He is a singer and musician born Peter Blankfield in New York who came from a performing family where his father was a vaudevillian and light opera singer and his grandmother was an actress in the Yiddish Theatre in New York.
He had originally planned on a career as an artist but took a job as a disc jockey at the Boston radio station WBCN. He gave himself the nickname “The Woofer Goofer” followed by “The Woofer Goofer with the Green Teeth”.
He formed a band called The Hallucinations and then he became the lead vocalist of The J. Geils Band from 1967. He and the keyboard player, Seth Justman were also responsible for many of the group’s songs and their success came in the early 1980s with hit singles such as “Freeze Frame” and “Centerfold”.
He left the band in 1983 to pursue a solo career and has released several albums. He did a duet with Aretha Franklin on her 1985 album “Who’s Zoomin’ Who”, with Carlos Santana on guitar.
In 1999 he rejoined The J. Geils Band for their reunion tour. His album Sleepless featured the guest vocal of Mick Jagger and Keith Richards.
He was married to Faye Dunaway from 1974 to 1979.
The J. Geils Band recordings
Centerfold (Seth Justman) Flamethrower (Seth Justman)
Sources: