Detroit (a.k.a. The Band Detroit, so as not to be confused with the city of

Detroit Detroit ( , ; , ) is the largest city in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is also the largest U.S. city on the United States–Canada border, and the seat of government of Wayne County. The City of Detroit had a population of 639,111 at th ...

) was a spinoff of rock group

The Detroit Wheels The Detroit Wheels were an American rock band, formed in Detroit in 1964. They served as Mitch Ryder's backup band from 1964 to 1967. The band had a number of top twenty hits in the mid-1960s before lead singer Ryder was enticed away by Bob C ...

. This revised version of that band was formed by

Mitch Ryder Mitch Ryder (born William Sherille Levise, Jr.; February 26, 1945) is an American musician who has recorded more than 25 albums over more than four decades. Career Ryder formed his first band, Tempest, when he was at Warren High School, and th ...

as a successor to The Wheels in 1970. The only original Wheel in the group was the drummer

Johnny "Bee" Badanjek Johnny "Bee" Badanjek is an American musician, singer, songwriter and painter. Music career At 16, Badanjek (pronounced:buh-DAN-jek) was the drummer for the Detroit rock and roll band Billy Lee and The Rivieras who later changed their name to ...

; other members were guitarists

Steve Hunter Stephen John Hunter (born June 14, 1948) is an American guitarist, primarily a session player. He has worked with Lou Reed and Alice Cooper, acquiring the moniker "The Deacon". Hunter first played with Mitch Ryder's Detroit, beginning a long as ...

and

Brett Tuggle Brett Tuggle (September 23, 1951 – June 19, 2022) was an American musician who is best known for his keyboard playing with Fleetwood Mac and the David Lee Roth band. Career Early years As a child, he studied classical piano and learned guitar ...

, organist Harry Phillips and bassists W.R. Cooke and John Sauter. A single album was released by this grouping, a 1971 self-titled LP issued on

Paramount Records Paramount Records was an American record label known for its recordings of jazz and blues in the 1920s and early 1930s, including such artists as Ma Rainey, Tommy Johnson and Blind Lemon Jefferson. Early years Paramount Records was formed in 19 ...

(US #176 in 1972). They had a hit with their version of the

Lou Reed Lewis Allan Reed (March 2, 1942October 27, 2013) was an American musician, songwriter, and poet. He was the guitarist, singer, and principal songwriter for the rock band the Velvet Underground and had a solo career that spanned five decades. ...

- penned song " Rock & Roll", which Reed liked enough to ask Steve Hunter to join his backing band. Ryder quit the group because of voice problems in 1972, and Detroit vocalist

Rusty Day Russell Edward "Rusty Day" Davidson (December 29, 1945 – June 3, 1982) was a lead vocalist, best known for his work with Cactus (American band), Cactus, the Amboy Dukes, and Steve Gaines. Career with the Amboy Dukes Day joined the Amboy Dukes ...

(formerly of the American Amboy Dukes and

Cactus A cactus (, or less commonly, cactus) is a member of the plant family Cactaceae, a family comprising about 127 genera with some 1750 known species of the order Caryophyllales. The word ''cactus'' derives, through Latin, from the Ancient Greek ...

) took over his spot; without Ryder, the group floundered, and eventually broke up in 1974. While not as commercially successful, Rusty Day's era of Detroit was a powerhouse to be reckoned with. He used to sing for

Ted Nugent Theodore Anthony Nugent (; born December 13, 1948) is an American rock musician and activist. He initially gained fame as the lead guitarist and occasional lead vocalist of The Amboy Dukes, a band formed in 1963 that played psychedelic rock an ...

The Amboy Dukes The Amboy Dukes were an American rock band formed in 1964 in Chicago, Illinois, and later based in Detroit, Michigan. They are best known for their only hit single, " Journey to the Center of the Mind". The band's name comes from the title of ...

, and was soon to form Cactus. Rusty, having been the original singer, picked prior to Mitch's return from Memphis and being asked to sing with them due to Rusty's having other commitments. Rusty's time at the helm waited. When he returned the band was Re-energized, and managed by John Sinclair, and Pete Andrews. The band toured all over spreading the gospel of Detroit Rock n Roll. Day, backed with soon to be legendary guitar hero, Steve Gaines (who would later form his own band, Crawdad, and would eventually join

Lynyrd Skynyrd Lynyrd Skynyrd ( ) is an American rock music, rock band formed in Jacksonville, Florida. The group originally formed as My Backyard in 1964 and comprised Ronnie Van Zant (lead vocalist), Gary Rossington (guitar), Allen Collins (guitar), Larry Ju ...

); took the band in a different, but in a still solid rocking direction This lineup also featured Bill Hodgson on guitar (formerly of Shadowfax, soon to reform the band), Ted "T-Mel" Smith (formerly of the Spinners), Nathaniel Peterson (later to become of Leon Mills's band Brat Axis), and Terry Emery (later to be a member of Crawdad and eventually

.38 Special The .38 Special, also commonly known as .38 S&W Special (not to be confused with .38 S&W), .38 Smith & Wesson Special, .38 Spl, .38 Spc, (pronounced "thirty-eight special"), or 9x29mmR is a rimmed, centerfire cartridge designed by Smith & ...

). Some recordings exist out there of this era. In 2005, Detroit re-emerged once again. original members W. Ron Cooke (Bass/Vocals) and Johnny 'Bee' Badanjek (Drums), got together to record a new album for Detroit Artist Workshop Group & Woodshed Productions. The duo brought in Steve Dansby (Guitar), a noted guitar sideman in the Motor City scene, having also played with Ron Cooke & Rusty Day in Day's 2nd incarnation of 'Cactus', as well as other side projects. As well as Micheal Katon, a noted Blues-Rock Pioneer, who had played with Dansby, Ron Cooke and Harry Philips in another band w Scott Morgan in the 1980s. This union began pounding out material in some of Detroit area's best Studios; Big Sky w Geoff Micheals, Rock City Studios w Pete Bankert (Destroy All Monsters), and Harmonie Park Studios w Brian & Mark Pastoria (Adrenalin/DC Drive). In an effort to bridge the gap between the eras of Mitch Ryder & Rusty Day, as well as stay in tune with the later sounds of Detroit Rock & Roll; they enlisted the Vocals of Tom Ingham (Mugzy/Weapons/Plow/Romeo Rock & More). Tom's take on the Detroit sound filled out well with the rest of the band. The album, called ''Dead Man's Hand'' was released in 2006, and is still available. This independent release included special appearances by Scott Morgan, Johnny Spark, Johnny Arizona, J.B. Sweet and Chris Codish.

Albums

Detroit (1971)

;Track Listing Side One # "Long Neck Goose" - (Bob Ezrin, Mitch Ryder) # "Is It You (Or Is It Me)" - (Johnny Badanjek, Mitch Ryder) # " It Ain't Easy" - (Ron Davies) # " Rock & Roll" - (Lou Reed) Side Two #

" Let It Rock" - (Chuck Berry) # "Drink" - (Jimmy Optner, Mark Manko) # "Box of Old Roses" - (W. R. Cooke) # "I Found a Love" - (Robert West, Willie Schofield,

Wilson Pickett Wilson Pickett (March 18, 1941 – January 19, 2006) was an American singer and songwriter. A major figure in the development of soul music, Pickett recorded over 50 songs which made the US R&B charts, many of which crossed over to the ''Bill ...

) ;Personnel *

- lead vocals *

- lead guitar *

- guitar * Harry Phillips - keyboards * W. R. Cooke - bass, backing vocals; lead vocals on "Box of Old Roses" * Johnny Badanjek - drums, backing vocals; co-lead vocals on "Is It You (Or Is It Me)" * "Dirty Ed" Okalski - congas, tambourine ;Additional Musicians * Boot Hill - keyboards, harmonica * John Sauter - bass * Mark Manko - second guitar on "Long Neck Goose", "It Ain't Easy", "Let It Rock" and "I Found A Love"

Singles

Paramount USA PAA-0051 1970 A: "The Girl from the North Country" B: "I Can't See Nobody" Paramount USA PAA-0133 1971 A: "Rock 'n Roll" B: "Box of Old Roses" Paramount USA PAA-0158 1972 A: "Oo La La La Dee Da Doo" B: "Gimme Shelter"

References

at Allmusic.com * W.R. Cooke/Johnny Badanjek, Rusty Day. Micheal Valentino * Detroit Artist Workshop Group * www.detroitrocknroll.com {{DEFAULTSORT:Detroit Musical groups from Detroit Musical groups established in 1970 Musical groups disestablished in 1974 1970 establishments in Michigan 1974 disestablishments in Michigan