Mitch Ryder

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Biography

William S. Levise, Jr (born 26 February 1945), better known by his stage name Mitch Ryder , is an United States|American musician who has recorded over two dozen albums in more than four decades.

Career

Ryder is noted for his gruff, wailing singing style, much influenced by Little Richard , and his dynamic stage performances. He was influenced by his father, a musician. As a teen, Ryder sang backup in a Black soul group known as the Peps, but racial animosities interfered with his continued presence in the group.

Ryder formed his first band (Tempest) when he was in high school, and the group gained some notoriety playing at a Detroit soul music club called The Village. Ryder next appeared fronting a band (music)|band called Billy Lee & The Rivieras, which had limited success until they met the songwriter / record producer , Bob Crewe . Crewe renamed the group Mitch Ryder & The Detroit Wheels , and they recorded several Chart-topper|hit Gramophone record|records on his DynoVoice Records and New Voice record label|labels in the mid to late 1960s, most notably " Devil with a Blue Dress On ", their highest-charting single at #4, as well as "Sock It to Me-Baby!", a #6 hit in 1967, and "Jenny Take a Ride!", which reached #10 in 1965.

Since the early 1970s, Ryder's musical endeavors have not met with the same success that they did before. Ryder himself has blamed his lack of subsequent hits on his unsuccessful aim (largely prodded by Bob Crewe, who most music critics say had the idea in the first place, thus breaking up the Wheels) at the Tom Jones (singer)|Tom Jones -type cabaret / night club audience just as the counterculture was becoming dominant in 1967 and 1968. In 1968, Trumpeters Mike Thuroff and John Stefan were hired to tour with his great horn section and band. Mike Thuroff and John Stefan also recorded the trumpet parts on Mitch's song, "Ring My Bell." Although this was a "Great Song" with a "Real Nice Groove," it was not permitted to be played on radio air time in many States due to its sexual innuendos. Mitch had one hit single from that period, a cover of "What Now, My Love," but no other success approaching his run with the Wheels. His last successful musical ensemble|ensemble release was ''Mitch Ryder's Detroit'' in 1971, which featured the drummer from the original Detroit Wheels, Johnny (Johnny Bee) Badjanek and called the new band Detroit (band)|Detroit . The album saw Ryder moving from his earlier soul music -influenced sound to a guitar-dominated hard rock sound more in keeping with the early 1970s; the new band's version of Lou Reed 's anthemic "Rock and Roll" is considered a minor classic.
According to allmusic.com (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 -produced Never Kick a Sleeping Dog . The album featured a cover of the Prince (musician)|Prince song " When You Were Mine ," which was Ryder's last foray into the Billboard Hot 100 Singles chart. Ryder continues to record and tour, and his influence is felt in the music of such blue collar rock artists as Bob Seger , John Mellencamp , and Bruce Springsteen -whose version of "Devil With a Blue Dress" highlighted the No Nukes concert album in the early 1980s. He has also been cited as a primary musical influence by Ted Nugent .

Winona Ryder took "Ryder" as a stage name, after seeing a Mitch Ryder album in her father's collection.

Mitch Ryder and the Detroit Wheels were inducted into the Michigan Rock and Roll Legends online Hall of Fame in 2005. Two of the band's recordings have been voted Legendary Michigan Songs: the group's biggest hit, " Devil with a Blue Dress On / Good Golly, Miss Molly " in 2008, and "Sock it To Me-Baby!" in 2011. In 2009, Ryder was inducted into Michigan Rock and Roll Legends for a second time in recognition of his long career as a solo artist.

On February 14, 2012 Ryder released "The Promise", his first US release in almost 30 years.
Ryder currently resides in South Lyon, Michigan , a western suburb of Detroit, Michigan . He continues to tour and perform throughout the United States and Europe.

Discography

Singles

Mitch Ryder & the Detroit Wheels

1965 "I Need Help (Help Help) / I Hope"

1965 "Come See About Me / A Face in the Crowd" (New Voice Records 828 Promotion Copy. Uncertain if ever released commercially in the U.S.)

1965 "Jenny Take a Ride& #33; / Baby Jane (Mo-Mo Jane)"( United States|U.S. #10); ( UK Singles Chart|UK #33)

1966 " Little Latin Lupe Lu " (US #17)

1966 "Break Out / I Need Help" (US #62)

1966 "Takin' All I Can Get / You Get Your Kicks" (US #100)

1966 " Devil with a Blue Dress On / Good Golly Miss Molly " (US #4)

1967 "Sock It to Me-Baby& #33; / I Never Had it Better" (US #6)

1967 " Too Many Fish in the Sea / Three Little Fishes " (US #24)

Mitch Ryder

1962 "That's the Way it's Gonna Be / Fool for You"

1964 "You Know / Won't You Dance With Me? "

1967 "Joy" / "I'd Rather Go To Jail" (New Voice Records 824) (US #41)

1967 " What Now My Love (song)|What Now My Love / Blessings in Disguise" (US #30)

1967 " You Are My Sunshine / Wild Child" (US #88)

1967 " Personality (Lloyd Price song)|(You've Got) Personality - Chantilly Lace / I Make a Fool of Myself" (US #87)

1968 "Baby I Need Your Lovin' (& Theme For Mitch) / Ring Your Bell"

1969 "Sugar Bee (We Three) / I Believe (There Must Be Someone)"

1969 "It's Been a Long Time / Direct Me"

1971 "I Can't See Nobody / Girl from the North Country"

1971 "Sing a Simple Song / Ring Your Bell"

1979 "Rock And Roll / Soul Kitchen"

1979 "Nice And Easy / Passion's Wheel"

1979 "Freezin' In Hell / Long Hard Road"

1980 "Ain't Nobody White / It's My Life"

1980 "We're Gonna Win / Beyond The Wall-Bare Your Soul"

1981 "War / Don't Wanna Hear It"

1981 "Red Scar Eyes / We're Gonna Win"

1983 "Er ist Nicht Mein President / Berlin"

1983 "When You Were Mine" (Riva Polygram) (US #87)

1985 "Like A Rolling Stone / Can Do"

1987 "Good Golly Ask Ollie / Good Gollie Ask Ollie (dun mix)"

Detroit Featuring Mitch Ryder

1971 "It ain't Easy / Long Neck Goose"

1972 "Rock and Roll / Box of Old Roses"(written by Lou Reed )

1972 "Ohh-La La La-Dee Da Doo / Gimme Shelter"

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 TheAcquitted Idiot (with Engerling ) (Buschfunk)

2008 You deserve my Art (with Engerling ) (Buschfunk)

2009 ''Detroit ain't dead yet (The Promise)? ? studio production with Don Was

2009 Air Harmonie (with Engerling ) (Buschfunk)

2012 The Promise

Detroit Featuring Mitch Ryder

1971 Detroit (Paramount/MCA)

Quotations

"Hollywood, that's where I could've gone if I wasn't such a punk. If I just learned to bend over and say thank you a little more politely, it could've been great."& mdash;Mitch Ryder

"There's six members on the Rock 'n Roll Hall of Fame board of directors and three of those men are my enemies. So what are my chances of getting in there? " & mdash;Mitch Ryder

Copyright Citations

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Undetermined Music Artists

Mitch Ryder

Biography

Career

Discography

Singles

Albums

Quotations

See also

References

External links

Copyright Citations