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Devils & Blue Dresses: My Wild Ride As a Rock and Roll Legend
A gifted writer with an original voice, Mitch Ryder first gained fame as the leader of the iconic rock group Mitch Ryder and the Detroit Wheels. With hits such as Devil With a Blue Dress On / Good Golly, Miss Molly, Sock it to Me Baby, and Jenny Take a Ride, Mitch quickly rocketed to international fame. This resulted in a roller coaster ride of sex, drugs, celebrity, and rock and roll. Along the way, he became a legend who did it all. Here, Mitch emerges as a real person who wants nothing more than goodness a fair person who loves his family and is amazed they still love him despite his many mistakes. Readers learn how John Lennon saved Mitch s life, about Mitch s plan to kidnap a celebrity s son, of Percy Sledge s stage secret, and many other backstage tales. Includes more than three-dozen previously unpublished photos, and copies of personal letters from and to the author. A full discography of Mitch s musical works, an index, and a CD of Mitch s music are also included in this IPPY and National Indie Excellence Award-winning book..
272 pages, Paperback
First published January 27, 2012
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Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
May 23, 2021
A few years ago Mitch Ryder headlined at the Hamtramck Labor Day festival and I did not pass the chance up to see a Detroit legend. Of course, I didn’t know much about him other than the string of hits that he back in the 1960s. He came out and plainly kicked butt – the voice was strong and the music sounded great. Between songs he would briefly tell stories about his many rock & roll adventures and even took a cigarette break while the band play an instrumental. The band was a bunch of young guys who weren’t born when Mitch was a big star and I was mildly curious that none of his old Detroit bandmates were involved.
All of these questions are answered (and then some) in his autobiography originally published in 2014. I’ve read plenty of rock & roll autobiographies, but this one was a punch to the gut. He doesn’t use a ghost writer and he doesn’t hold anything back. If Mitch Ryder doesn’t like something (the US music industry, most of his early producers and agents, medical care, the political system, etc..) he isn’t shy about stating it many times. To be fair, the music industry didn’t do much for him as he made virtually nothing from all his early hits. At one point he was headlining over Cream and the Who and a few years later he was playing small bars in Detroit.
This book was difficult to read for me; it’s not the writing style, but just the overall tone of negativity that permeates throughout the book. We know that Mitch Ryder is not going to regain his status as a rock star after the 60’s – he admits that times and musical tastes had changed. It just seems that his bitterness over his lack of financial success seems to overshadow the fact that he’s had a storied career and had recorded 27 albums/CDs and has toured around the world. He’s met and played with many of the musical giants in history (there’s a whole appendix dedicated to this), but these experiences seem tainted to him because of his lack of commercial success.
Very few artists have sustained commercial success, but there aren’t too many that keep plugging away for as long as Mitch Ryder has and keep writing and performing new material. He understands that his fans want to hear the old stuff, but just doesn’t seem that he accepts that fact. This is a deep and thought-provoking book to opens Mitch up with all successes and failures. It’s not a simple story, but life rarely is.
All of these questions are answered (and then some) in his autobiography originally published in 2014. I’ve read plenty of rock & roll autobiographies, but this one was a punch to the gut. He doesn’t use a ghost writer and he doesn’t hold anything back. If Mitch Ryder doesn’t like something (the US music industry, most of his early producers and agents, medical care, the political system, etc..) he isn’t shy about stating it many times. To be fair, the music industry didn’t do much for him as he made virtually nothing from all his early hits. At one point he was headlining over Cream and the Who and a few years later he was playing small bars in Detroit.
This book was difficult to read for me; it’s not the writing style, but just the overall tone of negativity that permeates throughout the book. We know that Mitch Ryder is not going to regain his status as a rock star after the 60’s – he admits that times and musical tastes had changed. It just seems that his bitterness over his lack of financial success seems to overshadow the fact that he’s had a storied career and had recorded 27 albums/CDs and has toured around the world. He’s met and played with many of the musical giants in history (there’s a whole appendix dedicated to this), but these experiences seem tainted to him because of his lack of commercial success.
Very few artists have sustained commercial success, but there aren’t too many that keep plugging away for as long as Mitch Ryder has and keep writing and performing new material. He understands that his fans want to hear the old stuff, but just doesn’t seem that he accepts that fact. This is a deep and thought-provoking book to opens Mitch up with all successes and failures. It’s not a simple story, but life rarely is.
July 13, 2022
He had a messed up childhood- first surprise I found in the book. The writing goes a bit sideways at times. He tries to be more literature vs. conversational on the same page.
I’m learning a lot about unheard legend of music Bob Crewe.
I can’t psychoanalyze it but there is a homophobic yet questioning himself part of the writing.
He spends a lot of time on his post hits work, some is available streaming in America.
He respects a lot of people but I get some people he does begrudgingly. As I write this, I have more questions about Mitch Ryder than when I started.
I’m learning a lot about unheard legend of music Bob Crewe.
I can’t psychoanalyze it but there is a homophobic yet questioning himself part of the writing.
He spends a lot of time on his post hits work, some is available streaming in America.
He respects a lot of people but I get some people he does begrudgingly. As I write this, I have more questions about Mitch Ryder than when I started.
March 18, 2019
A tough read. Mitch has lead a tough life and it is all exposed here. I'd liked to have more information on the music itself.
July 9, 2025
Mitch certainly made some memorable and exciting records in the mid 60s, primarily covering Little Richard and r&b oldies. It might surprise some to learn he's actually had a very different career in Europe as a songwriter and performer. Early on in the book, I was impressed with the eloquence of his writing. This was Mitch Ryder? "Little Latin Lupe Lu" Mitch Ryder? However, as I got deeper into the book, it gradually turned into the typical tale of really bad management and even worse personal choices. Even further on, it was downright sordid. And as the story sank lower into depravity, so too did the eloquence. Perhaps laying out his filthy laundry was therapy for him but for the reader, it was just unpleasant. We're not his psychiatrist, after all. If you want evidence of the ugly backstage side of the entertainment industry, this is a good place to start. He's certainly encountered a lot of rock stars past and present. Conveniently, he ends the book with brief anecdotes or opinions of them so we don't have to do a lot of searching. The stories of Ike & Tina and Chuck Berry were certainly worth telling. Sometimes, it's more telling what he doesn't say than what he does. Docked a star for general ickiness he should be paying us to read.
December 2, 2025
This is one of the most unsparingly candid autobiographies I have ever read. It is also loaded with often juicy backstage stories of the many musicians he met or worked with, and they are indexed in an appendix.
His retelling of how his manager groomed him is an interesting peek into his life as a recording and performance star. How Bob Crewe later screwed Ryder over is disgusting, and goes a long way toward explaining why his star dimmed in the U.S. He did, however, find enduring success performing in Germany.
This is a fascinating tale, especially for rock music fans.
His retelling of how his manager groomed him is an interesting peek into his life as a recording and performance star. How Bob Crewe later screwed Ryder over is disgusting, and goes a long way toward explaining why his star dimmed in the U.S. He did, however, find enduring success performing in Germany.
This is a fascinating tale, especially for rock music fans.
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews