Detroit (a.k.a. The Band Detroit, so as not to be confused with the city of

Detroit Detroit ( , ) is the List of municipalities in Michigan, most populous city in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is situated on the bank of the Detroit River across from Windsor, Ontario. It had a population of 639,111 at the 2020 United State ...

) was a spinoff of rock group

The Detroit Wheels The Detroit Wheels were an American rock band, formed in Detroit in 1964. They served as Mitch Ryder's backup band from 1964 to 1967. The band had a number of top twenty hits in the mid-1960s before lead singer Ryder was enticed away by Bob ...

. This revised version of that band was formed by

Mitch Ryder William Sherille Levise Jr. (born February 26, 1945), known professionally as Mitch Ryder, is an American rock singer who has recorded more than 25 albums over more than four decades. Career Ryder was born on February 26, 1945, in Hamtramck, ...

as a successor to The Wheels in 1970. The only original Wheel in the group was the drummer Johnny "Bee" Badanjek; other members were guitarists

Steve Hunter Stephen John Hunter (born June 14, 1948) is an American guitarist, primarily a session player. He has worked with Lou Reed and Alice Cooper, acquiring the moniker "The Deacon". Hunter first played with Mitch Ryder's Detroit, beginning a long ...

and

Brett Tuggle Brett Tuggle (September 23, 1951 – June 19, 2022) was an American musician who is best known for his keyboard playing with Fleetwood Mac and the David Lee Roth band. Career Early years As a child, he studied classical piano and learned guitar ...

, organist Harry Phillips and bassists W.R. Cooke and John Sauter. A single album was released by this grouping, a 1971 self-titled LP issued on

Paramount Records Paramount Records was an American record label known for its recordings of jazz and blues in the 1920s and early 1930s, including such artists as Ma Rainey, Tommy Johnson (guitarist), Tommy Johnson and Blind Lemon Jefferson. Early years Paramoun ...

(US #176 in 1972). They had a hit with their version of the

Lou Reed Lewis Allan Reed (March 2, 1942October 27, 2013) was an American musician and songwriter. He was the guitarist, singer, and principal songwriter for the rock band the Velvet Underground and had a solo career that spanned five decades. Althoug ...

- penned song "

Rock & Roll Rock and roll (often written as rock & roll, rock-n-roll, and rock 'n' roll) is a Genre (music), genre of popular music that evolved in the United States during the late 1940s and early 1950s. It Origins of rock and roll, originated from African ...

", which Reed liked enough to ask Steve Hunter to join his backing band. Ryder quit the group because of voice problems in 1972, and Detroit vocalist

Rusty Day Rusty Day (born Russell Edward Davidson; December 29, 1945 – June 3, 1982) was an American rock singer, best known for his work with Cactus, the Amboy Dukes, and Steve Gaines. Career with the Amboy Dukes Day joined the Amboy Dukes in 196 ...

(formerly of the American Amboy Dukes and

Cactus A cactus (: cacti, cactuses, or less commonly, cactus) is a member of the plant family Cactaceae (), a family of the order Caryophyllales comprising about 127 genera with some 1,750 known species. The word ''cactus'' derives, through Latin, ...

) took over his spot; without Ryder, the group floundered, and eventually broke up in 1974. While not as commercially successful, Rusty Day's era of Detroit was a powerhouse to be reckoned with. He used to sing for

Ted Nugent Theodore Anthony Nugent (; born December 13, 1948) is an American guitarist, singer, songwriter, and political activist. He goes by several nicknames, including Uncle Ted, the Nuge, and Motor City Madman. Nugent initially gained fame as the le ...

The Amboy Dukes The Amboy Dukes may refer to: * ''The Amboy Dukes'' (novel), 1947 American novel about juvenile delinquents * The Amboy Dukes (band), American rock band founded 1964 ** ''The Amboy Dukes'' (album), 1967 album by that band {{disambig ...

, and was soon to form Cactus. Rusty, having been the original singer, picked prior to Mitch's return from Memphis and being asked to sing with them due to Rusty's having other commitments. Rusty's time at the helm waited. When he returned the band was Re-energized, and managed by John Sinclair, and Pete Andrews. The band toured all over spreading the gospel of Detroit Rock n Roll. Day, backed with soon to be legendary guitar hero,

Steve Gaines Steven Earl Gaines (September 14, 1949 – October 20, 1977) was an American musician. He is best known as a guitarist and backing vocalist with rock band Lynyrd Skynyrd from 1976 until his death in the October 1977 airplane crash that claime ...

(who would later form his own band, Crawdad, and would eventually join

Lynyrd Skynyrd Lynyrd Skynyrd (, ) is an American Rock music, rock band formed in Jacksonville, Florida in 1964. The group originally formed as My Backyard and comprised Ronnie Van Zant (vocals), Gary Rossington (guitar), Allen Collins (guitar), Larry Junstrom ...

); took the band in a different, but in a still solid rocking direction This lineup also featured Bill Hodgson on guitar (formerly of Shadowfax, soon to reform the band), Ted "T-Mel" Smith (formerly of the Spinners), Nathaniel Peterson (later to become of Leon Mills's band Brat Axis), and Terry Emery (later to be a member of Crawdad and eventually .38 Special). Some recordings exist out there of this era. In 2005, Detroit re-emerged once again. original members W. Ron Cooke (Bass/Vocals) and Johnny 'Bee' Badanjek (Drums), got together to record a new album for Detroit Artist Workshop Group & Woodshed Productions. The duo brought in Steve Dansby (Guitar), a noted guitar sideman in the Motor City scene, having also played with Ron Cooke & Rusty Day in Day's 2nd incarnation of 'Cactus', as well as other side projects. As well as Micheal Katon, a noted Blues-Rock Pioneer, who had played with Dansby, Ron Cooke and Harry Philips in another band w Scott Morgan in the 1980s. This union began pounding out material in some of Detroit area's best Studios; Big Sky w Geoff Micheals, Rock City Studios w Pete Bankert (Destroy All Monsters), and Harmonie Park Studios w Brian & Mark Pastoria (Adrenalin/DC Drive). In an effort to bridge the gap between the eras of Mitch Ryder & Rusty Day, as well as stay in tune with the later sounds of Detroit Rock & Roll; they enlisted the Vocals of Tom Ingham (Mugzy/Weapons/Plow/Romeo Rock & More). Tom's take on the Detroit sound filled out well with the rest of the band. The album, called ''Dead Man's Hand'' was released in 2006, and is still available. This independent release included special appearances by Scott Morgan, Johnny Spark, Johnny Arizona, J.B. Sweet and Chris Codish.

Albums

Detroit featuring Mitch Ryder (1971)

;Track Listing Side One # "Long Neck Goose" - (Bob Ezrin, Mitch Ryder) # "Is It You (Or Is It Me)" - (Johnny Badanjek, Mitch Ryder) # " It Ain't Easy" - (Ron Davies) # "

" - (Lou Reed) Side Two #

" Let It Rock" - (Chuck Berry) # "Drink" - (Jimmy Optner, Mark Manko) # "Box of Old Roses" - (W. R. Cooke) # "I Found a Love" - (Robert West, Willie Schofield,

Wilson Pickett Wilson Pickett (March 18, 1941 – January 19, 2006) was an American singer and songwriter. A major figure in the development of soul music, Pickett recorded more than 50 songs that made the US R&B charts, many of which crossed over to the '' ...

) ;Personnel *

- lead vocals *

- lead guitar *

- guitar * Harry Phillips - keyboards * W. R. Cooke - bass, backing vocals; lead vocals on "Box of Old Roses" * Johnny "Bee" Badanjek - drums, backing vocals; co-lead vocals on "Is It You (Or Is It Me)" * "Dirty Ed" Okalski - congas, tambourine ;Additional Musicians * Boot Hill - keyboards, harmonica * John Sauter - bass * Mark Manko - second guitar on "Long Neck Goose", "It Ain't Easy", "Let It Rock" and "I Found A Love"

Singles

Paramount USA PAA-0051 1970 A: "The Girl from the North Country" B: "I Can't See Nobody" Paramount USA PAA-0133 1971 A: "Rock 'n Roll" B: "Box of Old Roses" Paramount USA PAA-0158 1972 A: "Oo La La La Dee Da Doo" B: "Gimme Shelter"

References

at Allmusic.com * W.R. Cooke/Johnny Badanjek, Rusty Day. Micheal Valentino * Detroit Artist Workshop Group * www.detroitrocknroll.com {{DEFAULTSORT:Detroit Musical groups from Detroit Musical groups established in 1970 Musical groups disestablished in 1974 1970 establishments in Michigan 1974 disestablishments in Michigan