The soul of the Motor City rock and roll scene hits the stage at Fort Wayne’s Foellinger Theatre on June 7 when Mitch Ryder & The Detroit Wheels stop by the Summit City for an evening of music that won’t be easy to top this summer.
With hits like “Devil with a Blue Dress On,” “Jenny Take a Ride,” and “Good Golly Miss Molly,” Ryder has had a career that has spanned the better part of six decades. A headliner in an era when music insisted on an irresistible beat, warm melodies, and easy-to-digest lyrics, Ryder’s desire to push the envelope with a raucous style and infectious sound caught on with audiences quickly. He even had Cream and The Who as his opening act at one time.
While Ryder isn’t a member of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame like those two bands, he was inducted into the R&B Hall of Fame in 2017 alongside Gladys Knight, Mary Wells, and Bo Diddley and continues to be a crowd-pleasing live act.
Opening the night’s festivities is Duke Tumatoe & The Power Trio. This year marks the 50th anniversary of Duke Tumatoe’s music career and he plans on celebrating it in style on the stage. He was a founding member of REO Speedwagon, along with Neal Doughty and Alan Gratzer, but took a turn toward humor and blues for his solo career, releasing 15 albums overall with the latest, How Much Crazy Can You Take, coming out in 2017.