Mitch Ryder -- Bob Crewe

[Roburt]

Seems that by early 67, Mitch Ryder was far from happy with the tracks Bob Crewe was getting him to record …. he broke free from Crewe (having to loose the Detroit Wheels along the way) and started performing live with a new backing band. Seems he was still tied to Crewe & New Voice / Dynovoice Records as he cut more stuff with the teaming right thru till late 68 (unless Crewe had quite a bit of material in the can in late 67 / early 68). By 69, he'd switched to the distributing label (DOT) and was recording with the Stax crew down in Memphis. 1970 saw him rebadge himself & his band as Detroit featuring Mitch Ryder and cutting for Paramount.

Mitch never really got back the commercial success he'd enjoyed with his early Bob Crewe outings though, but he toured the US performing live for a good length of time.

This article captures the anger he felt towards Crewe after their initial period together … https://baltimorejam.wordpress.com/2015/03/14/the-mitch-ryder-show-courtesy-of-george-shuba/

Edited March 28, 2019 by Roburt

[Roburt]

Seems the band Detroit contained ex members of the Detroit Wheels, so Mitch must have been trying to catch some of the teaming's old glory in 70 / 71. Musically though times had changed and the outfit never really broke through. Mitch split from them a couple of years later and they kept going, with Rusty Day on lead vocals.

Rusty Day was another singer with an interesting history as he'd been in Amboy Dukes (the US band who used that name), then in supposed supergroup Cactus (having been picked as lead singer when Rod Stewart joined the Faces instead of Cactus). By 1973 (after Cactus had broken up), he was fronting Detroit.

There's a bootleg album out there (attributed to Lynard Skynyard) of Rusty singing with Detroit and this was cut in the Driftwood Lounge of the 20 Grand Club (Detroit of course) …..   https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g0DfDWIQFF0

 

Edited March 28, 2019 by Roburt