Born in 1948, Ted Nugent became known as much for his outspoken, unusual persona as his renowned guitar style. As a Detroit teenager in the '60s, Nugent began his musical career in bands the Royal High Boys and the Lourdes. After moving to Chicago, he formed the Amboy Dukes, who released their debut album in 1965 and scored several local hits. The band came to be known as Ted Nugent and the Amboy Dukes, with Nugent drumming up publicity by staging "guitar duels" with fellow rockers like MC5's Wayne Kramer. After the band failed to find widespread success, Nugent signed a solo deal with Epic and released his self-titled debut in 1975. Nugent released a series of multi-platinum albums in the '70s, including 1976's Free-for-All, which featured Meat Loaf on vocals. After hitting a commercial dry spell in the early '80s, Nugent turned his attention to personal and political matters, speaking out on the joys of hunting and dangers of drug use. He returned to rock in the late '80s with the heavy metal band Damn Yankees and later resumed his solo career with Spirit of the Wild.
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