Artist:Mitch Ryder & The Detroit WheelsSong:Jenny Take A Ride
Album:Rev-Up: The Best Of Mitch Ryder & The Detroit Wheels
In April 2008, I posted a clip of Mitch Ryder's post Detroit Wheels group Detroit. It was a very good band but unsuccessful. So I wanted to post a vintage Mitch Ryder & The Detroit Wheels clip and Jenny Take A Ride was their first top ten hit in 1966. In 1965, William Levise Jr. had a band in Detroit called Billy Lee & The Rivieras. Producer Bob Crewe spotted the group and signed them to his DynoVoice label. He got the name Mitch Ryder out of the phone book and Mitch Ryder & The Detroit Wheels was born. Other band members were guitarists Jim McCarty & Joseph Cubert, bassist Earl Elliot and drummer Johnny "Bee" Badanjak. Obviously Crewe liked Ryder's throwback vocal style and the concept was to create a new version of a 50s rock 'n' roll band. Their 1966 debut album was called Breakout...!!! and Jenny Take A Ride was the first single. It's a combination of two classic songs from the 50s, Chuck Willis' CC Rider and Little Richard's Jenny Jenny. Crewe decided to take a songwriting credit for the idea. The song reached #10 on the pop singles chart. Their hit Devil With A Blue Dress/Good Golly Miss Molly was even bigger and reached #4. It all ended when Crewe tried to turn Ryder into a solo artist with disastrous results. Ryder has resurfaced occasionally over the years but has never come close to reaching the heights of Mitch Ryder & The Detroit Wheels. This Rhino comp is recommended and Breakout...!!! has been released on CD by Sundazed Records. Here's Mitch Ryder & The Detroit Wheels performing Jenny Take A Ride on Swingin' Time in 1966.
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