Mitch Ryder  (born William S. Levise, Jr.; born February 26, 1945) is an American musician who has recorded more than two dozen albums over more than four decades.  Ryder fronted a band named Billy Lee & The Rivieras, which had limited success until they met songwriter / record producer Bob Crewe.  Crewe renamed the group Mitch Ryder & The Detroit Wheels, and they recorded several hit records for his DynoVoice Records and New Voice labels in the mid to late 1960s, most notably “Devil with a Blue Dress On”, their highest-charting single at number 4, as well as “Sock It to Me-Baby!”, a number 6 hit in 1967, and “Jenny Take a Ride!”, which reached number 10 in 1965.  (More from Wikipedia)

 

Besides the rhythm section of Vanilla Fudge – Tim Bogert (bass guitar) and Carmine Appice (drums), the line-up in Cactus was rounded out by Jim McCarty (guitar), formerly with Mitch Ryder and the Detroit Wheels, and singer Rusty Day from Ted Nugent’s early band Amboy Dukes. 

 

(April 2014)

 

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Motown is of course the best known music from the Motor City, but Detroit has always had a hard-edged rock scene as well. Proto-punk gods Iggy and the Stooges and MC5 (“Motor City 5”) are both Detroit bands that were founded in the 1960’s. Perhaps the hardest rocking 1960’s American band that made it big is Mitch Ryder and the Detroit Wheels.  

(March 2016)