Editing Y&T (section)

==Biography==
===Early years (1972–1983)===
In 1972,<ref name="Rock Scene Magazine">Archived at [https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211211/fLXnm6741I4 Ghostarchive]{{cbignore}} and the [https://web.archive.org/web/20210131055331/https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fLXnm6741I4 Wayback Machine]{{cbignore}}: {{cite web |title=Dave Meniketti from Y&T talks about his early ROCK SCENE days. |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fLXnm6741I4&t=369s |access-date=May 8, 2021 |publisher=Rock Scene Magazine}}{{cbignore}}</ref> Leonard Haze, Bob Gardner, and Wayne Stitzer formed an unnamed band in Oakland, California, that [[Jam session|jammed]] only cover tunes when [[Dave Meniketti]] joined that same year as guitar player. Soon after, the band received a call for their first gig, but they needed a name. According to Meniketti and Haze, Haze chose the name of the album that was playing on his turntable at that moment – ''[[Yesterday and Today]]'' – a studio album by [[the Beatles]]. The first lineup – which only played covers of songs by other artists – consisted of Haze on drums, Stitzer on piano, Gardner on bass, and Meniketti on lead vocals and lead guitar. After Stitzer quit the group, Gardner switched from bass to rhythm guitar and piano, and Phil Kennemore was brought in to play bass. In 1973, Gardner left the group; he was replaced by Joey Alves in January 1974. This 1974 lineup change was when the band began writing original material.<ref name="Rock Scene Magazine"/>

The band performed shows with [[Journey (band)|Journey]] and many other acts, including [[Queen (band)|Queen]]; during a show as part of the latter's ''[[A Night at the Opera (Queen album)|Night at the Opera]]'' tour, Y&T were seen by the president of [[London Records]], and were subsequently signed to the label. London released the band's first two studio albums, a [[Yesterday & Today (Y&T album)|self-titled debut]] and ''[[Struck Down]]'', in 1976 and 1978, respectively. While finishing their second album, London disclosed they would be removing the rock genre from their label, and Meniketti has since commented that this essentially meant that the ''Struck Down'' album "would go nowhere."<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=srP8oSOPM2o&t=353s|title=Dave Meniketti tells the story about Y&T (from 2008)|publisher=Metal Express Radio|access-date=May 10, 2021}}</ref> The band continued to tour extensively, building up to headliners while they opened for bands such as [[Wild Cherry (band)|Wild Cherry]], [[Kiss (band)|Kiss]], [[AC/DC]], and more.

As Meniketti has said in numerous radio, television, and magazine interviews over the past five decades, it was the new record deal ("which took forever" [to secure]<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=srP8oSOPM2o&t=353s|title=Dave Meniketti tells the story about Y&T (from 2008)|publisher=Metal Express Radio|access-date=May 10, 2021}}</ref>) in 1980 with [[A&M Records]] that prompted the band to shorten their name to simply '''Y&T''', which was influenced by their encores where fans would chant, "Y&T, Y&T, Y&T."<ref name="80's Metal Recycle Bin">Archived at [https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211211/IwozgbdZz-Y Ghostarchive]{{cbignore}} and the [https://web.archive.org/web/20210508150419/https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IwozgbdZz-Y&t=82s Wayback Machine]{{cbignore}}: {{cite web|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IwozgbdZz-Y&t=82s|title=Y&T Dave Meneketti "Straight Talkin' Mean Streak"|publisher=80's Metal Recycle Bin |access-date=May 8, 2021}}{{cbignore}}</ref><ref name="Rock Scene Magazine"/>

The band's first two studio albums under A&M, ''[[Earthshaker (album)|Earthshaker]]'' (1981) and ''[[Black Tiger (album)|Black Tiger]]'' (1982), though critically acclaimed around the globe, did not gain mainstream exposure in America. Songs off these two albums still make up a significant part of the band's live shows. ''Black Tiger'' was recorded at Ridge Farm, in Dorking, County of Surrey, England and produced by Max Norman.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=srP8oSOPM2o&t=353s|title=Dave Meniketti tells the story about Y&T (from 2008)|publisher=Metal Express Radio|access-date=May 10, 2021}}</ref> The classic Y&T logo made its first appearance on the cover of this album. Part-way through recording ''Black Tiger'', the band did their first shows outside the US—[[Netherlands]] followed by the UK.

By 1983, Y&T had started to play larger venues such as arenas, stadiums, and amphitheaters across America and Europe with a variety of acts including [[AC/DC]], [[Alice Cooper]], [[Blackfoot (band)|Blackfoot]], [[Dio (band)|Dio]], [[Iron Maiden]], [[Marillion]], [[Mötley Crüe]], [[Ozzy Osbourne]], [[Twisted Sister]], and [[ZZ Top]],<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.concertarchives.org/bands/y-t--2?page=3#concert-table|title=Y & T's Concert History|publisher=Concert Archives|access-date=May 21, 2021}}</ref><ref name="concertarchives">{{cite web|url=https://www.concertarchives.org/bands/y-t--3?page=2#concert-table|title=Y&T's Concert History|publisher=Concert Archives|access-date=May 21, 2021}}</ref> garnering far more mainstream recognition in Europe and Japan than they did in their native United States.<ref name="80's Metal Recycle Bin"/> With their third A&M release, ''[[Mean Streak (album)|Mean Streak]]'' (1983), radio airplay and exposure had increased in the US despite poor promotion from the record company.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=srP8oSOPM2o&t=353s|title=Dave Meniketti tells the story about Y&T (from 2008)|publisher=Metal Express Radio|access-date=May 10, 2021}}</ref>

===Commercial success and brief hiatus (1984–1991)===
Y&T's sixth studio album, ''[[In Rock We Trust]]'', released in 1984, became the band's highest-charting and selling album, reaching No. 46 on the [[Billboard 200|''Billboard'' 200]]. The album produced Y&T's first big radio hit "Don't Stop Runnin'". [[Dr Pepper]] acquired the rights to use "She's a Liar" in a radio ad campaign. To date, ''In Rock We Trust'' has sold over 450,000 copies. This album was the only Y&T album to chart in Canada, reaching No. 77 on the RPM chart. The label brought in writer [[Jeff Paris (musician)|Geoffrey Leib]] for the album, the first time an external writer had been used. The success of ''In Rock We Trust'', which saw the band continuing to perform at arenas and stadiums (including opening for [[Rush (band)|Rush]] and [[Dio (band)|Dio]] on their tours for ''[[Grace Under Pressure (Rush album)|Grace Under Pressure]]'' and ''[[The Last in Line]]'' respectively, as well as shows with [[Whitesnake]], [[Twisted Sister]], [[Ratt]], [[Dokken]], and [[Night Ranger]]),<ref name="concertarchives"/><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.concertarchives.org/bands/y-t--2?page=2#concert-table|title=Y & T's Concert History|publisher=Concert Archives|access-date=May 21, 2021}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.cygnus-x1.net/links/rush/tourdates.php|title=Rush Concert Tour Dates Listing|publisher=cygnus-x1.net|access-date=May 21, 2021}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.dio.net/tour/the_last_in_line.html|title=The Last In Line tour dates|publisher=The Ronnie James Dio Pages|access-date=May 21, 2021}}</ref> and participating in the 1984 edition of [[Monsters of Rock]] at [[Donington Park]] in England,<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.ukrockfestivals.com/donington-1984.html|title=Monsters Of Rock . Castle Donington 1984.|publisher=ukrockfestivals.com|access-date=May 21, 2021}}</ref> gave Y&T better exposure than they'd had previously.

The band's 1985 hit "[[Summertime Girls]]", initially featured as the sole studio track on the band's first live album, ''[[Open Fire (Y&T album)|Open Fire]]'', and later also featured on their seventh (studio) album ''[[Down for the Count]]'' released later the same year, became the band's highest-charting hit to date, reaching No. 55 on the [[Billboard Hot 100|''Billboard'' Hot 100]] and No. 16 on the [[Mainstream Rock (chart)|Mainstream Rock songs chart]].<ref>{{cite magazine |url=https://www.billboard.com/artist/yt/chart-history/rtt/ |title=Mainstream Rock Songs|magazine=[[Billboard (magazine)|Billboard]]}}</ref>  It received airplay worldwide, played frequently in the ''[[Baywatch]]'' television series, featured in several feature films (including [[Real Genius]]), received heavy rotation on [[MTV]] as well as MTV's top video playlists, and continues to get regular airplay today on [[classic rock]] radio stations throughout the United States. ''Down for the Count'' would be the band's last album for A&M, as the band grew increasingly frustrated with the lack of promotion from the label within the US. Despite successful tours with [[Mötley Crüe]] and [[Aerosmith]], and the chart success of "Summertime Girls", the label declined to release a follow-up single. On his recollection of ''Down for the Count'', Meniketti said in an interview for Metal Express Radio: ". . . it ended up being a sort of wasted record . . . it was out right when the record company didn't care about us." In present day the band still play tracks from the album in their live shows.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=srP8oSOPM2o&t=353s|title=Dave Meniketti tells the story about Y&T (from 2008)|publisher=Metal Express Radio|access-date=May 11, 2021}}</ref>

In 1986, the band changed record labels to [[Geffen Records|Geffen]], and in that same year, Haze was fired for drug abuse issues (as Haze, band, and management discuss in the documentary "Y&T: On With the Show"), and was replaced by [[Jimmy DeGrasso]]; decades later when interviewed for the documentary ''Y&T: On With the Show'', Haze said, "I would've fired me, too."

In 1987, the eighth album ''[[Contagious (Y&T album)|Contagious]]'' was released. In 1989, Alves was fired for drug abuse and was replaced by Stef Burns. (DeGrasso and Burns later played together with [[Alice Cooper]] in the 1990s.) Y&T's next studio album ''[[Ten (Y&T album)|Ten]]'' was released in 1990. The album features ballads such as "Don't Be Afraid of the Dark" (the first and only single from the album), "Ten Lovers", and "Come in from the Rain", together with a few straightforward hard rock songs, including "Hard Times", "City", "Surrender", and "Goin' Off the Deep End". According to Meniketti, the video for "Don't Be Afraid of the Dark" was probably the best video they ever made, but with the onset of [[grunge]] he never once saw it on [[MTV]].<ref name="80's Metal Recycle Bin"/>

With the record company opting not to release any further singles from the ''Ten'' album, the band decided to do seven shows in California and take a break in 1991, concluding with the live album ''Yesterday & Today Live''. Shortly after the 1991 hiatus, Meniketti declined an opportunity to form a proposed 'super group' with [[Peter Frampton]].<ref name="80's Metal Recycle Bin"/>

===Resurgence (1995–present)===
[[File:Phil Kennemore Hellfest.JPG|thumb|Phil Kennemore at [[Hellfest (French music festival)|Hellfest]] in France, 2010]]

In 1995, Y&T resumed with the same lineup of Meniketti, Burns, Kennemore, and DeGrasso, releasing ''Musically Incorrect'' in 1995 and ''[[Endangered Species (Y&T album)|Endangered Species]]'' in 1997. The band performed sporadically during the mid-to-late 1990s. However, in 2001, Haze returned on drums. At the time, Burns was in three bands: Y&T, [[Huey Lewis and the News]], and Italy's biggest rock star, [[Vasco Rossi]]; scheduling conflicts forced Burns to drop one of the three bands, and so in 2003 he left Y&T. He was replaced by rhythm guitarist/backing vocalist, John Nymann, who was a childhood friend of the band, and who had previously toured on the ''In Rock We Trust'' tour as a background vocalist, as Rock the Robot, and he sang backing vocals on ''Down for the Count''.

In 2003, Y&T resumed touring the world. In 2006 as Haze's drug abuse continued creating issues, he was asked to step down and was replaced by Mike Vanderhule on drums.

In 2009, Y&T began writing their twelfth studio album, released in May 2010,<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.roadrunnerrecords.com/blabbermouth.Net/news.aspx?mode=Article&newsitemID=131830 |title=BLABBERMOUTH.NET&nbsp;– Y&T: New Studio Album Due In May |publisher=Roadrunnerrecords.com |access-date=December 27, 2010}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.roadrunnerrecords.com/blabbermouth.Net/news.aspx?mode=Article&newsitemID=133296 |title=BLABBERMOUTH.NET&nbsp;– Y&T Continuing Work On New Album |publisher=Roadrunnerrecords.com |access-date=December 27, 2010}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.roadrunnerrecords.com/blabbermouth.net/news.aspx?mode=Article&newsitemID=136131 |title=BLABBERMOUTH.NET&nbsp;– DAVE MENIKETTI Says New Y&T Album 'Is Not Gonna Suck' |publisher=Roadrunnerrecords.com |access-date=December 27, 2010}}</ref> titled ''[[Facemelter]]''<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.roadrunnerrecords.com/blabbermouth.net/news.aspx?mode=Article&newsitemID=137857 |title=BLABBERMOUTH.NET&nbsp;– Y&T To Release 'Facemelter' In May |publisher=Roadrunnerrecords.com |access-date=December 27, 2010 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110606085730/http://www.roadrunnerrecords.com/blabbermouth.net/news.aspx?mode=Article&newsitemID=137857 |archive-date=June 6, 2011 }}</ref> on their own label in the US. It was their first studio album in thirteen years (since 1997's ''[[Endangered Species (Y&T album)|Endangered Species]]'') and was consequently licensed to the Italian label [[Frontiers Records]] for the rest of the world.

[[File:Dave Meniketti.jpg|thumb|left|upright=0.75|Dave Meniketti at Download Festival 2010, Donington, UK]]
In June 2010, Y&T toured the world in support of ''Facemelter'', performing the big European summer festivals, such as [[Sweden Rock]], [[Download Festival]] at [[Donington Park]], UK, and [[Hellfest (French music festival)|Hellfest]] in Clisson, France. During this world tour, bassist Kennemore experienced health issues; that summer, while on the US leg of the 2010 world tour, he was diagnosed with stage IV lung cancer. Upon receiving doctor's orders to leave the tour and begin treatment, Kennemore urged Meniketti to find a replacement and continue touring.

In July 2010, the group enlisted [[Brad Lang]], bass player from the band Jet Red, to step in and finish Y&T's tour promoting ''Facemelter'', as Kennemore wanted the tour to carry on during his fight with cancer. On January 7, 2011, bassist Kennemore died at the age of 57 after a short battle with lung cancer. Kennemore and Meniketti had been the only constant members of the band since the original 1974 lineup. After Kennemore's untimely passing, Lang filled continued in the bass position.

[[File:John Nymann (2015).jpg|upright=0.75|thumb|John Nymann in Gebr. De Nobel, [[Leiden]], Netherlands, 2015]]
On October 19, 2013, in Bellagio, Italy, Stef Burns joined the band onstage for four songs ("Black Tiger", "Dirty Girl", "Midnight In Tokyo", and "Hurricane") in a reunion of sorts since Burns had been busy touring with [[Huey Lewis and the News]] and [[Vasco Rossi]]. This one-time reunion was well received by the fans, as one would expect.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.setlist.fm/setlist/y-and-t/2013/lido-de-bellagio-bellagio-italy-63c77edb.html |title=Y & T Concert Setlist at Lido de Bellagio, Bellagio on October 19, 2013 |website=Setlist.fm |access-date=September 15, 2016}}</ref>

In April 2016, Lang left the band to address his alcohol dependency issues; his last show with Y&T was on April 2, 2016, at the Fillmore in San Francisco.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.blabbermouth.net/news/yt-bassist-brad-lang-i-thought-that-i-was-a-social-drinker-i-am-not/ |title=Y&T Bassist Brad Lang: 'I Thought That I Was A Social Drinker. I Am Not.' |website=Blabbermouth.net |date=April 10, 2016 |access-date=September 15, 2016}}</ref> Lang's friend Aaron Leigh ([[Frank Hannon]] Band) stepped in, his first show on April 14 at the Canyon Club in Agoura Hills, CA. On June 29, 2016, Y&T and Lang announced separately on their own Facebook pages that they had mutually and amicably parted ways, confirming that Leigh would remain as the band's bassist.

Original drummer Haze died on September 11, 2016, at the age of 61 after a long battle with [[chronic obstructive pulmonary disease]].<ref>[https://www.mercurynews.com/2016/09/12/leonard-haze-popular-drummer-with-yt-dies-at-61/ Leonard Haze, Y&T's popular drummer, dies at 61] accessdate January 18, 2018</ref><ref>[http://grissomsmortuary.com/obituaries/detail/leonard-haze Leonard Haze September 7, 1955 – September 11, 2016] accessdate January 18, 2018</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.blabbermouth.net/news/original-yt-drummer-leonard-haze-dead-at-61/ |title=Original Y&T Drummer Leonard Haze Dead At 61 |website=Blabbermouth.net |date=September 12, 2016 |access-date=September 15, 2016}}</ref> Original rhythm guitarist Alves died on March 12, 2017, at the age of 63 from ulcerative colitis and inflammatory bowel disease.<ref>[http://www.lastingmemories.com/memorial/joseph-joey-alves?obituaries Joseph (Joey) Alves] accessdate January 18, 2018</ref><ref>{{cite web| url=http://rockmuzine.nl/2017/03/12/y-ts-oorspronkelijke-gitarist-joey-alves-overleden/ |title=Y & T's oorspronkelijke gitarist Joey Alves overleden |website=RockMuZine.nl |date=March 12, 2017 |access-date=March 12, 2017}}</ref>  Alves' death left Meniketti as the last surviving member from the band's original, classic lineup.

In January 2018, Y&T released their first-ever acoustic EP titled ''Acoustic Classix Vol. 1''.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.blabbermouth.net/news/yt-to-release-first-acoustic-ep-in-january/|title=Y&T To Release First Acoustic EP In January|date=December 24, 2017|publisher=[[Blabbermouth.net]]|access-date=December 24, 2017}}</ref> In June 2018, Meniketti said that the band might release more acoustic EPs in the future.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.blabbermouth.net/news/dave-meniketti-says-yt-absolutely-plans-on-releasing-more-acoustic-eps/|title=DAVE MENIKETTI Says Y&T 'Absolutely' Plans On Releasing More Acoustic EPs|date=June 9, 2018|publisher=[[Blabbermouth.net]]|access-date=June 9, 2018}}</ref>

On November 26, 2019, the long-awaited, fan-backed (on Kickstarter) documentary ''On With The Show'' [https://yandtrocks.com/discography/] was released.''