Damn Yankees

The band was formed in 1989, consisting of Tommy Shaw of Styx, Jack Blades of Night Ranger, Ted Nugent of The Amboy Duke and a successful solo career, and Michael Cartellone  Presumably inspired by the musical of the same name, Nugent once also explained that he coined the name because whenever someone asked him how he and Tommy Shaw would sound playing together, he would always reply by saying they would sound like “a bunch of damn Yankees.”Produced by rock producer Ron Nevision, the new band’s self titled debut album went double-platinum in 1990. Jack Blades’s leading single "Coming of Age," hit #60 on the U.S. Hot 100, and #1 on the AOR charts, while Tommy Shaw’s "Come Again" received extensive AOR airplay. 1990's rock ballad "High Enough" rose to #3 on U.S. Hot 100, and #2 on AOR charts. Despite Ted Nugent's career being built on his "Motor City Madman" image, "High Enough" was his first mainstream top ten single. The band's songs appeared on several Hollywood film soundtracks, such as Gremlins 2:The New Batch , Nothing But Trouble and The Taking of Beverly Hills. After the release of their debut, the Damn Yankees went on a year-and-a-half world tour with the likes of a revamped Bad Company, Poison and Jackyl. Their U.S. tour coincided with the Persian Gulf War, in which the band unfurled American flags and made patriotic statements.

In 1992, Damn Yankees went gold with their follow-up album Don’t Tread. The title song, sung by Blades, enjoyed extensive coverage at the Barcelona Olympic Games. Ted Nugent also appeared on Rock the Vote, voicing support for the GOP  against Bill Clinton. Although the second release was not as successful as the first album, it contained a few minor hits, such as "Mister Please," "Where You Goin’ Now," and "The Silence Is Broken," a power ballad featured in the 1993 Jean-Claude Van Damme film Nowhere to Run. On January 15, 2010 at the NAMM Show in Anaheim, CA, the original members of Damn Yankees made a surprise appearance at the Taylor Guitars exhibit. Jack Blades, Tommy Shaw, Ted Nugent, and Michael Cartellone performed an acoustic set on the Taylor Stage including hits such as "Coming of Age", "High Enough", and the Ted Nugent anthem "Cat Scratch Fever". It was their first performance together since 2002. 

Damn Yankees The Essential Album

Track list

01 Runaway
02 Bad Reputation
03 Coming Of Age
04 Dirty Dog
05 Don’t Tread On Me
06 Double Coyote
07 Fifteen Minute Of Fame
08 High Enough
09 Where You Goin Now
10 Silence Is Broken
11 Come Again
12 Mister Please

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