Rock Legend Mitch Ryder is Performing in Wooster, All to Fulfill a Promise Made 57 Years Ago

Mitch Ryder and his Detroit Wheels will drive in from the Motor City to perform at Wooster High School’s Performing Arts Center on Saturday, October 25.

Mitch will also appear at a meet-and-greet gathering before the concert at the Lyric Theater in downtown Wooster from 5 to 6 p.m., where he will be presented with a seat named in his honor.

It’s welcome news, but the question is why.

“Didn’t know you cared that much,” Ryder said recently in an interview at his home in Detroit.

The answer starts almost six decades ago.

In the spring of 1968, the Future Nurses Club at Wooster High School entered a fundraising contest held by a Cleveland radio station. Whichever high school in the listening area raised the most money for the American Heart Association would win a concert in their hometown starring Mitch Ryder and the Detroit Wheels, who were at the time riding the top of the pop charts with hit singles like “Jenny Take a Ride” and “Devil With A Blue Dress.”

Wooster High School students rose to the challenge. “Have a Heart, I Did” signs popped up everywhere. Donation jars placed around the school began to overflow. The buzz to contribute grew more frantic every day.

And then came the announcement – Wooster won! The thrill of beating all the Cleveland high schools was heightened even more by the excitement of Mitch Ryder coming to play in town.

Days before the big concert came another announcement. It was canceled. No one knew why.

“I don’t know what happened at the booking agency where they had to pull us from our gig with you guys,” said Mitch. “But I know we did perform that day somewhere else, so obviously something occurred somewhere and you guys got screwed.”

A couple of bands that no one remembers filled the bill instead, although this didn’t do anything much to soothe hurt feelings.

But many years later, another successful fundraising drive became the motivation behind the upcoming concert. In 2023, the Wooster High School Class of ’71 wanted to find a way to support the Lyric Theater renovation with a group effort.

Once again, a challenge went out: If classmates contributed enough money to name a booth, maybe Mitch Ryder would finally come to Wooster to make good on that long-ago promise?

As it turned out, the answers were yes, and yes.

“When you’re young as y’all were, and you have that pride I had it in my school, and you make this effort and you do succeed, and then you have somebody snatch it away from you? That’s gotta rub you really the wrong way. Disappointment is difficult to deal with, but you just got to keep going, and obviously for 57 years, nothing has deterred you. I’m just sorry it took so long,” he said.

Mitch Ryder turned 80 this year, during the same week in February that his 21st studio album, With Love, was released.

“It debuted in the Billboard charts in America at #3, and another version debuted at #1,” he said. “I’ve been back into the Billboard charts a few times, which is for me remarkable.”

His voice remains a powerhouse, even after decades of performing chart-topping hits at high intensity. Mitch spent two months last winter on the road, playing gigs across Europe and especially in Germany, something he’s done regularly since the late ’70s.

The demands of touring and a rock and roll lifestyle have taken a toll. The wild onstage antics of earlier hits have evolved into heartfelt and soulful renditions of new and famous tunes, including an obscure blues song called “Devil With The Blue Dress” that Mitch updated and rocketed into music history in 1966.

But the passage of time hasn’t lessened his drive to keep making music and connecting with fans everywhere.

“You know, I don’t get this kind of weight from other gigs. It’s just another gig, but this one has a lot of heart and soul to it, and it’s an interesting story. I hope it goes further than just Wooster and shows Cleveland what’s up. Who do they think they are?” he said. “I want to complete the story for sure. I don’t like stories that aren’t finished. It’s like writing a book with a missing chapter… It’s a good personality trait about never giving up, and the longevity of that quest to get me back, it’s truly amazing.”

“So, you know, I’m coming back to make up for it,” he added. “It’s the best I can do, and thank God I’m still alive to do it.”

History has a way of coming around full circle sooner or later. If patience is truly a virtue, Wooster wins by a country mile.

Tickets are $30 for the concert, and $75 for the meet-and-greet, which includes a premium seat at the high school performance. Both events are benefits to raise funds for the Lyric Theater, Summer Stage Wooster, and other local arts organizations. They’re available for purchase now at summerstagewooster.org.