The Top 10 Rock n Roll Bands from the Detroit Area (1968-1972)

Posted by admin on March 8th, 2010 and filed under rock and roll artists | 25 Comments »

A list of my top 10 rock n roll bands from the Detroit, Michigan area from 1968-1972. An amazing time for rock n roll and Detroit had some of the best and most original music around. Many of these bands changed the face of rock n roll forever. Some are well known, others are not.

Duration : 0:6:33


[youtube HsQ0rDnlhNM]

25 Responses

  1. franko11t Says:

    Cactus had Jim …
    Cactus had Jim McCarty (formerly with Mitch Ryder) on guitar but the drummer (Vinnie Appice) and bass player (Tim Bogart) were from NYC – original members of The Vanilla Fudge.

    Alice (Vince) born in Detriot but Alice Cooper, the band, was from Phoenix, AZ called themselves the Earwigs at one point but made a name for themselves there as The Spiders before changing their name to Alice Cooper and moving to L.A. Had an LP on Frank Zappa’s record label and moved to Detroit.

  2. jkat2000 Says:

    great stuff
    also – …

    great stuff
    also – i’ve come despise seger too but this vid does give him credence – the garage stuff wasn’t that bad
    didn’t know funkadelics were mc – always thought clinton was from newark, nj and iggy was from ny
    very enlightening

  3. montauk6 Says:

    ALRIGHT! :)


    ALRIGHT! :)

    Great video, I never knew Frijid Pink were a Detroiters! Thanks for posting, Wolf!

  4. yabits Says:

    Great list! Thanks …
    Great list! Thanks for collecting it and putting it up. I was born and raised in the Detroit area in the 50s and 60s and so know all of the artists except for Rodriguez. (Iggy Stooge’s dad was my high school English teacher, by the way.)

    I really liked Bob Seger System’s song, 2+2, and played the single to death. When you travel to a place like Japan, and hear how much Frijid Pink and GFR are appreciated, it makes you pause and think of how good music connects so many of us.

  5. michelesaintthomas Says:

    Wyandotte raised …
    Wyandotte raised myself… always love Detroit music! Proud to be from and still live in the area…
    The Unrelated Segments were certainly a fun band that I really enjoyed hearing!

  6. QueenWhoBeatles Says:

    gotta love being …
    gotta love being from the detroit area (livonia for me) and realizing how big of an influence detroit was and is in all kinds of music. Detroit rock city forever

  7. sev2071952 Says:

    Are you crazy,dude? …
    Are you crazy,dude? The Stooges at number 1,and no Mitch Ryder? Mitch Ryder rocked the socks off of all of them!!

  8. JLaw1977 Says:

    Nice video man, …
    Nice video man, well done! I’m 32 and from Flint, but have MUCH pride in my Michigan musical roots.

  9. proudfootz Says:

    Cool! Never heard …
    Cool! Never heard of Rodriguez but am very familiar with the others.

    It’s a pity the concentration of media has killed local scenes where music could develop along regional lines…

  10. tp10488 Says:

    omg!
    Killer list, …

    omg!
    Killer list, plus i’ve seen all of those groups except Rodriguez.
    talk about a trip down memory lane.
    throw Mitch Ryder with Detroit and Catfish Hodge an honorable mention

  11. 455Transam Says:

    IMOP ALICE COOPER …
    IMOP ALICE COOPER or BOB SEGER should be #1..They’ve had the longest most influencial careers than anyone you posted. Although I agree with you after SEGERS “LIVE BULLIT” album he got too “popish” with his songs BUT he was much more commercially successful so it was what most people wanted to hear.

  12. jerryg1964 Says:

    I still have the …
    I still have the Michigan Rocks collection on vinyl that has some of these tunes (on Seeds & Stems Records!)

  13. kmcx8 Says:

    Very nice job. Yes …
    Very nice job. Yes, if I had the time to make a list, (maybe I’d have to make it the top 20), I would include Savage Grace, Jagged Edge, Third Power, and…a group called “All The Lonely People” who performed a great version of “Sympathy For The Devil”. Dick Wagner and Frost created memorable music.

  14. kmcx8 Says:

    The Up’s famous …
    The Up’s famous song: “Just Like An Aborigine”.

  15. rocknrollwerewolf Says:

    It’s called “Only …
    It’s called “Only Good for Conversation” off his 1970 LP “Cold Fact”. Definitely one of my favorite tracks on that album.

  16. musicmovie240 Says:

    What’s the name of …
    What’s the name of the song by Rodriguez that’s playing in this video? It sounds really cool, and I want to know what it is.

  17. Maxharddrive64 Says:

    OMG Uncle Ted in …
    OMG Uncle Ted in that dorky azz suit! LMAO…..So funny to look at now. That distorton pedal that “Rodreguez” band is killer. Wasnt “Brownsville Station” from around here too? Obviously the list is subject to your taste. To me sneakin in and listening to my big brother’s LP’s as a kid, man I always thought Grand Funk was so different and a level above anyone out there…the Red Hot Chilli peppers of the 70s. But hey I can’t argue at all with your list! Thanks for the time and effort.

  18. onab Says:

    i wana here more …
    i wana here more rodriguez

  19. OSAGraffitiCrew Says:

    i love you.. like …
    i love you.. like really.. finally somthing new and original..u are awesommeee!!! dude dude .. i really in need for new bands.. do u have msn or facebook? like just send me a huge inbox of band names and songs and i can download it :>PLEASE?>!

  20. Rednospunk Says:

    THE STOOGES RULE.
    THE STOOGES RULE.

  21. rocknrollwerewolf Says:

    Yeah, they were a …
    Yeah, they were a pretty good little garage, proto-punk foursome out of Ann Arbor, often compared to the MC5 and The Stooges, although not as good, in my opinion. They were fairly involved with the White Panther stuff, much like the MC5, from what I understand. They only released a couple 7-inches in their day, however in 1995 a compilation called “Killer Up! 1969 – 1972″ featuring all their studio stuff plus some live recordings was released. Their bassist was later in Sonic’s Rendezvous Band.

  22. Pyth8 Says:

    Anyone know of a …
    Anyone know of a Detroit band from late 60s-early 70s called “The Up”?

  23. pepsipoptarts Says:

    You get an A for …
    You get an A for effort and a C for content. The Rationals will always have a special place in the hearts of true fans of Motor City rock history. Their blue eyed rock n soul could have conquered the world with the proper promotion. Frijid Pink – way on the fringe. I am sorry you could not have seen Savage Grace (see youtube savage grace goose lake).

  24. rocknrollwerewolf Says:

    No, Mitch Ryder and …
    No, Mitch Ryder and the Detroit Wheels disbanded in 1967, the time period for this video is 1968-1972. Alice Cooper (born Vincent Damon Furnier) WAS born in Detroit, his band mates may have been born elsewhere, but he is from Detroit. Bob Seger is from Ann Arbor. Born in Dearborn, raised in Ann Arbor. The Frost, The Rationals and Savage Grace are all good bands, but not in my personal top 10. Again, this is my personal preference. If you have a different top 10, please post it.

  25. suzesrc Says:

    no offense, but you …
    no offense, but you need to redo this to be accurate. i dont think ,maybe, you weren’t old enough,or you didnt actually grow up in detroit during those days.you have grossly omitted some of the most popular bands we had, the frost, the rationals, mitchryder and the detroit wheels, savage grace, alice did base hid group in detroit, no they werent born there, and also bob seger and the last heard were not from ann arbor. its just not accurate sorry.

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