Damn Yankees was an American rock supergroup formed in 1989 consisting of

Tommy Shaw Tommy Roland Shaw (born September 11, 1953) is an American guitarist, singer and songwriter best known for his tenure in the rock band Styx (band), Styx as co-lead vocalist. In between his stints with Styx, he has played with other groups includi ...

Styx In Greek mythology, Styx (; grc, Στύξ ) is a river that forms the boundary between Earth (Gaia) and the Underworld. The rivers Acheron, Cocytus, Lethe, Phlegethon, and Styx all converge at the centre of the underworld on a great marsh, ...

Jack Blades Jack Martin Blades (born April 24, 1954) is an American rock musician. He has worked in the bands Rubicon, Night Ranger (as bassist and one of the lead vocalists), and Damn Yankees (as one of the founding members). He has also recorded with ...

Night Ranger Night Ranger is an American hard rock band from San Francisco formed in 1979 that gained popularity during the 1980s with a series of albums and singles. Guitarist Brad Gillis and drummer Kelly Keagy have been the band's only constant members, ...

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 ...

of The Amboy Dukes, and Michael Cartellone (then an unknown drummer who would later join

Lynyrd Skynyrd Lynyrd Skynyrd ( ) is an American 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 Junstrom ...

). They are remembered for the songs " High Enough" and "

Where You Goin' Now "Where You Goin' Now" is a song by the band Damn Yankees. The power ballad was released as a single from their second album '' Don't Tread'' and peaked at No. 20 on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100, making it their second and final top 40 hit. Track ...

", both

Top 40 In the music industry, the Top 40 is the current, 40 most-popular songs in a particular genre. It is the best-selling or most frequently broadcast popular music. Record charts have traditionally consisted of a total of 40 songs. "Top 40" or "cont ...

hits in the early 1990s.

History

In the late 1980s, the US rock music scene witnessed a trend for supergroups;

Bad English Bad English was an American/British glam metal supergroup formed in 1987. It reunited Journey keyboardist Jonathan Cain with singer John Waite and bassist Ricky Phillips, his former bandmates in the Babys, along with Journey guitarist Neal ...

, Mr. Big and

Badlands Badlands are a type of dry terrain where softer sedimentary rocks and clay-rich soils have been extensively eroded."Badlands" in ''Chambers's Encyclopædia''. London: George Newnes, 1961, Vol. 2, p. 47. They are characterized by steep slopes, mi ...

were all formed around the time. Shaw, Blades, and Nugent⁠ formed Damn Yankees in 1989 in response to declining commercial success of their original bands. Produced by rock producer Ron Nevison, the newly formed band's self-titled debut album was released in 1990 and went double-platinum (in 2004). Jack Blades's leading single "Coming of Age" hit No. 60 on the U.S. Hot 100 and No. 1 on the AOR charts, while Shaw-penned "Come Again" received extensive AOR airplay. The

power ballad A sentimental ballad is an emotional style of music that often deals with romantic and intimate relationships, and to a lesser extent, loneliness, death, war, drug abuse, politics and religion, usually in a poignant but solemn manner.J. ...

" High Enough" became their best selling single rising to No. 3 on U.S.

Billboard Hot 100 The ''Billboard'' Hot 100 is the music industry standard record chart in the United States for songs, published weekly by '' Billboard'' magazine. Chart rankings are based on sales (physical and digital), radio play, and online stream ...

and No. 2 on AOR charts at the beginning of 1991. "High Enough" was Ted Nugent's first mainstream top ten single. The band's songs appeared on several Hollywood film soundtracks, such as '' Gremlins 2: The New Batch'', '' Nothing But Trouble'' and '' The Taking of Beverly Hills''. After the release of their debut, the Damn Yankees went on an 18-month world tour with the likes of a revamped

Bad Company Bad Company are an English rock supergroup that was formed in 1973 by singer Paul Rodgers, guitarist Mick Ralphs, drummer Simon Kirke and bassist Boz Burrell. Bad Company ''AllMusic'' Peter Grant, who managed the rock band Led Zeppelin, a ...

Poison Poison is a chemical substance that has a detrimental effect to life. The term is used in a wide range of scientific fields and industries, where it is often specifically defined. It may also be applied colloquially or figuratively, with a broa ...

and

Jackyl Jackyl is an American rock band formed in 1991. Their sound has also been described as heavy metal and southern metal. Their self-titled debut album has sold more than a million copies in the United States with hit singles like "Down on Me ...

. Their US tour coincided with the Persian Gulf War, in which the band unfurled American flags and made patriotic statements. In 1992, Damn Yankees went gold with their follow-up album '' Don't Tread.'' The title song, sung by Blades, was included on the album ''

Barcelona Gold ''Barcelona Gold'' is a compilation album that was released to coincide with the 1992 Summer Olympics in Barcelona, Spain. The album reached number 32 on the US ''Billboard'' 200. Track listing #" Barcelona" – Freddie Mercury and Montserrat ...

'', released in coordination with the Barcelona Olympic Games. Nugent also appeared on

Rock the Vote Rock the Vote is a non-profit progressive-aligned organization in the United States whose stated mission is "to engage and build the political power of young Americans." The organization was founded in 1990 by Virgin Records America Co-Chairman ...

, voicing support for the GOP against

Bill Clinton William Jefferson Clinton (né Blythe III; born August 19, 1946) is an American politician who served as the 42nd president of the United States from 1993 to 2001. He previously served as governor of Arkansas from 1979 to 1981 and again ...

. Although the second release was not as successful as the first album, it spawned several hits, such as "Mister Please," "

," and "The Silence Is Broken," a power ballad featured in the 1993

Jean-Claude Van Damme Jean-Claude Camille François Van Varenberg (, ; born 18 October 1960), known professionally as Jean-Claude Van Damme (, ), is a Belgian actor, martial artist, filmmaker, and fight choreographer. Born and raised in Brussels, Belgium, at the ag ...

film '' Nowhere to Run''.

Shaw Blades

In 1994, Nugent revived his solo career, leaving Tommy Shaw and Jack Blades to record their own album as the duo

Shaw Blades Shaw Blades is an American musical duo/group formed by Tommy Shaw of Styx and Jack Blades of Night Ranger, both of whom played in the supergroup Damn Yankees. It is an informal duo which has produced two albums between other projects, 1995's '' ...

. Released in 1995, ''Hallucination'' received very little support from its label as a personnel change brought industry executives more sympathetic to

alternative Alternative or alternate may refer to: Arts, entertainment and media * Alternative (''Kamen Rider''), a character in the Japanese TV series ''Kamen Rider Ryuki'' * ''The Alternative'' (film), a 1978 Australian television film * ''The Alternative ...

and

grunge Grunge (sometimes referred to as the Seattle sound) is an alternative rock genre and subculture that emerged during the in the American Pacific Northwest state of Washington, particularly in Seattle and nearby towns. Grunge fuses elements of ...

bands. Ultimately, the Shaw Blades album came out to some critical praise, but it vanished without major single support or a national tour (which had been cancelled by Warner Bros.). "I'll Always Be With You" did garner some AOR airplay, and the title track was heard in the hit movie ''

Tommy Boy ''Tommy Boy'' is a 1995 American buddy adventure comedy film directed by Peter Segal, written by Bonnie and Terry Turner, produced by Lorne Michaels, and starring former ''Saturday Night Live'' castmates and close friends Chris Farley and David ...

'', but after a brief West Coast tour, both Shaw and Blades went back to their respective original bands, Styx and Night Ranger. In 2007, Shaw Blades released their new album ''Influence'', which consisted solely of cover songs that influenced them, mostly from the 1960s and 1970s. The pair also recorded a cover of the classic Christmas song "The Twelve Days of Christmas" on the "A Classic Rock Christmas" album by various Classic Rock artists in 2002. Both members still principally record and perform with their respective original bands.

Reunions

During a hiatus in both Night Ranger and Styx, Shaw and Blades met with Ted Nugent to record a new Damn Yankees album in 1999. However, the album, provisionally titled ''Bravo'', failed to please either the band members or the prospective record labels. Some of this unused material may have surfaced on various group and solo albums of the band members. While on the VH1 Classic show ''Power Ballads of 88'', Jack Blades commented about recent rumors regarding Damn Yankees. Jack said he, Ted, and Tommy had been talking and hanging out. Jack then said there would be new music and a tour from Damn Yankees in the future. In 2004 at

Alice Cooper Alice Cooper (born Vincent Damon Furnier, February 4, 1948) is an American rock singer whose career spans over five decades. With a raspy voice and a stage show that features numerous props and stage illusions, including pyrotechnics, guilloti ...

's Christmas Pudding, an annual charity concert to benefit Alice Cooper's Solid Rock Foundation and Teen Center in Phoenix, AZ, Damn Yankees reunited on stage. The band played "Don't Tread", "High Enough" and "Coming of Age". On January 15, 2010 at the NAMM Show in Anaheim, California, the original members of Damn Yankees made a surprise appearance at the Taylor Guitars exhibit. Jack Blades, Tommy Shaw, Ted Nugent, and Michael Cartellone performed an acoustic set on the Taylor Stage including hits such as "Coming of Age", "High Enough", and the Ted Nugent anthem "Cat Scratch Fever". In 2011, Nugent joined Jack Blades' band

to record an extended version of "Coming of Age" as a B-side for their album "Somewhere in California." In place of his original solo, Nugent plays a version of the guitar solo from "Stranglehold." In May 2017, Cartellone joined Night Ranger at the Wildflower Festival in Richardson, Texas for a performance of "Coming of Age." As far as a potential Damn Yankees reunion goes, Cartellone told

Cleveland Cleveland ( ), officially the City of Cleveland, is a city in the United States, U.S. U.S. state, state of Ohio and the county seat of Cuyahoga County, Ohio, Cuyahoga County. Located in the northeastern part of the state, it is situated along ...

NBC affiliate

WKYC WKYC (channel 3) is a television station in Cleveland, Ohio, United States, affiliated with NBC and owned by Tegna Inc. Its studios are located on Tom Beres Way (a section of Lakeside Avenue in Downtown Cleveland named after the station's lon ...

that he and other members of the band have continued to meet and write over the years. While a new album has yet to materialize, he says that does not mean the Damn Yankees are finished. They never purposefully disbanded and are keeping a reunion an open door to this day.

Band members

Former members

– rhythm & lead guitars, lead & backing vocals (1989–1996, 1998–2001, 2004, 2010) *

– bass guitar, lead & backing vocals (1989–1996, 1998–2001, 2004, 2010) *

– lead & rhythm guitars, backing & lead vocals (1989–1996, 1998–2001, 2004, 2010) * Michael Cartellone – drums, percussion, backing vocals (1989–1996, 1998–2001, 2004, 2010)

Session members

*Robbie Buchanan – keyboards on ''Don't Tread'' (1992 — multiple tracks)

Discography

Studio albums

Live albums

*''Extended Versions'' (2008)

Compilation albums

*''The Essentials'' (2002) *''Rhino Hi-Five: Damn Yankees'' EP (2005) *''High Enough - Best of: Damn Yankees'' (2019)

Singles

Soundtrack appearances

* "Bonestripper" (from '' Nothing but Trouble'') (1991)

Music videos

References

External links

*
It's Just Them Damn YankeesIt's Just Those Damn Yankees
{{DEFAULTSORT:Damn Yankees Glam metal musical groups from California Hard rock musical groups from California Heavy metal musical groups from California Heavy metal supergroups Musical groups established in 1989 Musical groups disestablished in 1996 Musical groups reestablished in 1998 Musical groups disestablished in 2001 Ted Nugent