About
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.
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The band had a number of top twenty hits in the mid-1960s before lead singer Ryder was enticed away by Bob Crewe with offers of a solo career, after which the group quickly dissolved. Two of its former members, Jim McCarty and Johnny "Bee" Badanjek, later reunited to establish the nucleus of a new band called The Rockets, after McCarty found some fame with the hard rock outfit Cactus. After Ryder's solo effort failed, he formed a "spin-off" called The Band Detroit, which had one album with a cult following.
Members
Discography
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Singles
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Founder
Also known as
Mitch Rider & Detroit Wheels · Mitch Ryder and the Detroit Wheels
Identifiers
- MusicBrainz
- 4ddc78bb-bf16-470c-8115-48709bedebbd
- ISNI
- 0000000106742919
Data from MusicBrainz, saved 6 Nov 2026. Photo from Wikimedia Commons, covers from the Cover Art Archive and Apple Music.