7.25.2018

MITCH RYDER: NEW INTERVIEW WITH ELLIOT STEPHEN COHEN

The Original Voice of Detroit Rock n Roll

Truly thrilled to see a new interview with Mitch Ryder! Had to share it with you guys!!



“The very first time I heard myself described that way, I was pissed off,” complains veteran singer Mitch Ryder, in response to being labeled “Blue-Eyed Soul.” “First off, my eyes are brown, and I didn’t originally know it referred to white singers that some critics felt were trying to sound “black.” Hey, I was just inducted into the Rhythm and Blues Hall of Fame. So what can I tell you?”

Born William S. Levise Jr. in the small town of Hamtramck, Michigan, on February 26, 1945, his name was changed 20 years later by veteran music producer Bob Crewe (of Four Seasons fame) who spotted the young singer’s group, Jerry and The Rivieras, stealing the show from headliners The Dave Clark Five. He signed them to his new DynoVoice label.

After changing the band’s name to Mitch Ryder and The Detroit Wheels, Crewe attempted to capture the onstage excitement to vinyl, by pairing a medley of the old blues standard “C.C. Rider” with Little Richard’s “Jenny, Jenny,” which hit the charts as “Jenny Take A Ride.” Other hits followed, including their most successful, a medley of “Devil With A Blue Dress On” and another old Little Richard number, “Good Golly This Molly.”

Ryder has since recorded 27 albums, the latest of which is The Promise. He’s an acknowledged influence to such esteemed performers as Bruce Springsteen, John Mellencamp and Bob Seger, and in 2011, he penned a “warts and all” autobiography, Devil With A Blue Dress: My Wild Life As A Rock and Roll Legend, a story he hopes to bring to Broadway. Read full interview here

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