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Throughout his lengthy career, guitar wildman
Ted Nugent has reveled in the controversy and criticism that always
seems to follow in his path. While there's no denying his exceptional
talent on the six-string, his knack for penning arena rock anthems,
or his standing as one of rock's top live acts, it's his nonmusical
endeavors that have caused the most condemnation from his detractors
(his pro-right wing beliefs, pro-gun advocacy, appreciation of
hunting animals, etc.). But by the same token, Nugent is a family
man and one of the few hard rockers who has admirably stuck by
his lifelong anti-drugs and -drink stance throughout his career.
Born on December 13, 1948, in Detroit, MI, Nugent became interested
in rock & roll early in the game, picking up the guitar as a youngster,
while his disciplinarian father passed his beliefs down to Nugent.
In the '60s, Nugent formed his first bands (including Royal High
Boys and Lourdes), drawing inspiration from such British blues-rockers
as the Rolling Stones and the Yardbirds. But it wasn't until the
formation of the Amboy Dukes that the Nuge got his first taste
of stardom (it was also around this time that Nugent began playing
a Gibson Byrdland guitar, a model which would be instantly associated
with him throughout his career). The other members of the group
didn't exactly share Nugent's clean-living lifestyle, as proven
by their psychedelic hit single "Journey to the Center of the
Mind," which Nugent claimed he didn't know at the time was about
being "under the influence." The band managed to issue several
albums throughout the late '60s — 1967's self-titled debut, 1968's
Journey to the Center of the Mind, and 1969's Migration — as the
group fit in well with such other high-energy rock bands to emerge
from the Motor City: MC5 and the Stooges in particular.
With bandmembers coming and going at an alarming rate, Nugent
remained the only constant member — eventually officially changing
the band's name to Ted Nugent & the Amboy Dukes by the '70s, and
issuing 1971's Survival of the Fittest, 1973's Call of the Wild,
and 1974's Tooth, Fang & Claw. While none of these releases exactly
stormed the charts, Nugent and his cohorts remained an in-demand
concert draw, as he also set up "guitar duels" on-stage around
this time (battling with MC5's Wayne Kramer and Mahogany Rush's
Frank Marino, among others).
By the mid-'70s, Nugent decided to finally ditch the Amboy Dukes
name and set out on his own, assembling a first-rate backing band
that included second guitarist/vocalist Derek St. Holmes, bassist
Rob Grange, and drummer Cliff Davies. By 1975, the new band was
signed to Aerosmith's management company (Leber & Krebs), as well
as the same record company, Columbia, resulting in the release
of Nugent's self-titled debut in November of the same year. The
band immediately struck a chord with the heavy metal/hard rock
crowd from coast to coast, due to the band's over-the-top stage
show. But the bandmembers' relationship with Nugent was rocky
at best — Nugent wanted complete control of the band, while the
others wanted it to be more of a democracy. The end result was
St. Holmes leaving the band prior to the sessions of their sophomore
effort, 1976's Free-for-All (which saw a then-unknown singer by
the name of Meat Loaf filling in for the departed singer).
St. Holmes returned, however, in time for the album's ensuing
tour, and by the release of 1977's Cat Scratch Fever (which spawned
the hit single title track), Nugent and his band was one of the
top rock bands in the U.S. — storming the charts and selling out
arenas coast to coast. By now, Nugent had assumed the stage persona
of a caveman — hitting the stage dressed in nothing but a skimpy
loincloth and knee-high boots, and would often begin his show
by swinging out on a rope à la Tarzan (!). Like other rock acts
of the '70s (Kiss, Cheap Trick, Peter Frampton, etc.), Nugent
used a live album to catapult his career to the next level of
stardom — 1978's classic Double Live Gonzo! But despite all the
success, the members of his band began deserting him one by one
over the course of such albums as 1978's Weekend Warriors, 1979's
State of Shock, and 1980's Scream Dream. To add insult to injury,
Nugent found himself bankrupt around this time, due to several
failed business ventures and poor management.
Nugent continued to tour and crank out albums throughout the '80s
(including such forgettable releases as Intensities in 10 Cities,
Nugent, Penetrator, Little Miss Dangerous, and If You Can't Lick
'Em...Lick 'Em), but it appeared as through the Nuge was trying
to keep pace with the burgeoning pop-metal crowd instead of sticking
to the raw and raging rock that brought him success in the first
place. Nugent also tried his hand at acting around this time,
appearing as a drug dealer in an episode of the hit TV series
Miami Vice in 1986. By the end of the decade, Nugent joined the
rock supergroup Damn Yankees (joining former Night Ranger bassist/singer
Jack Blades, former Styx guitarist/singer Tommy Shaw, and drummer
Michael Cartellone) — resulting in the quartet's self-titled debut
in 1990, which became a surprise hit due to their Top Ten power
ballad, "High Enough." But ultimately, the union proved to be
short-lived; after only one more album (1992's lackluster Don't
Tread), the band called it quits.
Nugent returned to his solo career, issuing his best album in
over a decade, 1995's back-to-basics Spirit of the Wild, while
several archival releases turned up throughout the '90s: 1993's
three-disc box set Out of Control, 1997's Live at Hammersmith
'79, as well as his first three albums reissued with added tracks
and newly remastered sound in 1999 by the Epic/Legacy label (also
issued at the same time was the first truly comprehensive compilation
of the Amboy Dukes, the 18-track Loaded for Bear). The Nuge was
also the subject of an interesting VH1 Behind the Music episode.
He continued to tour well into the 21st century (landing the opening
slot on Kiss' Farewell U.S. Tour in 2000), and issued the third
live collection of his career, Full Bluntal Nugity, in 2001.
In addition to music, Nugent has gotten involved in politics,
hosting a number one morning radio show in Detroit, has issued
his own hunting camp and issues instructional videotapes (as well
as the Ted Nugent Spirit of the Wild PBS video series), owns his
own hunting supply store, has been appointed to the Board of Directors
of the National Rifle Association, writes columns regularly for
a number of different magazines, and even sells his very own beef
jerky (called Gonzo Meat Biltong)! In 2001, the Nuge penned his
own autobiography, the perfectly titled God, Guns, & Rock n' Roll.
This bio courtesy www.allmusic.com
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