Uncle Ted and The War Memorial
During The War Memorial’s 75-year history, plenty of musicians have taken to the stage – whether it be in the Alger House, on the lakefront lawn, in the Alger Center, or in the former Fries Auditorium, later known as the Patriot Theater.
One such performance came on June 21, 1971, when Ted Nugent and the Amboy Dukes performed at the Fries Auditorium.
“Oh, I remember alright!” the 75-year-old Nugent wrote in an email interview with The War Memorial. “I remember all my 6,944 rock outs because each and every one of them was the most important rock out ever! My band attacked every gig as the most important gig every time!”
The cover of The Amboy Dukes 1969 album Migration. The group performed at The War Memorial on June 21, 1971. Ted Nugent is seen here, third from the left.
Nugent recalls Nancy Quatro attending that gig, something that he called inspiring. Quatro was part of The Pleasure Seekers, the all-female rock band from Detroit that also has a War Memorial connection. The group took some publicity photos here in the 1960s.
The Amboy Dukes are best known for its 1968 hit “Journey to the Center of the Mind,” with Nugent serving as lead guitarist. The group consisted of Nugent, Dave Palmer on drums, Rick Lober and Andy Solomon on keyboards, Greg Arama on bass guitar, Steve Farmer on guitar and vocals, and John Brake on lead vocals.
“Uncle Ted” as he is sometimes referred to, has sold millions of albums, while performing nearly 7,000 concerts, and in 2012 was named Detroit’s Greatest Guitar Player of all time by readers of MLive.
An archived edition of the Grosse Pointe News from June 17, 1971, indicates that a movie was shown at the Fries Auditorium prior to the concert. Tickets to see the Amboy Dukes were $3 in advance or $3.50 at the door.
“Those early shows would all have looked like a band of gung-ho, maniacally driven young whippersnapper musicians that absolutely immersed ourselves into the music to make every song powerful, energized, tight, dynamic and authoritative like our heroes James Brown and Chuck Berry,” Nugent writes in response to what his show in 1971 would have looked like. “There would have been very athletic be-bopping and dancing to the grind and grooves with nothing but glowing smiles and happiness for the musical connection with our audience.”
The appearance in Grosse Pointe Farms came about four years prior to some of Nugent’s top hits like “Stranglehold” and “Motor City Madhouse” being released. A few of the Motor City Madman’s top hits include “Catch Scratch Fever,” “Fred Bear” and “Free-For-All.”
Other local appearances by Nugent and the group in 1971 included Detroit’s Cobo Arena in January, the Michigan State Fairgrounds Coliseum in Detroit, and Eastown Theatre, also in the Motor City.
Speaking about The War Memorial and our work to honor veterans, Nugent said “We were too young and dumb back then to know the life and death importance of warriors fighting and sacrificing for freedom, but we quickly came to grasp its historical and American value and soon dedicated ourselves accordingly. Today I dedicate much of my life to showing appreciation and total support for U.S. military heroes and their families.”
This year, as part of our 75th anniversary, The War Memorial will share stories from the public about the impact and experiences they have had at the nonprofit organization. Do you have a special War Memorial story or memory? Join us in telling #myWMstory and share yours!