Founder of J. Geils Band facing drunken driving charge

CONCORD, Mass. (AP) - The founder and namesake of The J. Geils (gylz) Band is facing drunken driving charges in Massachusetts.

Police say John Warren Geils Jr. was charged with operating under the influence of alcohol and failing to stop at a sign following a crash in Concord at about 1 p.m. Tuesday. No one was hurt.

Geils was the lead guitarist of the band, which was founded in the late 1960s but reached its pinnacle in the early 1980s with the hit songs "Love Stinks," ''Freeze-Frame" and "Centerfold."

The Sun of Lowell reports that the 70-year-old Geils, who lives in nearby Groton, was released on personal recognizance at his arraignment Wednesday.

Geils' lawyer tells The Boston Globe that his client disputes the facts of the case and plans to "vigorously defend himself."