Detroiter of the Year 2009

Sure, he has a bad-boy image, but there’s plenty of good that he’s done for Detroit. He may be an unconventional ambassador, but no one can deny he’s rock-solid on this area, which may explain why Kid hasn’t pulled up stakes for L.A. or New York. He’s undeniably “Made in Detroit.”

(page 2 of 2)

Photograph by Roy Ritchie

“Yeah, I’ve made a lot of money, but I never made it by overcharging people, especially my fans. I remember the first time we were going to play The Palace, after we probably just played somewhere like the State Theatre. We had been out on the road working, still playing clubs, and people were like, ‘Man, if this doesn’t work … .’ And I was like, ‘No, I’m positive of it. It’ll work.’ And we sold it out in like 10 minutes or something, which is a great feeling. Detroit has always been the start of what’s happening everywhere else around the world for me. I always say Detroit’s a year or two ahead of everyone else, so maybe within a year or so I’ll be able to play stadiums in other cities.”

In previous years, Rock says, he would tour only on weekends, “Thursdays, Fridays, and Saturdays, so as a single father I could be back and forth with my son [Robert Ritchie Jr.].

“But now he’s 16, he’s kind of got it together. He’s a great kid, and I’ve got a great support system of family and friends around, so I’m just going to go out for six weeks straight. He’s getting a job. He’s going to go and bus tables. He’s going to do his thing, and I’m just going to go knock it out, four or five shows a week, then I’ll be home that week for the Comerica shows, so it’s really not that bad. I just wanted to get it done and then get home, enjoy the rest of the summer. Hopefully catch a little bit of time on one of those beautiful lakes.”  

Self-taught on all the instruments he plays, his sound today, “at every level, is rhythm-and-blues based American music,” he says. “Because everything comes from jazz and the blues, at least until hip-hop came along, that’s the way I look at it. Now that I’m older and I can study music, I look back at it now like hip-hop was really the blues music of my age. There was no music that was untouched by jazz and blues up until that point. And then when hip-hop came along, that was something completely brand-new, and now for better or worse, it influences every type of music today.

“As I’ve gotten older and more successful, I’ve been fortunate enough to meet some of my heroes, people I’ve always looked up to as players, so I’ve gotten to learn a lot of great stuff. Get the Cliffs Notes, or maybe the Pro Guide, to being a musician a lot faster than figuring it all out on my own. Hank Williams, Jr., because he plays everything so great, or sitting with Jerry Lee Lewis playing piano at Sun Studios and asking, ‘How did you do that lick?’ ‘What are you doing when you play that minor 7th?’ Singing with Steven Tyler and Peter Wolf. It’s just endless, the stuff I’ve learned.”

As he speaks, it’s impossible not to notice the massive chunk of jewelry dominating his right ring finger. It’s a Red Wings Stanley Cup ring from last year’s championship season, with the Kid Rock logo engraved on one side. “I was friends with the guys when they won years ago, played a free concert for them downtown, so Chris [Chelios] went and talked to the guys, approached [Wings captain Nicklas] Lidstrom and said, ‘Do you think we should give Kid Rock a ring?’ ‘Yeah.’

“Everyone takes such good care of me around town; it’s very nice,” says the unabashed Detroit sports fanatic. “Otherwise, it would be very hard to go to some of these events. But they make it easy for me to come in, because you know I don’t like to sit up in the boxes! I want to have a blast! I’ve got the floor [seats] for the Pistons, I’m in the stands for the baseball games. It’s been great, man. I can’t say enough about the people in Michigan. I mean, that’s what keeps me here. It ain’t the f***in’ weather — everybody knows that!”

Detroit will make a comeback, he says. As the man said, our city is always a year or two ahead of everyone else; it was so for the recession, and should hold true for the recovery.

Besides, his own career arc should provide any naysayers with hope. “At this point in my life, I truly believe anything is possible,” he says. “Anything.” And he plans to be here to witness the next renaissance. But can Ritchie still be “Kid” Rock as 40 approaches?”

“Yeah, I’m going to be a kid forever,” he replies with a laugh. “I’ve often thought about how you grow old gracefully in this business. I’ve never done anything gracefully. I’ve just put the pedal to the metal and did it. It’s kind of funny, because I’ve got rocking chairs on my porch and I always envision myself when I’m old and gray, sitting up there drinking my beer, maybe watching the grandkids. And somebody’s going to come up and say, ‘What are you up to, Kid?’ I’ll be going back and forth in my chair, I’ll look up and say: ‘Still rockin’.”

Like what you've read? Subscribe to Hour Detroit »