Ted Nugent Brings Cat Scratch Fever to European Television A Defining Live Moment from 1979
In nineteen seventy nine Ted Nugent brought one of his most enduring songs, Cat Scratch Fever, to European television audiences in a live performance that has since become an important piece of his visual legacy. The appearance, preserved in the Reelin’ In The Years Archive and widely shared online, showcases Nugent performing the title track from his breakthrough album Cat Scratch Fever with the direct energy that made him a significant figure in late seventies hard rock.
Originally released in nineteen seventy seven as the lead single from his third solo album of the same name, Cat Scratch Fever became Ted Nugent’s most recognized song. The studio version features a memorable three tone minor key riff that drives the song’s structure and has helped it remain a staple of classic rock radio. It peaked at number thirty on the United States Billboard Hot One Hundred chart, marking Nugent’s only solo Top Forty hit.
The nineteen seventy nine television performance captures Nugent at a point when the song had already been integrated deeply into his live set list. His stage presence throughout the clip reflects his established reputation as a guitar centric performer. The live vocals and guitar work convey a raw immediacy that aligns with the aggressive style of the original recording, bringing the hard rock riff to life in front of a European audience that may have known the song primarily through radio and album play.
The Cat Scratch Fever album itself was both a commercial and artistic milestone for Nugent. It was recorded with vocalist Derek St. Holmes, bassist Rob Grange, and drummer Cliff Davies, and it captured the blend of blues influenced hard rock and guitar showmanship that Nugent had been refining since his time with The Amboy Dukes. The success of the single helped propel the album to multi platinum certification and cemented its title track as the signature anthem of Nugent’s solo career.
Visual documentation of Cat Scratch Fever from that era is relatively limited, making the nineteen seventy nine television footage particularly valuable. It does more than simply present a performance. It documents how Nugent translated a studio hit into a stage experience that emphasized both technical guitar work and broad audience engagement. For fans and historians of seventies rock, the clip remains a reference point for understanding Nugent’s impact on live hard rock performance.
Several decades after its release, Cat Scratch Fever continues to be recognized among the notable songs of its era. In two thousand nine the track was named by VH One as one of the top one hundred hard rock songs of all time, reflecting its enduring influence.
In the context of live rock heritage, Nugent’s nineteen seventy nine European television performance stands as a snapshot of an artist at a peak moment, delivering a track that defined his mainstream breakthrough with unfiltered guitar driven intensity.