Devils & Blue Dresses: My Wild Ride as a Rock and Roll Legend

you to watch this. Watch Percy.” There he was, singing his heart out on stage. But, he never knew when to do the knee drop except to watch his manager. After the drop, his manager brought his hand back up and he got up and finished the song. Amazing.
    Sly and the Family Stone: I’ve already stated what my relationship to the group was. I think a lot of Sly’s bad reputation is the product of a vengeful enemy that occupied his camp at one time.
    Southside Johnny: These New Jersey guys are relentless in their plan to rule the world. They just keep coming. Johnny was just one of the first. I played with him on the infamous Rock Palast Show in Germany.
    Rick Springfield: I met him when my ex-drummer Jack White was working with him. He was a nice guy. I like his acting.
    Bruce Springsteen: In my office hangs a picture of Bruce and me performing together on stage. Bruce is one of many performers on this list who asserts I was an influence on his career. This is much the same way I give credit to Little Richard, James Brown and Hank Williams. We all have influenced each other, and when a new artist comes out he or she is the distillation of a lifetime of previous artists having impact on each new generation. It is a gift we give to each other, kind of like passing the torch. The best part is that the public is the beneficiary of these transitions.
    Steppenwolf: I’ve performed many times with them over the years. John Kay caused me to go out and purchase one of his albums at a time when I could have had it for free from my promo man, but I didn’t want to wait two hours.
    Rod Stewart: Ohhh . . . let’s move on.
    Barrett Strong: The original moneyman from Motown. The Beatles thought enough of Barrett to cover one of his songs.
    The Temptations: I’ve known them from the beginning through the present and like many of the groups have watched the older members disappear. I use to sing down at the Village with one of their first replacements, Richard Street. Richard Street now bills himself as the Richard Street Temptations. All these evolving older groups are passing the money making name on to relatives or friends. It makes me grateful that there isonly one Mitch Ryder in music. There is, however, a Mitch Ryder porno star, and a Mitch Ryder wrestler from Indiana, and of course, Winnona Ryder, the actress whose parents were fans and gave her my last name. Maybe. I wonder if I ever knew her mother?
    George Thorogood: I worked with him in Washington, his home state. Good show.
    Three Dog Night: I’ve only had the pleasure of working with Two Dog Night, or Chuck Negron, by himself. Even today, Chuck has a remarkably beautiful voice.
    Tiny Tim: I worked with Mr. Tim in Nevada and later he sent me a talking Christmas card with Christmas greetings in his own voice. I will cherish it forever. He is definitely the person, of all the people I’ve known, that I was the most intrigued by. For starters, he had no sense of oral hygiene. And, he always addressed gentlemen and ladies as sir and ma’am, like we did down south. He was very formal and also, at the same time, very eccentric.
    The Tokens: Many oldies shows in America and a universal hit record to last forever. When I look at this list, more than half of the artists have appeared on oldies shows with me. That causes two reactions from me. First, I am grateful to be able to perform for my American fans as long as I can. Secondly, I am grateful to have a second career in Europe with fresh product nearly every year.
    Ike and Tina Turner: “Fool in Love.” That was my first experience with their music. I remember how funny Ike was, though. One night in L.A., I went to a club called the Maverick and went backstage to say hi. Ike answered the door. I told him who I was, and three seconds later the door flew open with Tina standing there naked. She was smiling wildly, and as she approached to give me a big hug she stopped short, looked at me, turned to Ike and said, “You asshole Ike, that’s not Mick Jagger,” then slammed the door in my face.
    The Turtles: Another exceptionally gifted self-promoting entity. Their show is what I call Mickey Mouse safe, and I say this after having worked with them at Disney World. They were re-booked, I wasn’t.
    Stevie Ray Vaughan: We briefly shared the same management, and one night I opened for Stevie in Miami. Basically, we sat in the hallway unable to move, waiting for some passerby to give us more drugs.
    Bobby Vee: Bobby has hired