The Amboy Dukes were an American
rock
Rock most often refers to:
* Rock (geology), a naturally occurring solid aggregate of minerals or mineraloids
* Rock music, a genre of popular music
Rock or Rocks may also refer to:
Places United Kingdom
* Rock, Caerphilly, a location in Wales ...
band formed in 1964 in
Chicago
(''City in a Garden''); I Will
, image_map =
, map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago
, coordinates =
, coordinates_footnotes =
, subdivision_type = Country
, subdivision_name ...
, Illinois, and later based in
Detroit
Detroit ( , ; , ) is the largest city in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is also the largest U.S. city on the United States–Canada border, and the seat of government of Wayne County. The City of Detroit had a population of 639,111 at th ...
, Michigan. They are best known for their
only hit single, "
Journey to the Center of the Mind
''Journey to the Center of the Mind'' is the second studio album released by The Amboy Dukes. It was released in April 1968 on Mainstream Records (stereo S/6112, mono 56112 (promo only)).
A remastered CD reissue was released in 1992 by Mainstr ...
".
The band's name comes from the title of a novel by
Irving Shulman
Irving Shulman (May 21, 1913 – March 23, 1995) was an American author and screenwriter whose works were adapted into movies. His books included ''The Amboy Dukes,'' ''Cry Tough,'' ''The Square Trap,'' and ''Platinum High School'', all of which ...
. In the UK, the group's records were released under the name of the American Amboy Dukes, because of the existence of a British group with the same name. The band went through a number of personnel changes during its active years, the only constant being lead guitarist and composer
Ted Nugent
Theodore Anthony Nugent (; born December 13, 1948) is an American rock musician and activist. He initially gained fame as the lead guitarist and occasional lead vocalist of The Amboy Dukes, a band formed in 1963 that played psychedelic rock an ...
.
The band transitioned to being Nugent's backing band before he discontinued the name in 1975.
The Amboy Dukes' primary genres were
psychedelic rock
Psychedelic rock is a rock music Music genre, genre that is inspired, influenced, or representative of psychedelia, psychedelic culture, which is centered on perception-altering hallucinogenic drugs. The music incorporated new electronic sound ...
,
acid rock
Acid rock is a loosely defined type of rock music that evolved out of the mid-1960s garage punk movement and helped launch the psychedelic subculture. Named after lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD), the style is generally defined by heavy, di ...
, and
hard rock
Hard rock or heavy rock is a loosely defined subgenre of rock music typified by aggressive vocals and distorted electric guitars. Hard rock began in the mid-1960s with the garage, psychedelic and blues rock movements. Some of the earliest hard ...
.
Origins
Ted Nugent
Theodore Anthony Nugent (; born December 13, 1948) is an American rock musician and activist. He initially gained fame as the lead guitarist and occasional lead vocalist of The Amboy Dukes, a band formed in 1963 that played psychedelic rock an ...
, the nucleus of the Amboy Dukes, was born and raised in Detroit and started performing in 1958 at age 10. He played in a group called the Royal High Boys from 1960 to 1962 and later in group named the Lourds, where he first met future Amboy Dukes lead vocalist John Drake. Nugent played with the Lourds until his family moved to Illinois, where he founded the Amboy Dukes in the
Chicago area
The Chicago metropolitan area, also colloquially referred to as Chicagoland, is a metropolitan area in the Midwestern United States. Encompassing 10,286 sq mi (28,120 km2), the metropolitan area includes the city of Chicago, its suburbs and hint ...
in 1964, playing at
The Cellar, in the Chicago suburb of
Arlington Heights, among other venues. They later relocated back to Nugent's hometown of Detroit. The members included the following:
*Ted Nugent (lead guitar)
*Bob Lehnert (vocalist) – who released a single "Better Than Today" with the band Acrobat in 1972
*Gary Hicks (guitar, vocals)
*Dick Treat (bass, vocals)
*Gail Uptadale (drums)
The original lineup did not release any recordings. Nugent's early guitar playing style with his signature
Gibson Byrdland
The Byrdland is an electric guitar made by Gibson. Its name derives from the names of guitarists Billy Byrd and Hank Garland for whom Gibson originally custom-built the guitar.
Thinline series
The Byrdland is the first of Gibson's Thinline se ...
positioned high on his chest became an iconic playing style that visually distinguished him from other players. He combined this with his natural virtuosity and frenzied playing style on lead, adding sonic distinction to his unusual visual approach. This gave him an edge as a performance artist. Nugent's appreciation for his guitar inspired him to compose the song "Flight of the Byrd", which was released as a single and as part of their most popular album, ''
Journey to the Center of the Mind
''Journey to the Center of the Mind'' is the second studio album released by The Amboy Dukes. It was released in April 1968 on Mainstream Records (stereo S/6112, mono 56112 (promo only)).
A remastered CD reissue was released in 1992 by Mainstr ...
''.
Band line-ups
Band member line-ups credited on official studio albums:
(Others who may have appeared at live dates between albums are not listed, with the exception of the 1972 band)
1967
After a member shuffle for signing a deal with
Mainstream Records
Mainstream Records was an American record company and independent record label founded by producer Bob Shad in 1964.
Mainstream's early releases were reissues from Commodore Records. Its catalogue grew to include Bob Brookmeyer, Maynard Ferguson, ...
of New York City, the personnel on their debut album, ''
The Amboy Dukes
The Amboy Dukes were an American rock band formed in 1964 in Chicago, Illinois, and later based in Detroit, Michigan. They are best known for their only hit single, "Journey to the Center of the Mind". The band's name comes from the title of a ...
'', were:
*Ted Nugent (lead guitar, vocals)
*John Drake (vocals) ex-The Lourds
*
Steve Farmer (guitar, vocals) ex-The Gang
*Dave Palmer (drums) ex-The Galaxy Five, ex-The Citations
*
Rick Lober (keyboards)
*Bill White (bass, vocals)
1968
''
Journey to the Center of the Mind
''Journey to the Center of the Mind'' is the second studio album released by The Amboy Dukes. It was released in April 1968 on Mainstream Records (stereo S/6112, mono 56112 (promo only)).
A remastered CD reissue was released in 1992 by Mainstr ...
'' replaced Lober on keyboards and White on bass:
*Ted Nugent (lead guitar, vocals)
*John Drake (vocals)
*Steve Farmer (guitar, vocals)
*Dave Palmer (drums)
*Andy Solomon (organ, piano, vocals) ex-The Apostles
*Greg Arama (bass) ex-The Gang
1969
''
Migration
Migration, migratory, or migrate may refer to: Human migration
* Human migration, physical movement by humans from one region to another
** International migration, when peoples cross state boundaries and stay in the host state for some minimum le ...
'' had Drake replaced on vocals:
*Ted Nugent (lead guitar, vocals)
*Steve Farmer (guitar, vocals)
*Dave Palmer (drums)
*Andy Solomon (keyboards, sax, vocals)
*Greg Arama (bass)
*
Rusty Day
Russell Edward "Rusty Day" Davidson (December 29, 1945 – June 3, 1982) was a lead vocalist, best known for his work with Cactus (American band), Cactus, the Amboy Dukes, and Steve Gaines.
Career with the Amboy Dukes
Day joined the Amboy Dukes ...
(vocals, harmonica) pre-
Cactus
A cactus (, or less commonly, cactus) is a member of the plant family Cactaceae, a family comprising about 127 genera with some 1750 known species of the order Caryophyllales. The word ''cactus'' derives, through Latin, from the Ancient Greek ...
1970
''
Marriage on the Rocks/Rock Bottom'' dropped Farmer and Day:
*Ted Nugent (lead guitar, vocals)
*Dave Palmer (drums)
*Andy Solomon (keyboards, vocals)
*Greg Arama (bass)
1971
''
Survival of the Fittest Live
''Survival of the Fittest Live'' is the fifth album by The Amboy Dukes. Released in 1971, it was the band's second album on Polydor Records, and the first where the band was credited as "Ted Nugent and the Amboy Dukes". It was the second Polydor ...
'' dropped Palmer and Arama. As the sole original member, Nugent changed the bandname to ''Ted Nugent and the Amboy Dukes'':
*Ted Nugent (lead guitar, vocals)
*Andy Solomon (keyboards, vocals)
*K.J. Knight (drums, vocals) ex-The Day & Night Dealers Blues Band
*Rob Ruzga (bass) ex-The Day & Night Dealers Blues Band
1972
In 1972, the band had no record contract. There were two lineups:
Early summer:
*Ted Nugent (lead guitar, vocals)
*Dave Gilbert (lead vocals)
*Bill White (bass)
*Keith Johnstone (drums)
Late summer:
*Ted Nugent (lead guitar, vocals)
*John Angelos (lead vocals, harmonica)
*
Rob Grange
Rob Grange (born 1950) is an American bassist, best known for his work with psychedelic rock band The Amboy Dukes and with Ted Nugent, as well as his unique phase bass lines in the song " Stranglehold".
Career
Sonny Hugg
Grange was a memb ...
(bass)
*Joe Vitale (drums, piano, flute)
This group recorded some demos at
Criteria Studios
Criteria Studios is a recording studio in North Miami, Florida, founded in 1958 by musician Mack Emerman. Hundreds of gold, platinum, and diamond singles and albums have been recorded, mixed or mastered at Criteria, for many notable artists and ...
in Florida, which were never released.
1973
''
Call of the Wild'' saw another line-up:
*Ted Nugent (lead guitar, percussion, vocals)
*Rob Grange (bass, vocals, arrangements, composer)
*Vic Mastrianni (drums, vocals)
*Andy Jezowski (vocals)
*Gabriel Magno (flute, keyboards)
1974
''
Tooth Fang & Claw'' was the group's final lineup, dropping Magno:
*Ted Nugent (lead guitar, percussion, vocals)
*Rob Grange (bass, vocals, arrangements, composer)
*Vic Mastrianni (drums, percussion, vocals)
*Andy Jezowski (vocals)
Liner notes also credited “Rev. Atrocious Theodosius,” a fictitious name, on guitar and vocals.
Timeline
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bar:Rusty Day from:01/01/1969 till:01/01/1970 color:vocals
bar:Andy Jezowski from:01/01/1973 till:01/08/1974 color:vocals
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bar:Steve Farmer from:01/01/1967 till:01/01/1970 color:rhythm
bar:Steve Farmer from:01/01/1967 till:01/01/1970 color:vocals width:3
bar:Rick Lober from:01/01/1967 till:01/01/1968 color:keys
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bar:Bill White from:01/01/1967 till:01/01/1968 color:bass
bar:Greg Arama from:01/01/1968 till:01/01/1971 color:bass
bar:Rob Ruzga from:01/01/1971 till:01/01/1972 color:bass
bar:Rob Grange from:01/01/1972 till:01/01/1975 color:bass
bar:Dave Palmer from:01/01/1967 till:01/01/1971 color:drums
bar:K.J. Knight from:01/01/1971 till:01/01/1973 color:drums
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bar:Vic Mastrianni from:01/01/1973 till:01/01/1975 color:drums
Later happenings
Nugent went on to have a successful solo career in the 1970s and joined the
Damn Yankees
''Damn Yankees'' is a 1955 musical comedy with a book by George Abbott and Douglass Wallop, music and lyrics by Richard Adler and Jerry Ross. The story is a modern retelling of the Faust legend set during the 1950s in Washington, D.C., during ...
supergroup in the late 1980s. Since the 2000s, Nugent (although continuing his rock career) has been a prominent activist, both for hunting and for conservative politics.
Vocalist Rusty Day joined
the Detroit Wheels
The Detroit Wheels were an American rock band, formed in Detroit in 1964. They served as Mitch Ryder's backup band from 1964 to 1967.
The band had a number of top twenty hits in the mid-1960s before lead singer Ryder was enticed away by Bob C ...
, replacing
Mitch Ryder
Mitch Ryder (born William Sherille Levise, Jr.; February 26, 1945) is an American musician who has recorded more than 25 albums over more than four decades.
Career
Ryder formed his first band, Tempest, when he was at Warren High School, and th ...
as lead vocalist. Under Day, that band was renamed Detroit; it disbanded in 1974. He then returned to his previous band, Cactus, in 1976, playing with them until 1979. He turned down offers to front
AC/DC
AC/DC (stylised as ACϟDC) are an Australian Rock music, rock band formed in Sydney in 1973 by Scottish-born brothers Malcolm Young, Malcolm and Angus Young. Their music has been variously described as hard rock, blues rock, and Heavy metal ...
and
Lynyrd Skynyrd
Lynyrd Skynyrd ( ) is an American rock music, rock band formed in Jacksonville, Florida. The group originally formed as My Backyard in 1964 and comprised Ronnie Van Zant (lead vocalist), Gary Rossington (guitar), Allen Collins (guitar), Larry Ju ...
after the deaths of those bands' respective lead singers. Day was shot dead in 1982.
Bassist Greg Arama died in a motorcycle accident on September 18, 1979.
Steve Farmer later taught in Redford Township, Michigan. He also performed with backing bands at various venues in and around the Detroit area. Farmer died on April 7, 2020, aged 71.
Rick Lober is a classically trained composer best known in the greater Detroit metro area for his frenetic style of keyboard playing. Since the early 1990s, he has been in and out of the studio, appearing as performer/songwriter on the Steve Farmer CD ''Journey to the Darkside of the Mind'' (Saint Thomas Records, STP0069) completed in 2000. He is currently working in the studio and performing live with local Detroit rock legend Jeffrey Faust and his band The Woodsman, which performs throughout Michigan and Canada.
In 2008, the Amboy Dukes were inducted into the Michigan Rock and Roll Legends Hall of Fame. The original Amboy Dukes (featuring Nugent, Drake, Farmer, Lober, Solomon and White) performed on April 17, 2009, at the
Detroit Music Awards
The Detroit Music Awards Foundation is a Michigan 501(c)(3) organization, whose mission is to recognize Detroit area musicians working on a national, regional, and local level. The Foundation supports and nurtures the musical community in Detro ...
at
The Fillmore Detroit
The Fillmore Detroit is a multi-use entertainment venue operated by Live Nation. Built in 1925, the Fillmore Detroit was known for most of its history as the State Theatre. It is located near the larger Fox Theatre in the Detroit Theatre Dis ...
. Their performance began with the song "
Baby Please Don't Go
An infant or baby is the very young offspring of human beings. ''Infant'' (from the Latin word ''infans'', meaning 'unable to speak' or 'speechless') is a formal or specialised synonym for the common term ''baby''. The terms may also be used to ...
", from their 1967 debut single. This was followed by "Journey to the Center of the Mind", and ending with
Mitch Ryder
Mitch Ryder (born William Sherille Levise, Jr.; February 26, 1945) is an American musician who has recorded more than 25 albums over more than four decades.
Career
Ryder formed his first band, Tempest, when he was at Warren High School, and th ...
's "Jenny Take A Ride" (featuring original Ryder drummer
Johnny "Bee" Badanjek
Johnny "Bee" Badanjek is an American musician, singer, songwriter and painter.
Music career
At 16, Badanjek (pronounced:buh-DAN-jek) was the drummer for the Detroit rock and roll band Billy Lee and The Rivieras who later changed their name to ...
). In recognition of the band's contribution to rock music history, they received a Distinguished Achievement award. As the band left the stage, Nugent thanked all his fellow band members and told the crowd "And everyone knows that The Amboy Dukes are the ultimate garage band on planet earth".
Lead singer John Drake died on August 29, 2021, aged 74.
Discography
Albums
Singles
Other releases
*''The Best of the Original Amboy Dukes'' - released after The Amboy Dukes left Mainstream Records (Mainstream S/6125) in 1969, failed to chart.
*''Journeys and Migrations'' - Mainstream compilation double LP with songs from the first 3 Amboy Dukes albums on Mainstream Records (Mainstream 801 - 2 Record Set) in 1973. (no doubles with the ''Dr. Slingshot'' compilation)
*''Dr. Slingshot'' - Mainstream compilation with songs from the 1st and 3rd Amboy Dukes albums on Mainstream Records (Mainstream 414) in 1974. (no doubles with the ''Journeys and Migrations'' compilation)
*''Ted Nugent & The Amboy Dukes'', Mainstream compilation (Mainstream 421) from 1976. (First original cover has photo of Ted with snakes for his hair. Second 1982 (reissue) cover shows Ted playing a guitar on stage).
*''Journey To The Darkside of The Mind'', released in 2000, saw a rebirth of The Amboy Dukes by Steve Farmer and original keyboardist Rick Lober, sans Ted Nugent (Saint Thomas Records STP 0069) - didn't chart.
*Two early songs featuring Drake on lead vocals and composition by Farmer/Nugent have been released as bonus tracks on various compact disc releases. They are titled "J.B. Special" and "Sobbin' In My Mug of Beer" and show the high energy of the first group that recorded as The Amboy Dukes. There are two different versions of "J.B. Special"; a shorter version clocking around 2:21 is quicker tempo with additional lyrics and is titled "alternate version". A more polished and slower tempo version clocks in around 2:33. It was recorded as a follow-up single to their first album but not released at the time. "Sobbin' In My Mug of Beer" is a record-label audition predating the first album sessions.
References
External links
classicbands.comat Chrome Oxide
Music from Ash vs Evil Dead S1E01*
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Amboy Dukes, The
1964 establishments in Illinois
1975 disestablishments in the United States
Acid rock music groups
Hard rock musical groups from Michigan
Musical groups established in 1964
Musical groups disestablished in 1975
Musical groups from Detroit
Mainstream Records artists
Ted Nugent
Psychedelic rock music groups from Michigan