Ryan Patrick Hooper is the award-winning host of "In the Groove" on 101.9 WDET-FM Detroit’s NPR station. Hooper has covered stories for the New York Times, NPR, Detroit Free Press, Hour Detroit, SPIN and Paste magazine.

Hooper grew up reading the Sunday paper with his dad. That’s where he learned the basics of writing while dreaming of one day writing the stories himself. At 16, he knocked on the door of his hometown paper and asked for a job as a reporter. Since then, he's written extensively for the Detroit Free Press -- the same paper he grew up reading.

Since joining WDET in 2017, Hooper has expanded the station’s arts and culture coverage and received numerous awards from the Michigan Association of Broadcasting along the way. Nationally, Hooper was awarded a 2020 RTDNA Regional Edward R. Murrow award for feature reporting for his story “Would You Rent a Stray Dog From the City of Detroit?“ In 2018, Hooper was named the Associated Press Michigan Editors Broadcast Rising Star in broadcast journalism. He received the prestigious Crain’s Detroit Business “20 In Their 20s” award in 2014. His commitment to volunteerism was recognized by the State of Michigan in 2007.

His juggalo-inspired I.C.Pizza costume was selected by the Huffington Post as one of the best Halloween costumes of 2014.

In The Groove: The best music released in 2024, part 5

My favorite time of the year — end of year best of music lists! This is the final installment of...

In The Groove: The best music released in 2024, part 4

My favorite time of the year — end of year best of music lists! This is PART FOUR of In...

In The Groove goes to… Still Life Studio’s winter ceramics show

I’ve never thought of a ceramics sale as an art show until I rolled through the Still Life Studios in...

In The Groove: The best music released in 2024, part 3

My favorite time of the year — end of year best of music lists! This is PART THREE of In...

In The Groove: The best music released in 2024, part 2

My favorite time of the year — end of year best of music lists! This is part 2 of In...

In The Groove: The best music released in 2024, part 1

My favorite time of the year — end of year best of music lists! Now, this is the first time...

In The Groove goes to… Elew’s electrifying set at Cliff Bell’s

Sometimes at Cliff Bell’s, the jazz gets drowned out by the clink of forks on plates. That’s usually on the...

In The Groove: Rosie Lowe, Allysha Joy, Kokoroko + more new music from Detroit and beyond

You warm up with Nina Simone. You discover the voice of Allysha Joy. You realize Tyler The Creator sampled Zamrock...

In The Groove goes to…‘Monday Is The New Monday’ at Motor City Wine

It’s hard to catch a vibe on a Monday night in Detroit. We’re not quite yet a seven-night-a-week sort of...

In The Groove: Getting ‘Freakadelic’ with Jeff Parker’s ETA IVtet; new music Oscar Jerome + more

I’m obsessed with Jeff Parker’s latest effort “The Way Out of Easy,” featuring saxophonist Josh Johnson, bassist Anna Butterss and...

In The Groove: New music from TV Girl & George Clanton, DJ Koze & Damon Albarn + more

Does it get any larger and moodier and distorted and wistful and wanting than Ethel Cain’s “Punish?” What a track....

In The Groove: Mdou Moctar, Salin, Girls Of The Internet, plus the moody side of Motown

Sliding into the final month of the year mixing in some classics with the new stuff. Girls of the Internet,...