Y&T Get Their Due (Part 1 of 2)
Oakland hard rockers Y&T have been a durable fixture on the rock scene since their start more than 50 years ago. And while the metal masters have racked up more than four million units in sales, when it comes to recognition via awards, they’ve arguably never received their due. That’s about to change: Y&T will be presented with the Icon Award at this year’s Poppy Jasper International Film Festival, April 8-15.
An embryonic lineup of the group came together in 1972 as a quartet playing covers; for their first gig they thought up the name Yesterday & Today, a nod to the 1966 Beatles album that originally sported the notorious (and now rare) “butcher” cover. By 1974, the group had changed in two significant ways: Dave Meniketti had joined on lead guitar, and the band began to write its own material.
Yesterday & Today’s early albums earned positive reviews, but minimal support and tepid promotion by their label kept them from breaking out in a bigger way. In retrospect, it was a good thing when London Records dropped the band after 1978’s presciently-titled Struck Down. Signing with A&M Records and shortening their name to the snappier Y&T, the band’s classic era would begin.
The foursome – Meniketti plus rhythm guitarist Joey Alves, drummer Leonard Haze and bassist Phil Kennemore – would record and release five studio LPs and a live set between 1976 and ‘86. Three of those melodic metal albums would appear on the Billboard 200; 1984’s In Rock We Trust peaked at No. 45. Notably – and unusually for an album-oriented hard rock act – Y&T landed three of its songs on Billboard’s Mainstream Rock singles chart in that period: 1983’s “Mean Streak” (No. 25), In Rock We Trust’s “Don’t Stop Running” from ‘84 (No. 33), 1985’s “All American Boy” (No. 48) and their biggest hit, “Summertime Girls” from 1985 (No. 16).
Meniketti – longtime leader of the band and today the sole surviving member from that classic era – looks back fondly on the lineup that turned out those hits and wowed audiences with its powerful live shows. He notes that the interaction among the players defined Y&T’s sound. “Phil had to really hold it down [on bass], because Leonard’s [drumming] style got wilder and wilder,” he says. “But Leonard and Phil had a great relationship through the years, with all of our songwriting and playing.”
The band’s lineup and style underwent a foundational change when Haze exited the band in 1987 (he’d return again in 2001 and remain with the group until 2007). In his place came a very different drummer, Jimmy DeGrasso. Where Haze played a straight-ahead style built around a drum kit with a single bass drum, DeGrasso made full use of a double-bass setup. “His style – and everything else that went with it – made quite a difference in the band,” Meniketti says, noting that DeGrasso’s approach freed Kennemore to play his bass in a more inventive and expressive manner.
By the late 1980s, Y&T entered a period in which the lineup would undergo multiple changes. Three of the classic four were still on board for 1990’s Ten and Yesterday & Today Live (1991), but the group went inactive in ‘92. But within the space of three years, the lineup that made Ten had reunited, going on to craft a pair of studio records, 1995’s Musically Incorrect and the critically-acclaimed Endangered Species in 1998. The group continued as a popular live act, but didn’t release another studio record until 2010’s Facemelter. That record would be Y&T’s last with Kennemore, and first studio set with drummer Mike Vanderhule.
With Vanderhule on board, Meniketti says that Y&T came “full circle,” as his style is closer to that of original drummer Leonard Haze. But the lineup continued to rotate for a few more years before settling down to a stable, durable and powerful foursome that has now been together for many years.
An EP featuring acoustic arrangements of band classics (Acoustic Classix Vol. 1) appeared in 2018, but releasing new music isn’t the priority it once was. Facemelter remains Y&T’s most recent release of new material to date. “Album releases don’t mean what they used to mean,” Meniketti explains. “In the ‘70s and ‘80s you made a big release, and it was part of getting airplay and booking a tour.” Today, he says, hardcore fans might enjoy hearing a new tune. “But will that sell more tickets?” he asks rhetorically. “And will it make us any money? No, not really.”
About the Author
Bill Kopp
With a background in marketing and advertising, Bill Kopp got his professional start writing for Trouser Press. After a stint as Editor-in-chief for a national music magazine, Bill launched Musoscribe in 2009, and has published new content every business day since then (and every single day for several years). The more than 5000 interviews, essays, and reviews on Musoscribe reflect Bill's keen interest in American musical forms, most notably rock, jazz, and soul. His work features a special emphasis on reissues and vinyl. Bill's work also appears in many other outlets both online and in print. He regularly hosts lecture/discussions on artists and albums of historical importance (including monthly events Music to Your Ears and Music Movie Mondays), and is a frequent guest on music-focused radio programs and podcasts. In Spring 2023 he taught a history of Rock 'n' Roll at UNC Asheville's College for Seniors. He also researches and authors liner notes for album reissues -- some 40 to date -- and co-produced a reissue of jazz legend Julian "Cannonball" Adderley's final album. His first book, Reinventing Pink Floyd: From Syd Barrett to The Dark Side of the Moon was published by Rowman & Littlefield in 2018, and in paperback in 2019. His second book, Disturbing the Peace: 415 Records and the Rise of New Wave, was published in 2021 by HoZac Books. His third book, What's the Big Idea: 30 Great Concept Albums is available now. Read even more about him here.