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Thursday, February 9, 2012

The #92 Guitarist of the Rock Era: Ted Nugent

With today's feature, Inside the Rock Era has now included 12 guitarists in our special.  Ted Nugent ranks as #92:

#92:  Ted Nugent, Amboy Dukes, solo, Damn Yankees
 active guitarist for 55 years

Ted Nugent was born December 13, 1948 in Detroit, Michigan. He was the lead guitarist of the Amboy Dukes before beginning a long solo career.
 
The Amboy Dukes performed at the Cellar in Arlington Heights, Illinois beginning in late 1965. The group released three albums that did fairly well. In 1973, Nugent signed a deal with Frank Zappa's DiscReet Records and released the album Call of the Wild.

Nugent dropped the band name Amboy Dukes in 1975 and signed with Epic Records. Cat Scratch Fever (from 1977) was the album that put him on the map thanks to the title track. "Stranglehold" became his signature song and he became a guitar hero.

 
Nugent cites Jimmy Page, Jimi Hendrix, the Rolling Stones, Jeff Beck, Eric Clapton, The Who, the Animals, Chuck Berry, Steppenwolf, the Kinks, Bo Diddley,Mitch Ryder & the Detroit Wheels, Frank Zappa and Muddy Waters as influences.
 
From 1982-1989, Nugent released several moderately successful solo alums. In 1989, he formed Damn Yankees with vocalist and guitarist Tommy Shaw of Styx, bassist Jack Blades from Night Ranger and drummer Michael Cartellone. Thanks to the song "High Enough", their self-titled album in 1990 sold over a million copies.

Nugent then returned to a solo career, recording one of his best albums--Spirit of the Wild in 1995. He has been active in several right-wing causes and speaks out against drinking alcohol and using drugs. He last toured in 2011.
Nugent has released 13 studio albums and has sold over 30 million records, ranking as one of the top guitarists in sales. He averaged more than 200 concerts a year from 1967-1980. In 2006, Nugent was inducted into the Michigan Rock and Roll Legends Hall of Fame.

In his early career in the 1970's, Nugent played a hollow-body Gibson Byrdland guitar and used Fenderamps. Gibson Guitar has since developed a model named for him.


At #92 for the Rock Era*--Ted Nugent.
 

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