"Stranglehold" is a song by American rock musician

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 ...

, as well as the debut single and the first track from his self-titled debut 1975 album. The vocals are by

Derek St. Holmes Derek St. Holmes (born February 24, 1953) is an American rock musician, best known as the lead singer and rhythm guitar player for Ted Nugent's early solo career. After splitting from Nugent in 1978, St. Holmes worked with various artists, mo ...

. However, the "Sometimes you wanna get higher" verse is sung by Nugent. Nugent admits that the song was co-written by

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 ...

, who received no share. "Stranglehold" is a guitar-driven track, over eight minutes long, and set the stage for Nugent's career. The guitar solo was recorded in a single take. "I used delays to create this really wild guitar duet with Ted," said producer

Tom Werman Tom Werman (born 1945) is an American former record producer responsible for many hard rock and heavy metal albums. Early life and education Werman was born in Boston, Massachusetts, and grew up in Newton. He earned a bachelor's degree and an ...

. "It was like two guys were playing. I sent it off to Ted for his approval. He called me up and said, 'I love what you did with Stranglehold, but don't ever do that again without asking me.'" It became an entrance theme to the

NHL The National Hockey League (NHL; french: Ligue nationale de hockey—LNH, ) is a professional ice hockey league in North America comprising 32 teams—25 in the United States and 7 in Canada. It is considered to be the top ranked professional ...

team

Chicago Blackhawks The Chicago Blackhawks (spelled Black Hawks until 1986, and known colloquially as the Hawks) are a professional ice hockey team based in Chicago. The Blackhawks compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Central Division i ...

. It was also the entrance theme used by

Kevin Von Erich Kevin Ross Adkisson (born May 15, 1957) is an American retired professional wrestler, better known by his ring name, Kevin Von Erich. A member of the Von Erich family, Von Erich is best known for his appearances with his father's World Class Ch ...

in his professional wrestling career.

Reception

"Stranglehold" has been ranked as the 31st greatest guitar solo of all time by ''

Guitar World ''Guitar World'' is a monthly music magazine for guitarists – and fans of guitar-based music and trends – that has been published since July 1980. ''Guitar World'', the best-selling guitar magazine in the United States, contains original art ...

''.

References

Ted Nugent songs Songs written by Ted Nugent 1975 songs 1975 debut singles Song recordings produced by Tom Werman Epic Records singles {{1970s-single-stub

Reception

See also

References