Formed in 1964 in Chicago, Illinois (and later based in Detroit, Michigan), The Amboy Dukes took their name from the title of a novel by Irving Shulman.
The band recorded their debut (self-titled) 1967 album in just one night. The album included a scalding cover version of Baby Please Don’t Go by Them, which was released as a single.
Best known for their only hit single, Journey to the Center of the Mind (1968), the psychedelic band went through a number of personnel changes during its active years, the only constant being lead guitarist and songwriter Ted Nugent.
The follow-up single to Journey was You Talk Sunshine, I Breathe Fire, which stalled at # 114. It would be the Amboy Dukes’ last charting single.
The Dukes released seven albums before the band transitioned to being Nugent’s backing band when he discontinued the name in 1975.
The group were known in the UK as The American Amboy Dukes, because of the existence of a British soul and R&B group with the same name.
Nugent went on to have a successful solo career in the 1970s, although arguably becoming more (in)famous for his controversial political and social comments calling President Barack Obama a “subhuman mongrel”, hosting a reality TV show called American Guns and publicly claiming the COVID-19 pandemic was not real (before contracting the virus himself).
Vocalist Rusty Day joined Cactus with Tim Bogert and Carmine Appice in 1970. He was shot dead at his Florida home on 3 June 1982, aged 36. His 11-year-old son and his dog were also fatally shot. The murder officially remains unsolved,
Bassist Greg Arama died in a motorcycle accident on 18 September 1979. He was just 29. Guitarist Steve Farmer died on 7 April 2020, aged 71.
Lead singer John Drake died on 29 August 2021, aged 74.
John Drake
Vocals Rusty Day
Vocals, harmonica Ted Nugent
Guitar, vocals Steve Farmer
Guitar, vocals Bill White
Bass, vocals Greg Arama
Bass Andy Solomon
Keyboards, vocals Dave Palmer
Drums
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The follow-up single to Journey was You Talk Sunshine, I Breathe Fire, which stalled at # 114. It would be the Amboy Dukes’ last charting single.
