michael Monarch and bassist Rushton Moreve were recruited by notices placed in LA area record stores and musical instrument stores. The essential core of Steppenwolf was John Kay, Jerry Edmonton, his brother Dennis Edmonton and Goldy McJohn from The Sparrows (originally Jack London & the Sparrows from Oshawa, Ontario, Canada).

Steppenwolf racked up well over 25 million record sales worldwide, releasing eight gold albums and twelve Billboard Hot 100 singles of which six were Top 40 hits, including three Top 10 successes: "Born to Be Wild", written by Dennis Edmonton, "Magic Carpet Ride", and "Rock Me". Steppenwolf enjoyed worldwide success from 1968 to 1972, but clashing personalities led to the end of the core lineup. Today, frontman John Kay is the only original member, having served as lead singer since 1967.