Im the gun guy a loud guitar Dirty Harry with a ponytail."
The list of conservative rock-and-rollers is pretty short. But even if you were only going to have just one Ted Nugent would do the trick.
The Nuge. Uncle Ted. Great Gonzo. The Motor City Madman. He goes by many names but he was born with the unassuming moniker Theodore Anthony Nugent in 1948 the third of four kids in
Redford MI. Part of a military family Nugents father was a career sergeant in the army. For his part though Nugent was of draft age during the
Vietnam War he flunked his physical and was declared unfit for military service. Today however he is a member of the
U.S. Marshals Fugitive Felony Task Force.
Nugent began his rock-and-roll career with
the Amboy Dukes one of the premiere psychedelic rock bands of the era. They replaced the equally legendary Shadows of Knight as the house band at The Cellar a teen rock club in the Chicago suburb of Arlington Heights IL. Their breakout hit was Journey to the Center of the Mind" a song that is clearly about
LSD use but not to Uncle Ted who is one of the most notoriously sober rockers in history. In fact he was cited by
Minor Threats Ian MacKaye and others of the early hardcore scene as one of the biggest inspirations for the straight-edge movement.
Indeed The Nuge claims and proudly owns his role as the inspiration for this movement. In a
VICE interview he said that he will work with anyone who is anywhere on the political spectrum (citing Rage Against the Machines
Tom Morello as both a friend and a collaborator) but that hes reticent to work with anyone who does drugs of any kind because he believes that it robs them of focus.
The Making of a Rock-and-Roll Outlaw
The Amboy Dukes slowly transformed from a band into Nugents solo project. After a series of personnel changes they became known as Ted Nugent and the Amboy Dukes with the Amboy Dukes" eventually dropped. (The Dukes made their first appearance in 30 years at the 2009 Detroit Music Awards.)
Ted Nugent is noteworthy in rock history for a number of reasons not least of all being a solo act who isnt a singer. While he
did eventually take over vocal duties this came much later. During his classic period (
Ted Nugent Free For All and
Cat Scratch Fever) vocals were handled by Derek St. Holmes. In 1989 he formed his next supergroup (whose second album was called
Dont Tread presumably at Nugents suggestion) with former members of Night Ranger and Styx.
Continue Reading
Ted Nugent: The Forgotten History of the Conservative Rock-and-Roller and Gun Advocate at
Ammo.com.
