Tommy Shaw thinks Ted Nugent’s ‘big personality’ caused Damn Yankees’ breakup.
“Having Ted in the mix… he’s a big personality,” the rocker told Ultimate Classic Rock in a new chat. “It’s like a big spice if you’re preparing a feast. And this is a really powerful spice. You have to figure out how to work it all in together so that it’s something that people can consume.”
He further talked about the supergroup, “It was so spicy. It was one of those things that wasn’t meant to be forever. It’s something that we had a great time doing. We made two records and you could kind of feel it pulling it away at the seams after that.”
Shaw teamed up with Jack Blades, Michael Cartellone, and Nugent in 1989 in Damn Yankees. The band had success with two albums, ‘Damn Yankees’ and ‘Don’t Tread,’ selling over three million copies. But by 1994, the band split, and the members moved on to other projects.
Tommy has no plans to revive Damn Yankees. “Michael is a permanent fixture in Lynyrd Skynyrd, and Damn Yankees without Michael Cartellone just wouldn’t be right. And we [in Styx] do 90 to 120 shows a year, and you have to go home some time. It’s like having two wives, your two families,” he shared with Eddie Trunk last year about the possibility of a reunion with Damn Yankees.
The rocker added, “As far as I’m concerned, we had our day. We had big records, we sold a lot of records, we got a lot of airplay, and I just don’t know how we would be able to fit all that in. I wouldn’t wanna tell the guys in my band [Styx], ‘Sorry, guys. We can’t play any shows for a few months.’ ‘Cause that’s what everybody wants to do.”
Shaw is staying busy with Styx. The band will start the year with a Las Vegas residency, performing ‘The Grand Illusion’ album. In the summer, they’ll tour with REO Speedwagon’s Kevin Cronin and special guest Don Felder.
