Kay suffers from increased sensitivity to light, so he wears his trademark sunglasses. He also has congenital achromatopsia (complete colorblindness), a defect of the cone cells in the eyes which causes him to see in black and white, and results in legal blindness. Despite this condition, he is an avid videographer.

John Kay (born July 16, 1704, near Bury, Lancashire, England—died c. 1780, France) was an English machinist and engineer, inventor of the flying shuttle, which was an important step toward automatic weaving.

Jim Clash writes about extreme adventure and classic rock. This article is more than 2 years old. Steppenwolf singer John Kay rarely gives interviews these days. He has pretty much left the music scene behind, choosing instead to focus on conservation efforts through his Maue Kay Foundation, in Nashville, Tennessee.

After many years living in Los Angeles, then Nashville, and on the road, today John Kay resides in the Vancouver area with his wife, Jutta Maue Kay. They have been together since 1965 and have a grown daughter, Shawn.