Mitch Ryder, born in 1945, has been rocking for almost 50 years. Born William Levise, Jr. in Detroit, Michigan, he began performing while still a teenager. His early band, The Rivieras, caught the attention of legendary producer Bob Crewe who moved the group to New York City. A name change was necessary because there was a band of the same name who had a national hit with \u201cCalifornia Sun,\u201d so Mitch Ryder And The Detroit Wheels were born.<\/p>\n
From 1965-1967, Mitch Ryder And The Detroit Wheels produced some of the better rock singles of the decade. Songs such as \u201cJenny Take A Ride,\u201d \u201cLittle Latin Lupe Lu,\u201d \u201cDevil With The Blue Dress\/Good Golly Miss Molly,\u201d \u201cSock It To Me Baby,\u201d and \u201cToo Many Fish In The Sea\u201d were high-octane, up-tempo rock \u2018n\u2019 roll classics, propelled by Ryder\u2019s powerful voice. His career took a downturn during the late \u201960s when he released a number of pop songs, but he made a comeback with a trio of excellent, if under-appreciated, hard rock albums, How I Spent My Vacation<\/i> (1979), Naked But Not Dead<\/i> (1980) and Never Kick A Sleeping Dog<\/i> (1983).<\/p>\n
He has built a loyal following in Europe where he has issued a number of albums down through the years. Next month will find him releasing his 2009 European LP, Detroit Ain\u2019t Dead Yet (The Promise<\/i> in the States. Now titled simply The Promise,<\/i> it is Ryder\u2019s first exclusively U.S. release of new material in 30 years.<\/p>\n
The album was produced by Don Was and its core musicians include keyboardist Jamie Mahuberac, bassist Reggie McBride, guitarist Randy Jacobs, and drummer James Gadsen.<\/p>\n