One of the interesting musical developments in Michigan during the mid-1960’s was the proliferation of teen dance clubs across the state. Although they are a relic of the past, largely forgotten by all except those that attended them, teen clubs like Daniel’s Den in Saginaw played a very important role in Michigan’s rock and roll scene during the decade.
The Fifth Dimension in Ann Arbor, The Pit in Grand Rapids, The Hullabaloo Scene in Jackson, The Tanz House north of Traverse City, The Teen Chalet in Gaylord, The Mummp in Southfield, and Band Canyon in Bay City were all popular teen clubs in the 1960s. The Edgar Allan Poe Club in Holland (a former funeral home), The Riviera Terrace in Flint, and The Platter in Cadillac were also some of the many teen clubs that sprouted up following the popularity of the Beatles and the other artists that were part of the British Invasion.
The Walled Lake Casino was very popular during the Big Band Era. It featured a 120’ by 140’ hardwood dance floor and a ceiling with specially-designed wooden and silk stars that were hand-painted and lit to create the effect of the night sky. It had fallen on hard times by the early 1960s, and the new owners hired DJ Lee Alan to do live rock and roll broadcasts from the casino. Those radio shows also presented big name talent that revived the classic venue, but the venue was completely destroyed by fire in 1965.
Little Stevie Wonder made his performing debut at the Walled Lake Casino, and Chuck Berry made his first concert appearance there following his release from jail in 1963. Almost all of Motown’s stars appeared there as well as the Rolling Stones, the Four Seasons, and Del Shannon. It was also the launching pad for the band that would eventually become Mitch Ryder and The Detroit Wheels.
Mitch Ryder was born William Levise Jr. in Hamtramck, Michigan, in 1945. His father was a big band singer who performed on radio in the 1940’s and also worked for a few small record companies in the Detroit area. Using the stage name Billy Lee, he recorded his first single, financed by his father, at the age of 17. He then began singing with an interracial vocal group called The Fabulaires at a club on Woodward Avenue called The Village.
It was there, inspired by the success of the Beatles, that he and his high school pal Joey Kubert joined forces with Jim McCarty, John Badanjek, and Earl Elliott of The Rivieras, the house band at The Village. Calling themselves Billy Lee & The Rivieras, their high energy performances soon led to them becoming featured attractions at the Walled Lake Casino.
Billy Lee & The Rivieras were so popular that Motown acts were opening for them at the venue. The band soon recorded a demo that attracted the attention of the Four Seasons’ producer, Bob Crewe. After coming to Detroit to watch them open for the Dave Clark Five, Crewe signed the band and had them move to New York City. The contract they signed with Crewe would open the door to success, but it would come at a hefty price.
Because another group called The Rivieras had just had a hit with “California Sun,” Crewe had them change their name. Reportedly, Billy found the name ‘Mitch Ryder’ in the New York City phone book, and the band changed its name to the ‘Detroit Wheels’ to maintain their Michigan connection.
Crewe
Crewe signed the band to his New Voice record label, and he had them photographed for publicity stills in suits and also on top of oil barrels and piles of automobile tires to drive the Motor City image home. Their second single, “Jenny Take A Ride,” became their breakout hit, reaching # 10 on the Hot 100 in early 1966. The song was a medley of two 1950’s R&B hits: “Jenny Jenny” by Little Richard and “C.C. Rider” by Chuck Willis.
Bob Crewe didn’t think “Jenny Take A Ride” sounded like a hit when it was first recorded. He had to be talked into releasing it as the A-side of the single by Keith Richards and Brian Jones of the Rolling Stones. Richards and Jones had been guests in the studio during the session, and they spoke up for the song’s potential to Crewe afterwards.
The band quickly recorded their debut album, “Take A Ride” to take advantage of their hit, and they made their national television debut playing their hit single on NBC’s primetime music show, Hullabaloo.
“Little Latin Lupe Lu” was released as their follow-up single. The song had been recorded by the Righteous Brothers in 1963 and then the Kingsmen in 1964, but neither version cracked the Top 40. Mitch Ryder & The Detroit Wheels came up with a compelling arrangement for the song and took “Little Latin Lupe Lu” to # 17 in the spring of 1966.
After their next two singles failed to make the Top 40, the band went back to their medley formula by speeding up Shorty Long’s Motown recording of “Devil With A Blue Dress On” and combining it with Little Richard’s “Good Golly Miss Molly”. The result was a high octane recording that went all the way to # 4 on the Hot 100 in late 1966. It would be Mitch Ryder and The Detroit Wheel’s biggest hit.
Clouds began to form when Crewe released the “Sock It To Me” album in early 1967. It featured a close-up photo of Mitch with his name in large print on the cover, while the Detroit Wheels were in much smaller print with their photo on the back. “Sock It To Me-Baby!” was released as the next single from the album, and it reached # 6 on the Hot 100 despite being banned on several radio stations for being too sexually suggestive.
Bob Crewe, who contractually had complete control over Mitch Ryder’s career, had a plan to make Ryder a solo star, fronting a large horn-based band, much like a white James Brown. Crewe sent the members of the Detroit Wheels back to Detroit, thereby breaking up a successful band at the height of its popularity. One last Mitch Ryder & The Detroit Wheels’ single, a medley of “Too Many Fish In The Sea” and “Three Little Fishes” was released in the spring of 1967, and became the band’s final Top 40 hit.
Crewe’s grand plan for Mitch Ryder’s solo career did not come close to equaling the success that Mitch had enjoyed with the Detroit Wheels. Only one of Ryder’s solo recordings, an uncharacteristic and string-laden cover of “What Now My Love”, made the Top 40.
To make matters worse, Ryder was frustrated by what Crewe was having him record and by the fact that his manager was not allowing him to create and write his own material. He was now performing with a nine-piece, horn-driven show band complete with costume changes and slick lighting, but the fans still wanted him to perform the hits he made with the Detroit Wheels. In addition, he was also paying the band’s salaries and transportation costs, and he quickly fell into debt.
On December 9, 1967, Mitch appeared on Lloyd Thaxton’s television show with fellow guest Otis Redding. He and Otis sang a duet on the Eddie Floyd hit, “Knock On Wood.” Mitch Ryder would be the last artist to share a stage with the soul music icon, as Redding was killed in a plane crash on route to a show in Wisconsin the following day.
Unhappy with the way that Crewe had treated him financially, Ryder took him to court to recover the royalties he felt that Crewe owed him. Although he lost in court, the legal action ended their relationship and resulted in Crewe selling Ryder’s contract to Paramount Records.
In 1969, Mitch Ryder returned to Detroit and reunited with Barry Kramer, publisher of Creem magazine hoped to put Mitch Ryder & The Detroit Wheels back together but was only able to recruit drummer John Badanjek and guitarist Joey Kubert. After filling out the band with Boot Hamilton on keyboards, Ray Goodman on guitar, and Tony Suhy on bass. Rehearsals began on the third floor of the building that housed Creem.
During rehearsals, Ryder traveled to Memphis to record “The Detroit/Memphis Experiment” album with Booker T. and The MGs and the Memphis Horns. Produced by Steve Cropper, it merged the voice from Detroit with the sound of Memphis, but the album was a commercial failure.
Back in Detroit, the new Detroit Wheels added two horn players and gigged in a string of small clubs before undertaking a short tour of the South. When they returned, the band name was shortened to just ‘Detroit’ with high hopes of hitting it big in the new decade.
One of the most important teenage gathering places in the Detroit area, and all of Michigan, was The Hideout club. Located in the suburb of Harper Woods, it was the brainchild of Dave Leone and his partner Ed “Punch” Andrews. The Hideout opened in May of 1964 and the venue, along with its small record label, was very significant because it was the launching pad for the careers of Bob Seger, Glenn Frey, Suzi Quatro, Cub Koda and others.
Although most of the teen bands that emerged from Michigan’s teen club scene were made up of males, there were all-female bands as well. Both The Debutantes and The Luv’d Ones were popular attractions at Michigan teen clubs, and both bands released singles during the 1960s.
The most historically interesting of the all-girl bands, however, was The Pleasure Seekers. The group was started by sisters Suzi and Patti Quatro and would include their older sister Arlene as well. Named after the popular film starring Ann-Margaret, the girls were very attractive and quickly developed a large local following, helped no doubt by blonde Nancy Ball who often drummed without a bra.
Dave Leone financed the Pleasure Seekers and even wrote both sides of their debut single, released on Leone’s Hideout label. “What A Way To Die” was all about underage teen drinking, and its mention of Colt 45, Stroh’s and Schlitz beers in the lyrics guaranteed that it would never get played on the radio. It’s become a garage rock classic over the years, however, especially since it was the girls doing the drinking.
The Pleasure Seekers were part of a USO package show that entertained the troops in Vietnam, and they signed a recording contract with Mercury Records. Their one single on the label, however, did not have the energy of their Hideout 45 and failed to chart.
The group changed its name to Cradle at the end of the decade, but they broke up after Suzi Quatro was convinced to come to England by Mickie Most to pursue a solo career. Most had produced hits for the Animals, Herman’s Hermits, Donavon and others in the 60s, but the move caused a rift between Suzi and her family.
Suzi Quatro moved to England in 1971 where Mickie Most placed her with the songwriting and production team of Mike Chapman and Nicky Chinn. They came up with the songs helped her become a popular glam rock singer there, scoring 4 Top Ten singles on the UK charts. Suzi became both a pioneer and role model as one of the first females to play an instrument and lead a rock band.
Cub Koda formed his first band, The Del-Tinos, in the early 1960s in tiny Manchester, Michigan. They recorded their first single, a cover of the old Roy Orbison rockabilly song “Go Go Go,” at United Sound studios in Detroit and released it on the Del-Tino label that was financed by Cub’s father.
The Del-Tinos’ second single, “Nightlife”, was written by Koda and his bandmate Rusty Creech and released in 1965. Although it never came close to being a hit, the song was used 50 years later on the soundtrack of Vinyl, the HBO series about the music business that was created by Mick Jagger, Martin Scorsese and others.
The Del-Tinos broke up the following year when their drummer started attending Michigan State University and joined the marching band. Koda stayed active in music but nothing was happening with his career until he started working at the Al Nalli Music Store in Ann Arbor. Nalli introduced him to Michael Lutz and two other veterans of local bands, Tony Driggins and T.J. Conley, and they formed Brownsville Station in 1969.
Brownsville Station’s first release, “Rock & Roll Holiday” came out in 1969 on Hideout Records, but the band would not become successful until the early 70s after they had signed with another record label.
Glenn Frey also started his music career at The Hideout. He grew up in Royal Oak and, inspired by the Beatles, he formed a band called The Subterraneans in high school. He went on to join The Four Of Us, a band that played regularly at The Hideout in Harper Woods. They spent a lot of time perfecting their group harmonies, something that set them apart from most of their contemporaries. Harmonizing was a skill that Frey would put to good use with The Eagles in the 1970s.
The Four Of Us evolved into The Mushrooms, and the band’s only 45 is significant because both of the songs, “Burned” and “Such A Lovely Child”, were early compositions of Bob Seger, who also produced and arranged the recording. Seger and Frey became good friends, and Bob let Glenn sit in on his early sessions and play maracas and acoustic guitar on two of Seger’s early recordings. By the fall of 1968, however, Frey left Michigan to find fame and fortune in California.
The most important artist to record on the Hideout label was Bob Seger. He was born in Dearborn but moved with his family to Ann Arbor in 1951. His father had been a big band leader but left the music business to work in an automobile factory, and he bought Elvis Presley’s recording of “Hound Dog” and “Don’t Be Cruel” for Bob and taught him how to play both songs on a ukulele. Sadly, Bob’s father abandoned the family to once again pursue a career in music. This caused great deal of financial hardship for Seger, his older brother, and his mother.
Bob Seger’s first band, The Decibels, was formed during his sophomore year in high school. Originally a doo wop group, they soon evolved into a complete band with Seger as the front man, singing mostly R&B covers. While in the Decibels, Seger wrote both sides of his first demo, “Jackie The Thief” and “The Lonely One”. It was recorded in the basement of Max Crook, the man who co-wrote and played the Musitron on Del Shannon’s hit recording of “Runaway”.
Seger’s next band was The Town Criers. The band worked several nights per week on the Detroit bar circuit and also enjoyed a regular gig backing strippers at a club in Jackson, Michigan.
Bob Seger’s big break came after he had joined Doug Brown and The Omens as the band’s organ player. Brown was a rock and roll veteran who had worked on demos with Del Shannon, had released a record, and was an established act in and around the Motor City.
Dave Leone and Punch Andrews signed Doug Brown and The Omens to their Hideout label and, in 1965, they had a local hit with “TGIF (Thank God It’s Friday)”. Doug Brown told Leone that Seger had some great songs that should be recorded, and Bob auditioned “East Side Story” in Leone’s office.
The song was recorded at the United Sound Studios in Detroit and was a big hit in Detroit, reaching # 3 on local radio station surveys. When the demand got too great for the tiny Hideout label to handle, it was picked up by Cameo-Parkway for national distribution. Seger then formed his own band, and subsequent pressings of the single on Cameo were listed as by Bob Seger & The Last Heard.
Although “East Side Story” is now considered one of Bob Seger’s finest early songs, it was not a hit outside of Michigan. Perhaps it was because the storyline involved a robbery and its lead character, Johnny, was killed while committing the crime. The downbeat subject matter may have turned off radio programmers and deejays, but there is no denying the power of Seger’s debut. It prominently featured Doug Brown’s guitar plugged into a Gibson Maestro Fuzz-Tone box, a distortion device made popular by Keith Richards on the Rolling Stones’ hit, “Satisfaction”.
Seger was a big fan of Bob Dylan, and his next single, “Persecution Smith”, was a rocking send-up of right-wing paranoia that was released in the early fall of 1966. The rapid-fire lyrics and melody were reminiscent of Dylan’s hit song, “Subterranean Homesick Blues.” The single was not as big a local hit as “East Side Story”, but it was again distributed nationally by Cameo-Parkway.
Holiday singles were something of a rock and roll tradition, and Seger’s “Sock It To Me Santa” was a humorous addition to the 1966 Christmas season. The song’s vocal was Seger’s homage to James Brown, and it contained a guitar part that was similar to the one on Brown’s hit, “Papa’s Got A Brand New Bag”.
By the summer of 1967, Bob Seger had had released records that were very popular in Michigan but had not made the national charts. That was about to change with his next release, “Heavy Music”. The song was the result of a jam session that was taped at a bar in Columbus, Ohio, and Seger went home and wrote lyrics for it. The resulting song was a marriage of the raw power of rock with the punch and rhythm of the R&B music Seger loved.
“Heavy Music” was picked by Billboard magazine as a national breakout single and was moving up the chart, but it stalled at # 103 when Cameo-Parkway was shut down by the Securities and Exchange Commission for stock manipulation. As a result, Seger found himself looking for a new record label in 1968.
Motown, which was looking to add acts that appealed to white rock fans, made an offer but Seger signed with Capitol Records for less money because he felt that Capitol was more appropriate for his style of music. “2 + 2 = ?” was his first Capitol single under the new band name, The Bob Seger System. It also signaled a change in viewpoint on the part of Seger.
While he was a member of Doug Brown and the Omens. Seger appeared on the single “Ballad of the Yellow Beret”, a 1965 parody released under the name Beach Bums, that mocked draft evaders. “2 + 2 = ?” was issued at the height of the Vietnam War, and it might be the most powerful anti-war song in the history of rock and roll.
From 1966 through 1968, an average of 300,000 young men were drafted into the service each year. Seger’s song was an explicit protest of the United States’ role in Vietnam and the drafting of young men to serve in it. “2 + 2 = ? was a big hit in Detroit, but it failed to chart nationally as radio stations seemed to shy away from its potent anti-war message at that point in time.
Seger’s second single on Capitol, “Ramblin’ Gamblin’ Man”, was another big hit in Michigan; but this time it broke nationally, peaking at # 17 on the Hot 100 in early 1969. The recording was also significant in that Glenn Frey played guitar and sang backing vocals on “Ramblin’ Gamblin’ Man” before he left Michigan for California.
The success of the single led to Capitol releasing the first Bob Seger System album in April. Originally titled “Tales Of Lucy Blue”, the album title was changed to “Ramblin’ Gamblin’ Man” to take advantage of the hit single. The album, which also contained “2 + 2 = ?,” did well reaching # 62 on Billboard’s Top 200.
Seger was unable to follow up his big success, however. Faced with his first taste of national success, he seemed unsure of himself and added singer-songwriter Tom Neme to the band. Neme ended up writing and singing the majority of the songs on “Noah”, the next Bob Seger System album in 1969. The album was heavily criticized because of Seger’s reduced role, and is universally considered to be the worst album in Bob Seger’s career. Seger wrote the title song, however, which was issued as a single. “Noah” was a hit in Michigan but it failed to chart nationally.
Bob Seger briefly left the band and attended college in the fall of 1969, but he would return in 1970. Neme was fired and Seger’s “Mongrel” album was a return to form. It would take seven more years, however, before he became a national recording star.
