Steve Farmer is an American guitarist and composer best known for his composition with Ted Nugent in 1968 titled "Journey to the Center of the Mind", performed by their group The Amboy Dukes. Farmer wrote the lyrics to this hit song, which peaked at #16 in that year. He also co-wrote many compositions with Nugent to complete three albums with the Amboy Dukes. The first, the self titled album The Amboy Dukes, featured "Baby Please Don't Go"; the second, Journey to the Center of the Mind, was a sort of psychedelic rock opera; and the third Amboy Dukes album, titled Migration, although not a commercial success, showed a refinement of both Farmer's songwriting skills and Nugent's guitar style. All three albums (released by Mainstream Records) featured the Steve Farmer touches that emphasized psychedelic imagery, so central to late sixties pop culture.
In early 2000, Steve completed work on his latest album, Journey to the Darkside of the Mind (released by Saint Thomas Records), with long time fellow Amboy Duke Rick Lober on keyboards. It was produced by Victor Peraino, who is known for his innovational work on the Mellotron with England's Arthur Brown. Due to the success and critical acclaim of this release, renewed interest has surfaced in recognition of Farmer's artistic songwriting abilities.
At the 18th annual Detroit Music Awards on April 17th, 2009, the original lineup of The Amboy Dukes performed on stage for the first time in 30 years. On stage at The Fillmore Detroit were Ted Nugent on lead guitar, Steve Farmer on guitar, John Drake on vocals, Andy Solomon on keyboards, Rick Lober on keyboards, and Bill White on bass. In recognition of the band's contribution to rock music history, they received a Distinguished Achievement award.
Famous quotes containing the words steve and/or farmer:
“Y’know plenty of people, in their right mind, thought they saw things that didn’t exist, y’know, like flying saucers. The light was just right, and the angle and the imagination. Oh boy, if that’s what it is, then this is just an ordinary night. You and I are going to go home and go to sleep and tomorrow when we get up that sun’s gonna shine. Just like yesterday. Good ol’ yesterday.”
—Theodore Simonson. Irvin S. Yeaworth, Jr.. Steve Andrews (Steven McQueen)
“One farmer says to me, “You cannot live on vegetable food solely, for it furnishes nothing to make bones with;” and so he religiously devotes a part of his day to supplying his system with the raw material of bones; walking all the while he talks behind his oxen, which, with vegetable-made bones, jerk him and his lumbering plow along in spite of every obstacle.”
—Henry David Thoreau (1817–1862)