Michael Monarch (born on July 5, 1950 in Los Angeles) is an American guitarist. He is best known for his work with the band Steppenwolf.As the original lead guitarist with Steppenwolf (until 1969) he played on all their hits, including "Born to Be Wild", "Magic Carpet Ride", and "Rock Me" while still in high school. He also played on Janis Joplin's album "I Got Dem Ol' Kozmic Blues Again Mama!". He later went on to record for the SwanSong/Atlantic recording group Detective.