Ted Nugent Biography

(Lead Guitarist and Occasional Lead Vocalist of the Rock Band “The Amboy Dukes”)

Birthday: December 13, 1948 (Sagittarius)

Born In: Redford Charter Township, Michigan, United States

Theodore Anthony Nugent, better known to his fans as Ted Nugent, is a hard rock guitarist cum singer who rose to fame during the 1970s with his hits like ‘Stranglehold’, ‘Cat Scratch Fever’, and ‘Wango Tango’. Even as a child he showed a deep interest in music and began playing instruments by the time he was six. He began his career in music by playing guitar for the hard rock band The Amboy Dukes. He served as the band’s lead guitarist for many years before breaking off in order to pursue a solo career. He could not have asked for a better start—his debut solo album, the self-titled ‘Ted Nugent’ produced several hit singles and went multi-platinum in the U.S. Along with bassist Rob Grange and drummer Clifford Davies, Ted went on to release ‘Free-for-All’ and ‘Cat Scratch Fever’, which established him as a solo rock star. Much loved for his style of playing hard rock, he credits musicians like Elvis Presley, Eric Clapton, Frank Zappa and Jeff Beck for his inspiration. It is a well-known fact that Ted plays awesome music, but what separates him from various other rock stars is his complete abstinence from alcohol and drugs. He loves hunting and has authored several books on hunting.

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Quick Facts

Nick Name: Ted

Also Known As: Theodore Anthony Nugent

Age: 75 Years, 75 Year Old Males

Family:

Spouse/Ex-: Sandra Jezowski (m. 1970-1979), Shemane Deziel (m.1989)

father: Warren Henry Nugent

mother: Marion Dorothy

siblings: Jeffrey, John, Kathy

children: Chantal Nugent, Rocco Winchester Nugent, Sasha, Starr Nugent, Theodore Tobias Nugent

Born Country: United States

Quotes By Ted Nugent Guitarists

Height: 6'0" (183 cm), 6'0" Males

Ancestry: Swedish American

U.S. State: Michigan

Childhood & Early Life
Ted Nugent was born in Detroit to Marion Dorothy and Warren Nugent. He has three siblings. He was raised Catholic and attends church regularly.
He started displaying his interest in music from a young age and started playing music when he was six.
He studied at St. Viator High School and William Fremd High School. He formed his first music band, Lourds, when he was just 14.
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Career
Ted Nugent, along with other musicians like Bob Lehnert, Gary Hicks and Dick Treat formed a band The Amboy Dukes in 1964 which used to perform in clubs. The band’s music covered various rock genres like hard rock, acid rock, and heavy metal.
In 1967, the band released its first album, ‘The Amboy Dukes’ which was well received by the public.
The band featured two new members at the time of the release of their second album, ‘Journey to the Center of the Mind’ (1968).
The Amboy Dukes underwent frequent reshuffles, and had a different line-up when they brought out their next album, ‘Migration’ in 1969.
Over the early 1970’s, the band released some more albums including ‘Survival of the Fittest Live’ (1971), ‘Call of the Wild’ (1973), and ‘Tooth Fang and Claw’ (1974).
By 1975, Nugent grew tired of the frequent changes to the band and left to pursue a solo career. He recruited Derek St. Holmes, Rob Grange and Clifford Davies, and brought out his self-titled debut solo album in 1975. The success of the album established him as a solo artist.
His second album, ‘Free-for-All’ was out in 1976. It featured the hit single ‘Dog eat Dog’ and was listed on Billboard Hot 100 in North America.
He followed it up with ‘Cat Scratch Fever’ (1977) and ‘Weekend Warriors’ (1978). Both the albums were big commercial successes and were accredited multi-platinum.
He welcomed the decade of 1980s with ‘Scream Dream’ which became an instant hit upon its release. It included the smash hit single ‘Wango Tango’.
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Nugent enjoyed his peak popularity as a solo artist during the 1970s. He released several albums throughout the 1980s, but was not able to recreate the magic of his initial albums. Some of his later albums were: ‘Nugent’ (1982), and ‘Penetrator’ (1984).
He formed a supergroup Damn Yankees with Jack Blades, Tommy Shaw and Michael Cartellone, and released the album ‘Damn Yankees’ in 1990. It featured the hit ‘High enough’ and went multi-platinum in the U.S.
He has extensively toured all over the U.S. performing in concerns starting from the late 1960’s. During his hey days (1967-73), he was reported to have performed more than 300 shows per year.
In 2001, he hosted his outdoor reality television show, ‘Spirit of the Wild’ in which he hunted a variety of wild game and advised the public on the different aspects of hunting. The show was broadcast on Outdoor Channel.
He has authored several books on hunting including, ‘Blood Trails: The Truth about Bowhunting’ (1991), ‘God, Guns, & Rock 'N' Roll’ (2000), and ‘Kill It & Grill It: A Guide to Preparing and Cooking Wild Game and Fish’ (2005).
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Major Works
His debut solo album, ‘Ted Nugent’ (1975) was responsible for introducing the talented young man as a capable artist to the American public. It featured the hit ‘Stranglehold’ which defined his signature style of music, and went multi-platinum in the U.S.
The 1976 album, ‘Free-for-All’, with the title track of the same name was accredited multi-platinum in the U.S. and Gold in Canada.
‘Cat Scratch Fever’ (1977) was one of his biggest commercial hits. Nugent had written most of the songs in this album that featured among the Top 100 songs in the U.S, U.K, Canada, and Sweden. The album went Platinum in both the U.S. and Canada.
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Awards & Achievements
He was presented the Fan Favourite Best Host Award at the 13th Annual Golden Moose Awards (2013) for his reality television show, ‘Spirit of the Wild’.
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Personal Life & Legacy
He married Sandra Jezowski in 1970 and divorced her in 1979. The couple had three children.
He is currently married to Shemane Deziel with whom he has two children.
Apart from his wives, he was involved with several other women and has fathered three children out of wedlock.
He is known for his strong anti-drug and anti-alcohol beliefs.
He has often been criticized for supporting hunting and for his pro-firearm ownership advocacy.
He founded the charity organization Ted Nugent Kamp for Kids that works to motivate kids to spend more time outdoors.
Trivia
He serves on the board of directors of the National Rifle Association.
He has appeared as a character on one episode of The Simpsons in 2012.
He has made numerous appearances on Larry King Live.
Recommended Lists:

See the events in life of Ted Nugent in Chronological Order

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Article Title
- Ted Nugent Biography
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- Editors, TheFamousPeople.com
Website
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URL
https://www.thefamouspeople.com/profiles/theodore-anthony-nugent-2955.php

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