Guitarist John Warrant Geils Jr.'s first band, formed in the mid-1960s, was called Snoopy and the Sopwith Camels, but in 1967 the band added lead singer Peter Wolf, renamed itself the J. Geils Blues Band, and jammed its way onto the national stage in the 1970s, touring with bands like The Allman Brothers and The Byrds. Dropping "Blues" from the band's name, the J. Geils Band scored a string of hits in the 1980s, before disbanding in 1985. Giles was found dead at his home in Groton, Massachusetts, on Tuesday evening. He was 71, and Groton police say Giles likely died of natural causes.
It was the J. Geils Band's 12th album, Freeze Frame, that put them on the national map. It spent four weeks at No. 1 in 1982, on the strength of the single "Centerfold," the band's best known hit, holding the top spot on the Billboard Hot 100 for six weeks. You know the song immediately upon hearing the opening hook. The video mostly features Wolf singing about his shock at seeing an old girlfriend in an adult magazine spread, but you can hear Geils' guitar and see him at the end, standing at the end of a school hallway.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
-
New Mexico to investigate death of Gene Hackman, wifespeed read The Oscar-winning actor and his wife Betsy Arakawa were found dead in their home with no signs of foul play
-
Giant schnauzer wins top prize at Westminster showSpeed Read Monty won best in show at the 149th Westminster Kennel Club dog show
-
Beyoncé, Kendrick Lamar take top GrammysSpeed Read Beyoncé took home album of the year for 'Cowboy Carter' and Kendrick Lamar's diss track 'Not Like Us' won five awards
-
The Louvre is giving 'Mona Lisa' her own roomSpeed Read The world's most-visited art museum is getting a major renovation
-
Honda and Nissan in merger talksSpeed Read The companies are currently Japan's second and third-biggest automakers, respectively
-
Taylor Swift wraps up record-shattering Eras tourSpeed Read The pop star finally ended her long-running tour in Vancouver, Canada
-
Drake claims illegal boosting, defamationSpeed Read The rapper accused Universal Music of boosting Kendrick Lamar's diss track and said UMG allowed him to be falsely accused of pedophilia
-
'Wicked' and 'Gladiator II' ignite holiday box officeSpeed Read The combination of the two movies revitalized a struggling box office
