Mitch Ryder just keeps rolling along
The legendary Detroit Wheels frontman headlines this year's Crim Festival of Races post-race concert Aug. 26 in the festival area.
The '60s rocker is now in his 60s ? he'll be 62 on Feb. 25 ? but he remains an in-demand performer years after "Devil With a Blue Dress On," "Good Golly Miss Molly" and "Jenny Take a Ride" gave the rest of the country a generous taste of his frenzied blue-eyed rock and soul.
Born William Levise Jr., the Hamtramck native sang in local pop and rock groups before catching the eye of Four Seasons producer Bob Crewe, who rechristened Bobby Lee and the Rivieras as Mitch Ryder (a name taken from a New York phone book) and the Detroit Wheels.
The group enjoyed four major hits, including "Sock It To Me Baby" in 1966-67, before Crewe persuaded Ryder to quit the band and go in a more Las Vegas style direction.
His recording career mostly sputtered after that, but Ryder was often cited as an influence by the likes of Bruce Springsteen (famous for his so-called, Ryder-inspired "Detroit Medley") and has enjoyed some surges in popularity, including one in the early 1980s when John Mellencamp produced his comeback album, "Never Kick a Sleeping Dog." He also released a string of albums in Europe, where he is more popular, in the '80s and early '90s.
Ryder's raw-and-ready style remains in-demand to this day. He's currently working on an autobiography and recently launched a web site, www.mitchryder.de, which features mp3s of many of his greatest hits.
