9.03.2010

TED NUGENT AND THE AMBOY DUKES


Recently I met a member of the Amboy Dukes, drummer KJ Knight and he guest posted for me which led me to write about Ted in 1968. I removed portions of this post as it was upsetting to many people. I didn't mean to upset anyone and honestly I felt it was better to revise this post which I rarely do.

I recently met KJ Knight via email and he is publishing a book on his life with the Dukes and much more...
HERE is the story KJ sent me.

When I lived in Oscoda between 1993-1997 I used to see Ted's zebra striped truck parked all over the country side up there. I ran into him at the Dam Store once and as I walked by him he said "Hi how ya doing?" and I replied, "Great Ted and you?" LOL

I saw Ted play at the Ann Arbor Gallup Park Free Concerts around the summer of 1971. Saw his New Year's Eve show in Detroit once. Ted is a very interesting cornerstone of rock n roll history.
Either loved or despised, no one is bored by him.... I love the Amboy Dukes and continue to promote their music whenever I can. One of my very first stories featured the AD's that story is HERE RK

The Amboy Dukes' hard-driving acid-rock guitar onslaught brought psychedelia to the American Midwest in the mid-1960s with feedback- and distortion-driven garage pop classics such as "Baby Please Don't Go" and "Journey to the Center of the Mind." The band's subsequent efforts never matched the quality or success of their early efforts, however, and the band became more widely known as the launching pad for guitarist Ted Nugent's concurrent careers as a successful solo artist, staunch advocate of wildlife hunting and fishing, anti-drug spokesperson, conservative political pundit, and reality television star.



The group borrowed its name from a defunct Detroit band that in turn had taken it from a 1945 pulp novel by Irving Schulman, infamous for its graphic depictions of drug abuse, sexual acts, and violent exploits among urban Jewish gangs. The novel had already inspired the 1949 film City Across the River, starring Tony Curtis, Thelma Ritter, and Richard Jaeckel.

My favorite Amboy Dukes song


In what was perhaps a tip of the hat to this literary and cinematic pedigree, the Amboy Dukes recorded a remake of the Frankie Lymon and the Teenagers hit "I Am Not a Juvenile Delinquent," from the 1956 Tuesday Weld film Rock! Rock! Rock!; it was released on the Dukes' 1969 album, Migration. As the band's lineup changed over the years, Nugent became the predominant force.

Gone were the drug references in the group's songs and album cover art, and woe befell any band member foolish enough even to suggest substance abuse in Nugent's presence, for the outcome would be immediate dismissal. Ted Nugent Before forming the Amboy Dukes, Nugent had played in a variety of Detroit and Chicago bands. Learning to play guitar before he was 10,

Nugent was playing professionally by the time he was 11. In 1960, he fronted a band called the Royal High Boys. He was only 13 when his band the Lourds performed at Detroit's Cobo Hall as opening act for such acts as the Beau Brummels and the Supremes. In 1964, Nugent told High Times writer Glenn O'Brien, the Lourds "were peaking. …

We were getting ready to open up some shows for the [Rolling] Stones." His father's career intervened, however, and the elder Nugent's transfer landed the young guitarist in Chicago. It wasn't long before Nugent put together a Chicago lineup that he christened the Amboy Dukes (another Amboy Dukes, who had their sole hit with a cover of John Fred and the Playboy Band's "Judy in Disguise (With Glasses)," existed in Great Britain). After he graduated from high school in 1967, Nugent moved back to Detroit, bringing his band mates with him.

 Video from Richard:
 

The group practiced hard rhythm-and-blues songs by such acts as the Yardbirds, the Rolling Stones, Joe Tex, and Sam and Dave before landing a solid hit with a reworking of a Big Joe Williams blues song, "Baby Please Don't Go," which had been recorded by Van Morrison's band Them not long before. The single was a regional hit, loaded with ample guitars, a driving rhythm section, and powerful vocals from singer John Drake, a former band member of Nugent's early band the Lourdes.


The Amboy Dukes—featuring Nugent, Drake, rhythm guitarist Steve Farmer, bass guitarist Bill White, keyboardist Rick Lober, and drummer Dave Palmer—were gaining in popularity when Nugent received his draft notice. He avoided enlistment, he told O'Brien, by refusing to bathe or shave for 30 days prior to his physical. "Two weeks before," he continued, "I stopped eating any food with nutritional value. I just had chips. Pepsi, beer—stuff I never touched … little jars of Polish sausages, and I'd drink the syrup. I was this side of death."

The Dukes signed with Detroit record label Mainstream in 1967 and released their debut album The Amboy Dukes, which featured "Baby Please Don't Go." The album was recorded in one night on a four-track recorder. After the album's release, White and Lober left the band and were replaced by bass player Greg Arama and keyboardist Andy Solomon.

 After signing a two-album contract with Polydor Records, the Dukes recorded Marriage on the Rocks: Rock Bottom and Survival of the Fittest; the latter album, drummer K.J. Knight recalled on his website, "sold 50,000 to 75,000 copies." The album was recorded over two nights in the Detroit-area Eastown Theater.

In 1971, Day and Arama were fired for drug abuse, and Palmer departed to embark upon a career as a recording engineer. For the Record . . . Members include Greg Arama, bass; Rusty Day, vocals; John Drake, vocals; Steve Farmer, guitar; K.J. Knight, drums; Rick Lober, keyboards; Ted Nugent, guitar; Dave Palmer, drums; Andy Solomon, keyboards; Bill White, bass.

Ted Nugent formed first incarnation of band in Chicago, taking name from defunct Detroit band, 1965; Nugent returned to Detroit, recruited John Drake, Steve Farmer, Bill White, Rick Lober, and Dave Palmer for new version of Amboy Dukes, 1967; released debut album, The Amboy Dukes, featuring cover single "Baby Please Don't Go," 1967; White and Lober left band and were replaced by Greg Arama and Andy Solomon, 1968; notched Top 20 hit with title track from album Journey to the Center of the Mind, 1968; Drake replaced by Rusty Day, 1969; released albums Migration and Marriage on the Rocks, 1969; released Survival of the Fittest, 1971; Day, Solomon, and Palmer departed; band changed name to Ted Nugent and the Amboy Dukes, 1971;

Nugent pursued solo career, finally retiring band name Amboy Dukes, 1975. After these changes, the reconstituted group recorded two albums, Call of the Wild and Tooth, Fang, and Claw, for Frank Zappa's Discreet label in, respectively, 1974 and 1975. By this time, the group was billed as Ted Nugent and the Amboy Dukes. Recognizing that he was covering the overhead for a group of musicians of whom only he had immediate name recognition, Nugent cut his losses and embarked on his highly successful solo career. The years salved some of the hard feelings between Nugent and his former cohorts, however, and members of various incarnations of the band, including Drake, Farmer, Arama, Andy Solomon, Lober, and Dave Palmer reunited at one of Nugent's fabled "Whiplash Bash" New Year's Eve concerts in Detroit to perform "Journey to the Center of the Mind."

On July 4, 2008 at the DTE Energy Music Theater in Clarkston, Michigan, Ted Nugent played his 6,000th concert. Derek St. Holmes (original singer for the Ted Nugent band), Johnny Bee Badanjek (drummer for Mitch Ryder and The Detroit Wheels), and Ted's guitar teacher from 1958 Joe Podorsek all jammed on stage with Ted for various tunes.

Ted Nugent reunited with the other members of the Amboy Dukes at the 2009 Detroit Music Awards, which took place April 17, 2009. The psychedelic band received a distinguished achievement honor at the event. The Dukes also played together at the ceremony, marking their first public performance in more than 30 years. Motorcity Music Awards 2009 photo: Michael A. Raffin Amboy Dukes on the great Motorcity Music Archives Site Ted Nugent Official Site and Events

15 comments:

Tom Wall said...

Fun stuff, Kim!

Don Hedeker said...

"great story!"

Me-Me King said...

Wow, what a scoop, awesome story!!!

Fast Film said...

This reminds me of the many extreme maneuvers taken by friends to avoid being drafted and killed in Vietnam.

Skitch said...

Great story Kim this is Skitch again I toured with the Dukes an Ted in those days 67 thru 72. I consider the Nuge a good friend to this day. all the orignal memebers of the dukes are great guys. Actually Im back in the music biz I manage a group called Fierce on Friday. they are opening up for the Ataris here in detroit next weekend

Retro Kimmer said...

Thanks Skitch send me some info on the gig and I'll post it!

Mitch Wilcher said...

"I once heard that Iggy put peanut butter in his underwear at an induction center. Don't know if it's true, but it sure sounds like Iggy!"

Anonymous said...

Amazing stories as usual Kim! Its true love him or hate him, he is never boring!

--Rick Ruiner

Janet S said...

Oh how I remember the album Migration and playing it at Leslie's house over and over with Dave, Rich, Jim and Alan..Another great post..thanks Kim

Bart Saric said...

Super cool story Kimmie !
What were the portions that were upsetting folk ?

Nugent is an original rocker and it is always cool to
read something new about the legends : )

btw-is the attached pic of you back in that day ?

Retro Kimmer said...

No Bart that Icon is of fantastic retro model Peggy Moffitt the American answer to Twiggy. I love her.

Retro Kimmer said...

No Bart that Icon is of fantastic retro model Peggy Moffitt the American answer to Twiggy. I love her. Thanks for reading!

Eric Rasmussen said...

Excellent reading.

E

Retro Kimmer said...

Thanks E!

Bill White said...

I was a member and always will be . Had a great time till I got Drafted. Oh what a change. But I came back and did it again

Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...

addtoany