Mitch Ryder

Mitch Ryder is one of the most powerful vocalists to come out of the 1960s, a full-bodied rock belter and a credible soul man. He first made a nationwide impression fronting Mitch Ryder & the Detroit Wheels, who exploded onto the charts in 1966 and 1967 with singles like "Jenny Take a Ride" and "Devil with a Blue Dress On/Good Golly Miss Molly." After early solo efforts failed to connect, Ryder dropped out of music until he issued 1978's powerful and personal How I Spent My Vacation. 1983's Never Kick a Sleeping Dog (produced by John Mellencamp) gave him a hit with a cover of Prince's "When You Were Mine," and he enjoyed a contemporary career in Europe, especially Germany, where he often released fresh material, like the 2012's Don Was-produced The Promise, while 2024's live set The Roof Is On Fire showed he could still work a crowd.