Nugent, Ted
Nugent, Ted
Nugent, Ted, touring act and album artist with bombastic, feedback- laden, high-decibel playing, blatantly sexist lyrics, and manic onstage antics; b. Detroit, Dec. 13, 1948. Scoring his first national hit with the psychedelic “Journey to the Center of the Mind” in 1968 as lead guitarist for the Amboy Dukes, Ted Nugent established the band in the American Midwest through years of heavy touring, despite numerous personnel changes. The Amboy Dukes continued to tour and record through 1974, but in 1975 Nugent went solo. Recording heavy-metal favorites such as “Stranglehold,” “Dog Eat Dog,” “Free-for-All,” “Death By Misadventure,” and “Wang Dang Sweet Poontang,” Nugent managed his only major hit with a live version of “Cat Scratch Fever” in 1977.
In 1989 Nugent formed Damn Yankees with bassistvocalist Jack Blades of Night Ranger (1984’s “Sister Christian”) and guitarist-vocalist Tommy Shaw of Styx. The group scored a smash hit with “High Enough” in 1990 and a major hit with “Where Are You Goin’ Now” in 1992. A rabid conservative, Nugent has spoken out in favor of bow-hunting and is a champion of the National Rifle Association, adding to his neanderthal image. By 1995 Nugent had returned to Atlantic for Spirit of the Wild, releasing independently a single from the record, “Fred Bear, The American Hunter’s Theme Song,” which sold more than 100,000 copies, primarily to Nugent’s fringe fans.
Discography
the amboy dukes:The Amboy Dukes (1968); Journey to the Center of the Mind (1968); Migration (1969); Best of the Original Amboy Dukes (1971). ted nugent and the amboy dukes:Survival ofthe Fittest/Live (1971); Call of the Wild (1974); Tooth, Fang and Claw (1974). ted nugent: T. N. (1975); Free-for-All (1976); T. N./Free-for-All (1986); Cat Scratch Fever (1977); Double Live Gonzo (1978); Weekend Warriors (1978); State of Shock (1979); Scream Dream (1980); Intensities in Ten Cities (1981); Great Gonzos! The Best of T. N. (1981); Out of Control (1993); Nugent (1982); Penetrator (1984); Little Miss Dangerous (1986); If You Can’t Lick ’Em...Lick’Em (1988); Spirit of the Wild (1995). damn yankees:Damn Yankees (1990); Don’t Tread (1992).
Bibliography
Robert Holland, The Legendary T. N. (London, 1982).
—Brock Helander