Guitarist Rick Derringer Dead at 77
Guitarist Rick Derringer, known for hit songs Hang On Sloopy and Rock and Roll, Hoochie Koo, died at the age of 77 on Monday, according to a Facebook post from his caretaker, Tony Wilson. Derringer was reportedly dealing with “several health issues” not long before his death.
He died with his wife, Jenda, and Wilson by his side. No cause of death for the guitarist was given.
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Derringer rose to promise as a teenager, when his band The McCoys recorded and released Hang On Sloopy, which shot up to the top of the Billboard Hot 100 in 1965. In 1970, Derringer and The McCoys teamed up with Johnny Winter to form a band called “Johnny Winter And.” In 1971, Derringer would join Edgar Winter’s band, White Trash, for which he played guitar on and produced the album of the same name.
Following White Trash, Derringer would join the Edgar Winter Group, playing rhythm guitar on the band’s debut record, They Only Come Out at Night, which includes the hit song Free Ride.
in 1973, Derringer released his debut solo record, All American Boy, which featured Rock and Roll, Hoochie Koo. While Derringer’s song had appeared on 1970’s Johnny Winter And and White Trash’s Roadwork, his solo version peaked at No. 23 on the Billboard Hot 100.
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Derringer would go on to record more solo records and form his own band, Derringer. He’d go on to collaborate with several prominent artists, including Air Supply, Barbara Streisand, Bonnie Tyler, Meat Loaf, Steely Dan and Todd Rundgren. He’d also play on and produce 1985’s The Wrestling Album, which featured several theme songs for World Wrestling Federation wrestlers, including Hulk Hogan’s theme, Real American.
In 1984, Derringer won his only Grammy, as a producer for “Weird Al” Yankovic’s Eat It, winning “Best Comedy Recording.” He’d produce six albums for Yankovic.
