Theodore Anthony “Ted” is an American hard rock guitarist and vocalist from Detroit, Michigan. He originally gained fame as the lead guitarist of The Amboy Dukes. He is also noted for his vocal conservative political views and his ardent defense of hunting, conservation, unrestricted gun-ownership and anti-drug/alcohol abuse activism.

To date, Nugent has released more than 34 albums, and he has sold a career total of 30 million records. On July 4, 2008 at the DTE Energy Music Theater in Clarkston, Michigan, Ted Nugent played his 6,000th concert. Derek St. Holmes (original singer for the Ted Nugent band), Johnny Bee Badanjek (drummer for Mitch Ryder and The Detroit Wheels), and Ted’s guitar teacher from 1958 Joe Podorsek all jammed on stage with Ted for various tunes.

After settling down on a ranch in Michigan in 1973, Nugent signed a record deal with Frank Zappa’s DiscReet Records label and recorded Call of the Wild. Personnel changes nearly wrecked the band, which became known as Ted Nugent & the Amboy Dukes.

Ted Nugent reunited with the other members of the Amboy Dukes at the 2009 Detroit Music Awards, which took place April 17, 2009. Nugent dropped the Amboy Dukes band name for good in 1975, and signed to Epic Records. Derek St. Holmes (guitar, vocals), Rob Grange (bass) and Clifford Davies (drums) were the primary additional band members for his classic 1970s multi-platinum[3] albums: Ted Nugent (1975), Free-for-All (1976) and Cat Scratch Fever (1977). During the period of 1982-86, Nugent released a series of moderately successful solo albums. Returning to a solo career, Nugent released Spirit of the Wild in 1995, his best-reviewed album in quite some time. This album also marked the return of Derek St. Holmes to Nugent’s studio band. In 2006, Nugent was inducted into the Michigan Rock and Roll Legends Hall of Fame.

Advertisement