The original band members included vocalist Peter Wolf, harmonica and saxophone player Richard "Magic Dick" Salwitz, drummer Stephen Bladd, vocalist/keyboardist Seth Justman, and bassist Danny Klein.

The band first released several Top 40 singles in the early 1970s, including a cover of the song "Lookin' For A Love" by The Valentinos (which reached No.

The band started in the mid-1960s while John Geils was attending Worcester Polytechnic Institute for a couple of semesters after transferring from Northeastern University in Boston (where he lived in "The Playboy Room" of the Gamma Phi Kappa fraternity).

Originally named Snoopy and the Sopwith Camels, the group was an acoustic blues trio with Geils on guitar, bassist Danny Klein ("Dr. Funk"), and harmonica player Richard Salwitz ("Magic Dick").

[2] Initial influences included James Cotton and Little Walter – in a 2008 interview, harmonica star Magic Dick said they were all "harp freaks".

Soon, fan Seth Justman joined on keyboards and the band started to earn a sizable following in the Boston area.

The band started to get airplay with release of their first single, a rock-cover of The Contours' Motown hit, "First I Look at the Purse", and soon the band would get more AM radio airplay with a series of several successful singles in the early 1970s, the first one being a cover version of The Valentinos' "Lookin' for a Love", which appeared on their second album The Morning After and was their Top 40 debut in 1972 (at No.

[7] In April 1972, Atlantic staff producer Michael Cuscuna enlisted the Geils Band to record two tracks behind Buddy Guy, "This Old Fool" and "Honeydripper"; these songs were included on the album Buddy Guy & Junior Wells Play the Blues, issued in August 1972.

[8] Through constant touring, the band soon built a large following in the US for their energetic live shows,[4] with the charismatic stage-antics and "microphone-stand-pole-vaulting"[9] of singer Peter Wolf, as well as its innovative use of the harmonica as a lead instrument.

"[10] AllMusic described their 1970s period as a band "pure and simple, churning out greasy covers of obscure R&B, doo wop, and soul tunes, while cutting them with a healthy dose of Stonesy swagger.

The Geils Band's third album Full House, recorded in April 1972 at the Cinderella Ballroom in Detroit and released that September, showcased their live appeal.

Seeking to seize on this commercial success, the band released their following album Ladies Invited in November of that same year, which debuted at No.

After spending the early part of 1974 on the road with an active touring schedule, the band went back into the studio and recorded their fifth album Nightmares...and Other Tales from the Vinyl Jungle, which yielded a big hit single, the Justman/Wolf composition "Must of Got Lost", which reached No.

Later that year the band started playing arenas across the US with a variety of artists including the Rolling Stones, Peter Frampton, and Rod Stewart.

The flip side of "Freeze Frame", "Flamethrower" received airplay on Urban contemporary radio notably, in Metro Detroit, and reached number 25 on the Billboard soul chart and peaked at 12 on U.S.

The band's videos for "Centerfold" and "Freeze Frame" were in heavy rotation on MTV which also contributed to the album's success.

During 1982, the band was frequently selling out arenas around the US, including a month-long tour with U2 as their support act in March of that year.

[13] The band also undertook a two-month tour of Europe playing with the Rolling Stones from June and July of that year as well.

On February 26, 2005, the band (with drummer Marty Richards) reunited at the Charles Hotel in Cambridge, Massachusetts, for a charity show for the Cam Neely Foundation for cancer care.

On May 22, 2006, all six original members had a surprise reunion at bassist Danny Klein's 60th birthday party at Scullers Jazz Club in Boston.

On February 19, 2009, the band reunited again to perform the opening concert at the new House of Blues in Boston on Lansdowne Street (formerly the location of Avalon, Axis, The Embassy and The Modern), with Marty Richards on drums and Mitch Chakour supplying backup vocals.

[17] For their 2010 dates, the band was again supported by the Uptown Horns along with backup singers Mitch Chakour, Andricka Hall and Nichelle Tillman.

The concert, a benefit for victims of the recent Boston Marathon bombing victims, also featured Aerosmith, James Taylor, Boston, Dropkick Murphys, New Kids on the Block, Bell Biv DeVoe, Boyz II Men, Jimmy Buffett, Carole King, Extreme and Jason Aldean.

The December 2009 edition of Vintage Guitar featured an in-depth interview with Geils by Mambo Sons guitarist Tom Guerra.

Magic Dick contributed his harmonica playing and some vocals as part of a live recording called Command Performance by the Legendary Rhythm & Blues Revue featuring The Tommy Castro Band, Deanna Bogart, Ronnie Baker Brooks and others.