"Devil with the Blue Dress On" was originally released as on Motown in 1964, but the single failed to chart. Two years later, Mitch Ryder and The Detroit Wheels recorded the song as a medley with an original arrangement of Little Richard's "Good Golly, Miss Molly". Their version was notably more up-tempo than Long's more blues-influenced rendition.
According to Ryder, he was born William Levise Jr., and his band was originally called The Rivieras. It was a name conflict with the group of "California Sun" fame, so Ryder found a new name flipping through a Manhattan phone book - he became "Mitch Ryder" and his band was "The Detroit Wheels." Their success in America was short lived, but they retained a big following in Germany, where they could do 2 1/2 hour sets without even playing their American hits.
"Devil with the Blue Dress On" was originally released as [Shorty Long's debut single](https://hooktube.com/watch?v=QmdH5hAhs_8) on Motown in 1964, but the single failed to chart. Two years later, Mitch Ryder and The Detroit Wheels recorded the song as a medley with an original arrangement of Little Richard's "Good Golly, Miss Molly". Their version was notably more up-tempo than Long's more blues-influenced rendition.
According to Ryder, he was born William Levise Jr., and his band was originally called The Rivieras. It was a name conflict with the group of "California Sun" fame, so Ryder found a new name flipping through a Manhattan phone book - he became "Mitch Ryder" and his band was "The Detroit Wheels." Their success in America was short lived, but they retained a big following in Germany, where they could do 2 1/2 hour sets without even playing their American hits.
(post is archived)