1985-1988
In 1985 Amato took on vocal and guitar responsibilities with Ted Nugent. His most memorable tour was in 1986 when he sang lead vocals and played guitar with Nugent, and they shared the tour bill with Aerosmith. He stayed with Nugent for three years, making the albums Little Miss Dangerous and If You Can't Lick 'Em...Lick 'Em. Due to a conflict of schedules, Amato left Nugent in December 1988 when Nugent accepted an unplanned tour and Amato had other obligations. They remain good friends and have even shared the stage with Nugent opening for REO Speedwagon numerous times since 2001.
After the break from Nugent, Dave travelled to Australia, to tour with Jimmy Barnes, playing guitar on the double live album Barnestorming. His playing and vocals are also featured on Barnes' earlier albums For The Working Class Man and Freight Train Heart. Amato also played lead guitar and sang some lead vocals with John and Dino Elefante (formerly of Kansas) for their Christian rock group Mastedon but was never an official member. They cut two CDs; It's a Jungle Out There (1988) and Lofcaudio (1990).
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