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 the group gained some notice playing at a Detroit soul music club called The Village. Ryder next appeared fronting a band named Billy Lee & The Rivieras, which had limited success until they met songwriter / record producer

Bob Crewe Robert Stanley Crewe (November 12, 1930 – September 11, 2014) was an American songwriter, dancer, singer, manager, and record producer. He was known for producing, and co-writing with Bob Gaudio, a string of Top 10 singles for the Four Season ...

. He selected his stage name when he saw "Mitch Ryder" in the

Manhattan Manhattan (), known regionally as the City, is the most densely populated and geographically smallest of the five boroughs of New York City. The borough is also coextensive with New York County, one of the original counties of the U.S. state ...

telephone directory and renamed the group Mitch Ryder &

The Detroit Wheels The Detroit Wheels were an American Rock music, 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 Billboard Hot 100, top twenty hits in the mid-1960s before lead singer Ry ...

. They recorded several

hit record A hit song, also known as a hit record, hit single or simply a hit, is a recorded song or instrumental that becomes broadly popular or well-known. Although ''hit song'' means any widely played or big-selling song, the specific term ''hit record' ...

s for his DynoVoice Records and New Voice labels in the mid to late 1960s, most notably 1964’s "

Devil with a Blue Dress On "Devil with a Blue Dress On" (also known as "Devil with the Blue Dress") is a song written by Shorty Long and William "Mickey" Stevenson, first performed by Long and released as a single in 1964. A later version recorded by Mitch Ryder and The ...

," their highest-charting single at number four, as well as "Jenny Take a Ride!," which reached number 10 in 1965, and "Sock It to Me, Baby!", a number six hit in 1967. The Detroit Wheels were John Badanjek on drums, Mark Manko on lead guitar, Joe Kubert (not to be confused with the comic book illustrator

Joe Kubert Joseph Kubert (; September 18, 1926 – August 12, 2012) was a Poland, Polish-born Americans, American comic book artist, art teacher, and founder of The Kubert School. He is best known for his work on the DC Comics characters Sgt. Rock and Hawkm ...

) on rhythm guitar, Jim McCarty (not to be confused with the Yardbirds drummer of the same name) on lead guitar and Jim McAllister on bass. In December 1966, producer Bob Crewe's vision for Mitch as a blue-eyed soul singer backed by a horn band (a la Wilson Pickett, Joe Tex, etc.) was put into motion. They assembled a 10 piece band of white R&B musicians: from Baltimore, Maryland; Jimmy Wilson (trumpet), Bob Shipley (sax), Jimmy Loomis (sax), Don Lehnhoff (trombone), Frank Invernizzi (organ); from Chicago, Illinois; John Siomos (drums), Bob Slawson (guitar), Carmine Riale (bass guitar); from Miami, Florida; Andy Dio (trumpet); from New York; Johnny ? (lead guitar). The band rehearsed for a month in a dance studio above the Cheetah, a night club at Broadway and 53rd, then hit the road as The Mitch Ryder Show in February, 1967. Ryder was the last person to perform with

Otis Redding Otis Ray Redding Jr. (September 9, 1941 – December 10, 1967) was an American singer and songwriter. He is considered one of the greatest singers in the history of American popular music and a seminal artist in soul music and rhythm and blues. ...

; they performed the song "Knock On Wood," on December 9, 1967, in Cleveland, Ohio, on a local TV show called ''Upbeat''. Redding and four members of his touring band,

The Bar-Kays The Bar-Kays are an American funk band formed in 1964. The band had dozens of charting singles from the 1960s to the 1980s, including "Soul Finger" (US ''Billboard'' Hot 100 number 17, R&B number 3) in 1967, "Son of Shaft" (R&B number 10) i ...

, died in a plane crash near Madison, Wisconsin the following day, December 10, 1967. Ryder's musical endeavors were less successful after the early 1970s. Ryder's participation with the Detroit Wheels ended just as the

counterculture A counterculture is a culture whose values and norms of behavior differ substantially from those of mainstream society, sometimes diametrically opposed to mainstream cultural mores.Eric Donald Hirsch. ''The Dictionary of Cultural Literacy''. Hou ...

was becoming dominant in 1968. During 1968, trumpeters Mike Thuroff and John Stefan were hired to tour with his horn section and band. Thuroff and Stefan also recorded the trumpet parts of Ryder's song, "Ring My Bell." This song was not permitted to be played by radio in many states due to its sexual innuendos. Ryder had one

hit single A hit song, also known as a hit record, hit single or simply a hit, is a recorded song or instrumental that becomes broadly popular or well-known. Although ''hit song'' means any widely played or big-selling song, the specific term ''hit record' ...

from that period, a

cover version In popular music, a cover version, cover song, remake, revival, or simply cover, is a new performance or recording by a musician other than the original performer or composer of the song. Originally, it referred to a version of a song release ...

of "What Now, My Love." His last successful

ensemble Ensemble may refer to: Art * Architectural ensemble * Ensemble (album), ''Ensemble'' (album), Kendji Girac 2015 album * Ensemble (band), a project of Olivier Alary * Ensemble cast (drama, comedy) * Ensemble (musical theatre), also known as the ...

band was

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 ...

. The only original Wheel in the group was the drummer John Badanjek; other members were guitarists Steve Hunter, Robert Gillespie, 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 bassist W.R. Cooke. A single album was released by this grouping, a 1971 self-titled LP issued on Paramount Records (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. Reviewing Ryder's 1978 LP ''How I Spent My Vacation'',

Robert Christgau Robert Thomas Christgau ( ; born April 18, 1942) is an American music journalist and essayist. Among the most well-known and influential music critics, he began his career in the late 1960s as one of the earliest professional rock critics and ...

wrote in '' Christgau's Record Guide: Rock Albums of the Seventies'' (1981): "What he remembers best, apparently, is sex with men, and the songs that result put across all the sin, fear, passion, love-and-hate, pleasure, and release that buggery seems to have involved for him. The lyrics sometimes lack coherence, and the music is a more sensitive version of the now outdated r&b-based guitar flash he favored with Detroit back in 1970. But the overall effect is revelatory." According to

AllMusic AllMusic (previously known as All Music Guide and AMG) is an American online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on musicians and bands. Initiated in 1991, the databas ...

(which calls Ryder "the unsung hero" of Michigan rock and roll), Ryder withdrew from music after experiencing throat trouble, moving to Colorado with his wife and taking up writing and painting. In 1983, Ryder returned to a major label with the

John Mellencamp John J. Mellencamp (born October 7, 1951), previously known as Johnny Cougar, John Cougar, and John Cougar Mellencamp, is an American singer-songwriter. He is known for his catchy brand of heartland rock, which emphasizes traditional instrument ...

-produced album ''Never Kick a Sleeping Dog''. The album featured a cover version of the

Prince A prince is a male ruler (ranked below a king, grand prince, and grand duke) or a male member of a monarch's or former monarch's family. ''Prince'' is also a title of nobility (often highest), often hereditary, in some European states. Th ...

song " When You Were Mine," which was Ryder's last score on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100. Ryder continues to record and tour in the United States and Europe. In 2005, Mitch Ryder & The Detroit Wheels were inducted into the Michigan Rock and Roll Legends Hall of Fame. In 2009, Mitch Ryder was inducted as a solo artist. On February 14, 2012, Ryder released ''The Promise'', his first US release in almost 30 years.

Personal life

Ryder spent his high school years in

Warren, Michigan Warren is a city in Macomb County in the U.S. state of Michigan. The 2020 Census places the city's population at 139,387, making Warren the largest city in Macomb County, the third largest city in Michigan, and Metro Detroit's largest suburb. T ...

, a suburb north of Detroit.

Influence

Ryder has influenced the music of such

blue collar A blue-collar worker is a working class person who performs manual labor. Blue-collar work may involve skilled or unskilled labor. The type of work may involving manufacturing, warehousing, mining, excavation, electricity generation and power ...

rock music artists as

Bob Seger Robert Clark Seger ( ; born May 6, 1945) is an American singer, songwriter, and musician. As a locally successful Detroit-area artist, he performed and recorded as Bob Seger and the Last Heard and The Bob Seger System throughout the 1960s, break ...

, and also

Bruce Springsteen Bruce Frederick Joseph Springsteen (born September 23, 1949) is an American singer and songwriter. He has released 21 studio albums, most of which feature his backing band, the E Street Band. Originally from the Jersey Shore, he is an originat ...

, whose version of the song "Devil With a Blue Dress" was part of the '' No Nukes'' concert album in the early 1980s. He has also been cited as a primary musical influence by

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 ...

. In concert, Bruce Springsteen has often featured a performance informally known as "Detroit Medley" that includes the songs "Devil With a Blue Dress," "Jenny Take a Ride," "Good Golly Miss Molly" and "

C.C. Rider "See See Rider", also known as "C.C. Rider", "See See Rider Blues" or "Easy Rider", is a popular American 12-bar blues song that became a standard in several genres. Ma Rainey, Gertrude "Ma" Rainey was the first to record it on October 16, 192 ...

." The medley from time to time blends in a variety of other songs, but this remains the core section, often featuring guitar solos from Springsteen and piano solos by Roy Bittan.

Winona Ryder Winona Laura Horowitz (born October 29, 1971), professionally known as Winona Ryder, is an American actress. Originally playing quirky roles, she rose to prominence for her more diverse performances in various genres in the 1990s. She has recei ...

, the stage name of Winona Laura Horowitz, was inspired by Mitch Ryder's music. Ryder has been credited by guitarist Steve Hunter for giving Hunter his first real break in

rock and roll Rock and roll (often written as rock & roll, rock 'n' roll, or rock 'n roll) is a Genre (music), genre of popular music that evolved in the United States during the late 1940s and early 1950s. It Origins of rock and roll, originated from Africa ...

and introducing Hunter to producer

Bob Ezrin Robert Alan Ezrin (born March 25, 1949) is a Canadian music producer and keyboardist, best known for his work with Lou Reed, Alice Cooper, Aerosmith, Kiss, Pink Floyd, Deep Purple, Peter Gabriel, Andrea Bocelli and Phish. As of 2010, Ezrin's car ...

. In 2017 he was inducted into the Rhythm & Blues Hall of Fame.

Ritchie Blackmore Richard Hugh Blackmore (born 14 April 1945) is an English guitarist and songwriter. He was a founding member of Deep Purple in 1968, playing jam-style hard rock music that mixed guitar riffs and organ sounds. He is prolific in creating guitar ...

acknowledged the influence of Mitch Ryder and the Detroit Wheels on the type of beat

Deep Purple Deep Purple are an English rock band formed in London in 1968. They are considered to be among the pioneers of heavy metal music, heavy metal and modern hard rock music, but their musical style has changed over the course of its existence. Ori ...

chose for their version of "

Kentucky Woman "Kentucky Woman" is a 1967 song written and originally recorded by Neil Diamond. Background Diamond recorded "Kentucky Woman" as his last hit single for Bang Records. The song was mixed in monophonic, which is the common version heard on all Ne ...

," the song by

Neil Diamond Neil Leslie Diamond (born January 24, 1941) is an American singer-songwriter. He has sold more than 130 million records worldwide, making him one of the best-selling musicians of all time. He has had ten No. 1 singles on the Hot 100 and Adul ...

Discography

Albums

;Mitch Ryder & the Detroit Wheels * 1966 ''Take A Ride'' (New Voice) * 1966 ''Breakout!'' (New Voice) * 1967 ''Sock It To Me'' (New Voice) * 1967 ''All Mitch Ryder Hits'' (New Voice) * 1967 ''All The Heavy Hits'' (Crewe) * 1968 ''Mitch Ryder Sings The Hits'' (New Voice) ;Mitch Ryder * 1967 ''What Now My Love'' (Dynovoice) * 1969 ''The Detroit/Memphis Experiment'' (with Booker T and the MGs) * 1979 ''How I Spent My Vacation'' (Line) * 1980 ''Naked But Not Dead'' (Line) * 1981 ''Live Talkies'' (Line) * 1981 ''Got Change for a Million'' (Line) * 1981 ''Look Ma, No Wheels'' (Quality) * 1981 ''Greatest Hits'' (Quality) * 1982 ''Smart Ass'' (Line) * 1983 ''Never Kick a Sleeping Dog'' (Line) * 1985 ''Legendary Full Moon Concert'' (Line) * 1986 ''In The China Shop'' (Line) * 1988 ''Red Blood, White Mink'' (Line) * 1990 ''The Beautiful Toulang Sunset'' (Line) * 1992 ''La Gash'' (Line) * 1992 ''Live at the Logo Hamburg'' (Line) * 1994 ''Rite of Passage'' (with Engerling) (Line) * 1999 ''Monkey Island'' (Line) * 2003 ''The Old Man Springs a Boner'' (with Engerling) (Buschfunk) * 2004 ''A Dark Caucasian Blue'' (with Engerling) (Buschfunk) * 2006 ''The Acquitted Idiot'' (with Engerling) (Buschfunk) * 2008 ''You Deserve My Art'' (with Engerling) (Buschfunk) * 2009 ''Detroit Ain't Dead Yet'' * 2009 ''Air Harmonie'' (with Engerling) (Buschfunk) * 2012 ''The Promise'' * 2013 ''It's killing me (live 2012)'' (with Engerling) (Buschfunk) * 2017 ''Stick this in your ear'' (Buschfunk) * 2018 ''Christmas (Take a Ride)'' (Cleopatra) * 2019 ''The Blind Squirrel Finds A Nut'' (Buschfunk) * 2019 ''Detroit Breakout!'' (Cleopatra) ; Detroit Featuring Mitch Ryder * 1971 ''Detroit'' (Paramount/MCA)

References

External links

Mitch Ryder official website"The Ryder stipulates," Metro Times Detroit, September 15, 2004The New Mitch Ryder On-Line Fan Site
{{DEFAULTSORT:Ryder, Mitch 1945 births Living people American male singers American rock singers Dot Records artists People from Hamtramck, Michigan People from Livonia, Michigan American rhythm and blues singers Singers from Detroit People from South Lyon, Michigan The Detroit Wheels members