Y&T (originally known as Yesterday & Today) is an American hard rock and heavy metal band formed in Oakland, California. The classic lineup that recorded the band's first album was established in 1974. The band released two studio albums on London Records under the name Yesterday & Today in the 1970s before shortening their name to Y&T. They subsequently released several albums on A&M Records beginning in 1981, followed by releases on Geffen Records, Avex Records and other labels. The band was originally co-managed by Herbie Herbert and Louis "Lou" Bramy. Y&T has released 18 albums, three greatest hits collections and a boxed set, and has sold millions of albums worldwide.
In 1972, Leonard Haze, Bob Gardner and Wayne Stitzer formed an unnamed band in Oakland, California, that initially performed only cover songs. Dave Meniketti joined the same year as a guitarist. When the group received an offer to play its first concert, it needed a name. According to Meniketti and Haze, Haze chose the name of the album playing on his turntable at the time, "Yesterday and Today", a studio album by the Beatles. The original lineup consisted of Haze on drums, Stitzer on piano, Gardner on bass, and Meniketti on lead vocals and lead guitar. After Stitzer left, Gardner switched from bass to rhythm guitar and piano, while Phil Kennemore joined as bassist. Gardner left the group in 1973 and was replaced by Joey Alves in January 1974. The 1974 lineup subsequently began writing original material.
During the mid-1970s, the lineup performed with Journey and other acts, including Queen. While appearing at a Queen concert during the "A Night at the Opera" tour, the band was seen by the president of London Records and subsequently signed to the label. London released the band's first two studio albums, "Yesterday & Today" and "Struck Down", in 1976 and 1978, respectively. During the recording of "Struck Down", London informed the band that it was removing rock music from its catalogue. The band continued to tour extensively during the late 1970s, eventually headlining shows while also opening for acts including Wild Cherry, Kiss and AC/DC.
In 1980, the band signed a new record deal with A&M Records and shortened its name to Y&T. According to Meniketti, the change was influenced by audiences chanting "Y&T" during encores.
Y&T's first two studio albums for A&M Records, "Earthshaker" (1981) and "Black Tiger" (1982), received critical attention internationally but did not achieve significant mainstream exposure in the United States. Songs from both albums remained part of the band's live repertoire. "Black Tiger" was recorded at Ridge Farm in Dorking, Surrey, England, and produced by Max Norman. The band's logo first appeared on the cover of this album. During the recording of "Black Tiger", Y&T performed its first concerts outside the United States, including an appearance at the Pinkpop Festival with ZZ Top in the Netherlands, followed by its first headlining tour of the United Kingdom.
In 1982, Y&T also performed at the Reading Festival in England and toured the United Kingdom and Europe with AC/DC.
In 1983, Y&T continued performing at larger venues in the United States and Europe, including arenas, stadiums and amphitheatres. The band appeared with acts including Alice Cooper, Blackfoot, Dio, Iron Maiden, Marillion, Mötley Crüe, Ozzy Osbourne and Twisted Sister. The band gained greater recognition in Europe and Japan than in the United States. Its third A&M album, "Mean Streak", was released in 1983 and received increased radio exposure in the United States.
Y&T's sixth studio album, "In Rock We Trust", was released in 1984 and became the band's highest-charting and best-selling album, reaching number 46 on the Billboard 200. It produced the band's first major radio hit, "Don't Stop Runnin'". Dr Pepper acquired the rights to use "She's a Liar" in a radio advertising campaign. "In Rock We Trust" was the only Y&T album to chart in Canada, where it reached number 77 on the RPM chart. Geoffrey Leib became the first external songwriter to contribute to a Y&T album. Following the album's release, the band continued to perform in arenas and stadiums, including as an opening act for Rush and Dio during their respective tours for "Grace Under Pressure" and "The Last in Line". Y&T also performed with Whitesnake, Twisted Sister, Ratt, Dokken and Night Ranger, and appeared at the 1984 Monsters of Rock festival at Donington Park in England.
In 1985, Y&T released "Open Fire", its first live album. The album included "Summertime Girls", which was initially the only studio recording on the release. The song was subsequently included on the band's seventh studio album, "Down for the Count", released later that year. "Summertime Girls" became the band's highest-charting single at the time, reaching number 55 on the Billboard Hot 100 and number 16 on the Mainstream Rock chart. It received international radio airplay and was featured in the television series "Baywatch" and films including "Real Genius". The song also received extensive MTV airplay.
"Down for the Count" was Y&T's final album for A&M Records. The band had become dissatisfied with the label's promotion of its releases in the United States. Despite touring with Mötley Crüe and Aerosmith and the chart performance of "Summertime Girls", A&M did not release another single from the album.
In 1986, Y&T signed with Geffen Records. That year, Haze left the band and was replaced by Jimmy DeGrasso. Haze's departure and his substance abuse were later discussed in the documentary "Y&T: On With the Show".
Y&T released its eighth studio album, "Contagious", in 1987. In 1989, Alves left the band and was replaced by Stef Burns. DeGrasso and Burns later played together in Alice Cooper's band during the 1990s.
Y&T's ninth studio album, "Ten", was released in 1990. It included ballads such as "Don't Be Afraid of the Dark", "Ten Lovers" and "Come in from the Rain", as well as hard rock songs including "Hard Times", "City", "Surrender" and "Goin' Off the Deep End". "Don't Be Afraid of the Dark" was the album's first and only single. Meniketti later said that the music video for the song was among the band's best, although he did not recall seeing it broadcast on MTV during the rise of grunge.
After the record company declined to release additional singles from "Ten", Y&T performed seven concerts in California and took a break in 1991. The period concluded with the release of the live album "Yesterday & Today Live". Following the hiatus, Meniketti declined an offer to join a proposed supergroup with Peter Frampton.
Y&T resumed activity in 1995 with Meniketti, Burns, Kennemore and DeGrasso. The band released "Musically Incorrect" in 1995 and "Endangered Species" in 1997, and performed sporadically during the mid-to-late 1990s.
Haze returned as the band's drummer in 2001. Burns was simultaneously a member of Y&T, Huey Lewis and the News, and the band of Italian musician Vasco Rossi. Scheduling conflicts led to his departure from Y&T in 2003. He was replaced by John Nymann, a rhythm guitarist and backing vocalist who had known the band since childhood. Nymann had previously toured with Y&T during the "In Rock We Trust" tour as a backing vocalist and as Rock the Robot, and had provided backing vocals on "Down for the Count".
Y&T resumed international touring in 2003. In 2006, Haze was replaced by Mike Vanderhule following continuing issues related to his substance abuse.
In 2009, Y&T began work on its twelfth studio album. "Facemelter" was released in May 2010 on the band's own label in the United States and was subsequently licensed to Frontiers Records for international release. It was Y&T's first studio album in 13 years, following "Endangered Species" in 1997.
In June 2010, Y&T began a world tour in support of "Facemelter", including appearances at European festivals such as Sweden Rock Festival, Download Festival at Donington Park in England and Hellfest in Clisson, France. During the tour, bassist Phil Kennemore was diagnosed with stage IV lung cancer while the band was performing in the United States. Following medical advice to leave the tour and begin treatment, Kennemore asked Meniketti to find a replacement so that the tour could continue.
In July 2010, Brad Lang, bassist of Jet Red, joined Y&T for the remainder of the tour. Kennemore died of lung cancer on January 7, 2011, at the age of 57. He and Meniketti had been the only continuous members of the band from its 1974 classic lineup. Following Kennemore's death, Lang became the band's permanent bassist.
On October 19, 2013, Stef Burns joined Y&T onstage in Bellagio, Italy, for four songs: "Black Tiger", "Dirty Girl", "Midnight in Tokyo" and "Hurricane". The appearance marked a reunion between Burns and the band while he was also performing with Huey Lewis and the News and Vasco Rossi.
Lang left Y&T in April 2016. Aaron Leigh, who had previously performed with the Frank Hannon Band, subsequently joined the band as bassist. On June 29, 2016, Y&T and Lang separately announced that they had mutually ended their association and that Leigh would remain with the band.
Leonard Haze died on September 11, 2016, at the age of 61 following a long illness involving chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. Joey Alves died on March 12, 2017, at the age of 63 from complications associated with ulcerative colitis and inflammatory bowel disease. Alves' death left Meniketti as the only surviving member of the band's original 1974 classic lineup.
In January 2018, Y&T released its first acoustic EP, "Acoustic Classix Vol. 1". In June 2018, Meniketti stated that the band might release additional acoustic EPs.
On November 26, 2019, the documentary "Y&T: On With the Show", funded by fans through Kickstarter, was released.
Full Wikipedia article: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Y%26T
Studio albums
Yesterday and Today (1976)
Struck Down (1978)
Earthshaker (1981)
Black Tiger (1982)
Mean Streak (1983)
In Rock We Trust (1984)
Down for the Count (1985)
Contagious (1987)
Ten (1990)
Musically Incorrect (1995)
Endangered Species (1997)
Facemelter (2010)
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…shrink me down again