Singer, J. Geils, aka John Warren Geils Jr., leader of the classic rock band The J. Geils Band, was found dead in his Groton, Massachusetts home. He was 71.
A cause of death was not immediately made available. Geils and the band are best known for their album, “Freeze Frame” and the song “Centerfold,” which hit No. 1 for a whopping six weeks.
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Geils formed the band during his time at Worcester Polytechnic Institute, where he studied mechanical engineering. At Worcester, he formed J. Geils Blues Band with Danny Klein, Magic Dick Salwitz, Stephen Jo Bladd, and Peter Wolf, with Seth Justman becoming the last member before the band released its debut album in 1970. h/t wcvb
The J. Geils Band was influenced by soul music and rhythm and blues, but it moved toward pop and rock by the time the album “Love Stinks” came out in 1980. After 11 albums, the band’s 12th album, “Freeze Frame,” hit No. 1 on the Billboard charts for four weeks in 1981 and remained on the chart for 70 weeks. The title track “Freeze Frame” made it to No. 4.
Our thoughts and prayers are with Geils’ family and friends at this difficult time.