J. Geils was born John Geils Jr. in New York City, NY, the guitarist's nickname becoming the handle for one of the most legendary musical groups in the history of Boston rock & roll, the J. Geils Band. During live performances, singer Peter Wolf would say, "Play it Jerome" to his lead guitarist when Geils took a solo. "Occasionally it was Tyrone [that Wolf called him on-stage]," the musician told the All Media Guide.Growing up in New Jersey, Geils was a big jazz fan during his high school years thanks to his father's (%John "Jack" Geils) love of the genre. "All the music I heard...probably the first music I heard as a kid in the late '40s...was Benny Goodman," says Geils. %Jack Geils Sr.