Rick Derringer (born Richard Dean Zehringer; August 5, 1947) is an American musician, producer, and songwriter. He achieved success during the 1960s with his then band, the McCoys. Their debut single, "Hang on Sloopy," was a number-one hit in 1965 and became a classic track of the garage rock era. The McCoys then had seven songs that charted in the top 100, including versions of "Fever" and "Come on Let’s Go."
Derringer was born in Celina, Ohio,[1] and grew up in Fort Recovery, the son of John Otto and Janice Lavine (Thornburg) Zehringer, a section foreman on the Nickel Plate Railroad.[2] According to Derringer, other than his parents' extensive record collection, his first major influence was an uncle, Jim Thornburg, a popular guitarist and singer in Ohio. Derringer has related first hearing him play guitar in the kitchen of his parents' home, and knowing immediately that he wanted to play guitar. He was then eight years old and his parents gave him his first electric guitar for his ninth birthday.[3] It was not long before he and his brother, Randy, were playing music together.
After the eighth grade, the family moved to Union City, Indiana, where he formed a band that he called the McCoys. He later changed the name to the Rick Z Combo and then Rick and the Raiders before going back to the band's original name.
In summer 1965, before Derringer turned 18, the McCoys were hired to back up a New York–based band called the Strangeloves in concert. The members of the Strangeloves were also record producers from New York City and were seeking a band to record a song "My Girl Sloopy," and they chose the McCoys. Derringer later convinced the producers to change the song title to "Hang On Sloopy." After the Strangeloves recorded all the guitar and instrumental parts, Derringer and the McCoys were brought into the studio to sing on the recording and release it under their name. The song stayed at number one while The Beatles's "Yesterday" was number two.[4] "Hang On Sloopy" has since become synonymous with Derringer's home state of Ohio, as fans of the Ohio State Buckeyes often chant "O-H-I-O" during breaks in the song's chorus, and is often played at home football games at Ohio Stadium.
In 1973, Derringer released his first solo album All-American Boy,[7] which included his song "Rock and Roll, Hoochie Koo."[8] By then, the song had appeared on Johnny Winter And (1970),[6] and also the White Trash Roadwork (1972) albums. Derringer's version rose to the Top 20 on the Billboard Hot 100 charts, becoming his highest-charting single.[9] One critic has described the album as a "sadly neglected album of great merit."[10]
Derringer's later albums, both solo and with his band Derringer, included 1977's Sweet Evil which had been co-written with Cynthia Weil and the Rolling Thunder Revue author Larry Sloman,[11] and the critically acclaimed album, Guitars and Women (1979), which was re-released with liner notes by Razor & Tie in 1998.
Around this time he played guitar on two Steely Dan tracks, "Show Biz Kids" on Countdown to Ecstasy (1973) and "Chain Lightning" on Katy Lied (1975). Derringer is credited with helping Donald Fagen gain a record deal in 1972.[12]
Derringer worked with his neighbor Todd Rundgren during this time, playing on four of Rundgren's solo albums. He was also a regular in Andy Warhol's circle,[13] and he frequented Warhol's studio The Factory.[14]
1980s and 1990s
Derringer played guitar on "My Rival" on Steely Dan's Gaucho (1980) and also Fagen's first solo album, The Nightfly (1982). In 1983, he played guitar on two hit power ballads written and produced by Jim Steinman: Air Supply's "Making Love Out of Nothing at All" and Bonnie Tyler's "Total Eclipse of the Heart." He has said that his guitar solo in "Making Love Out of Nothing at All" is his favorite guitar solo of the many he has recorded.[15] The same year, he recorded guitar parts for Meat Loaf's poorly received album Midnight at the Lost and Found. Both "Making Love Out of Nothing at All" and "Total Eclipse of the Heart" were originally offered to Meat Loaf by Steinman for that album, but Meat Loaf's record company refused to pay Steinman for the compositions.[16] In 1983, Derringer wrote "Shake Me" from his Good Dirty Fun solo album. A video followed, which was produced by Jake Hooker (the husband of Lorna Luft), singer Lourett Russell Grant modeled in the video production with Derringer.
In 1986, he returned to the Meat Loaf fold for Blind Before I Stop. Derringer co-wrote the song "Masculine."
Also in 1986, he played guitar on two songs from the album True Colors (Cyndi Lauper album) by Cyndi Lauper, Calm Inside the Storm and The Faraway Nearby. During the period 1986–1992 he was a guitarist on her tours, which he compared to Barbra Streisand in these terms: "She's better live than Barbra." And he played again with Cyndi on her 3rd album A Night to Remember which was released in 1989.
In 1987, Meat Loaf guested on Way Off Broadway, a nationally distributed cable TV show with Derringer as the music director, with the show's host, the comedienne/interviewer Joy Behar. Other guests on the show included Larry Carlton, Robbie Dupree and Edgar Winter.[20]
Also in 1987, Derringer returned to the World Wrestling Federation and produced its second music album, Piledriver: The Wrestling Album II. He co-wrote the theme tune for Demolition and also added a fresh version of "Rock and Roll, Hoochie Koo" as a duet with Gene Okerlund.[21]
He worked for several New York City-based jingle houses in the 1980s. Derringer went on to produce "Weird Al" Yankovic's first album, "Weird Al" Yankovic (1983). Derringer ultimately produced six Yankovic albums between 1983 and 1989; for this work, he received his only Grammy Award.[22] Yankovic has said that he is open to working with Derringer again.[23]
In 2001, Derringer, Tim Bogert and Carmine Appice released the album Derringer, Bogert & Appice (DBA): Doin' Business as... on the German record label Steamhammer Records.[27] Derringer had previously worked with Appice on an album, Party Tested by DNA (Derringer'n'Appice), and it was re-released in 2011.[28]
In 2001, Derringer, his wife, and their children released the first two of four Christian music albums, all through Panda Studio Productions:[29]Aiming 4 Heaven (2001),[30][31]Derringer X 2 (2001),[32] the holiday album, Winter Wonderland (2004),[33] and We Live (2008) .[34][35] In 2002, Derringer was featured in a book, written by Dan Muise, called Gallagher, Marriott, Derringer & Trower – Their Lives and Music.[36]
He released Free Ride Smooth Jazz (2002), which had vocals by his wife Jenda (née Brenda Jean), who sang the title song "Free Ride" and, with Derringer, wrote the song "Hot & Cool." Also included is his smooth jazz radio hit re-make, "Jazzy Koo."[37]
In May 2009, he self-released the album Knighted by the Blues and its popular song, "Sometimes," once again, co-written with Jenda. Derringer followed up with the release of The Three Kings of the Blues (Freddie King, B.B. King, Albert King) on Mike Varney's Blues Bureau International Records.[38]
In the 1980s, he produced the Kodomo Band. He has toured in Asia, including with Edgar Winter, the 1990 White Lightning Tour in both Japan and Germany.[41]
In 2010, two of Derringer's homes in Florida were foreclosed when he defaulted on a $46,000 line of credit that his wife Brenda J. Hall obtained in 2004 from Branch Banking & Trust Co. The loan was secured by Derringer's Florida property. He was also sued by BAC Home Loans Servicing, a mortgage company servicing another loan on behalf of Fannie Mae. According to BAC, Derringer made no monthly payments in 2010 and owed $242,366 in principal and interest as of October 2010. Derringer blamed the circumstances on the housing/mortgage crisis, which contributed to the economic recession of the late 2000s, saying "Anybody can be affected by this huge problem, even us." Derringer was also listed as defendant in another foreclosure complaint on a separate property in 2014 in Manatee County, Florida.[42][43]
In 2013, he and Jenda created the Asia Project after she discovered that the two largest-selling songs in history are Chinese. As Ricky Wu and Jenda Tu, the Derringers recorded and released their versions. The songs are Wang Qiwen and Yang Chengang’s 2004 song "Mouse Loves Rice,"[44] and the actress Liu Shi Shi's "Season of Waiting."[45]
In 2017, Derringer was charged with carrying a loaded gun on a Delta Air Lines flight from Cancún in Mexico to Atlanta, Georgia. According to his manager, Derringer thought he was permitted to carry the gun, based on his possession of a valid Florida concealed weapon permit.[47] Derringer later pleaded guilty, agreeing to pay a $1,000 fine, saying it would not happen again, "not even a water pistol."[48]
A re-recording of 1985's The Wrestling Album's "Real American" with updated lyrics was released on May 28, 2017, debuting on Alex Jones's radio show.[49] "I gotta be a man, I can't let it slide" was changed to "I gotta lend a hand, I can't let it slide" and "fight for the right of every man" became "fight for the rights of everyone." "Best not mess with my US" is added before the second verse, and a new line says, "Ours is a cause that's right and just, we're built on truth, in God we trust."[50] The same year, Derringer appeared on Alex Jones's show, where he was interviewed by the political consultant Roger Stone about Derringer's support for Donald Trump.[51]
1975: The Edgar Winter Group With Rick Derringer (Epic)
1976: Together: Edgar Winter and Johnny Winter Live (Blue Sky) - Although this album was published under the name of Johnny Winter, it was recorded when The Edgar Winter Group still existed, and Johnny's band and Edgar's have played together on a tour.
1990: The Edgar Winter Group with Rick Derringer – Live In Japan (Cypress)
- Not to be confused with the Derringer group, this band The Derringers was rather a family project bringing together Rick Derringer himself, his wife Brenda Jean and their two children towards religious music. Four albums will be produced under this name:
Killer by Alice Cooper (1971) - Additional guitar on Under My Wheels and Yeah Yeah Yeah
Edgar Winter's White Trash by Edgar Winter's White Trash !1071) - Guitar, vocals, production on Rock and Roll Hoochie Koo
Roadwork by Edgar Winter's White Trash (1972) - Guitar, vocals, production
Something/Anything? by Todd Rundgren (1972) - Guitar on Dust in the Wind
Countdown to Ecstasy by Steely Dan (1973) - Slide guitar on Show Biz Kids
Still Alive and Well by Johnny Winter (1973) - Guitar on Cheap Tequila and Still Alive and Well, Slide guitar on Silver Train, pedal steel on Ain't Nothing To Me
A Wizard, a True Star by Todd Rundgren (1973) - Guitar
Katy Lied by Steely Dan (1975) - Solo on Chain Lightning
Initiation by Todd Rundgren (1975) - Bass on The Death of Rock and Roll, guitar on Fair Warning
Images by Dan Hartman (1976) - Rhythm guitar and solo on Thank You for the Good Times
Songs for the New Depression by Bette Midler (1976) - Pedal steel on Let Me Just Follow Behind
Back to the Bars by Todd Rundgren (1978) - Guitar on Hello It's Me
Polka Party! by Weird Al Yankovic - Production + Guitars (1986)
Piledriver: The Wrestling Album II - Artistes variés - Rick on Demolition and Rock and Roll, Hoochie Koo with Mean Gene Okerlund. (1987)
Even Worse by Weird Al Yankovic - Production + Guitars (1987)
A Night to Remember by Cyndi Lauper (1989) - Guitar
A New Day Yesterday by Joe Bonamassa - Vocals and guitar solo on Nuthin' I Wouldn't Do (For a Woman Like You) (2000)
Winter Blues by Edgar Winter (2009) - Rhythm guitar on New Millennium and On The Tip of my Tongue, guitar on White Man's Blues
1000 Hands: Chapter One by Jon Anderson (2019) - Guitar
Brothers In Rock 'N' Roll by Johnny & Edgar Winter - Compilation (2022)
Related Research Articles
John Dawson Winter III was an American singer, guitarist, songwriter, and record producer. Winter was known for his high-energy blues rock albums, live performances, and slide guitar playing from the late 1960s into the early 2000s. He also produced three Grammy Award-winning albums for blues singer and guitarist Muddy Waters. After his time with Waters, Winter recorded several Grammy-nominated blues albums. In 1988, he was inducted into the Blues Foundation Hall of Fame and in 2003, he was ranked 63rd in Rolling Stone magazine's list of the "100 Greatest Guitarists of All Time".
The McCoys were a rock group formed in Union City, Indiana, United States, in 1962. They are best known for their 1965 hit single "Hang On Sloopy". Originally named Rick and the Raiders, they changed their name to "The McCoys" from the B-side of The Ventures' hit record "Walk, Don't Run" titled "The McCoy".
UHF – Original Motion Picture Soundtrack and Other Stuff is the sixth studio album by "Weird Al" Yankovic, released on July 18, 1989. The album is the final of Yankovic's to be produced by former McCoys guitarist Rick Derringer. Recorded between December 1988 and May 1989, the album served as the official soundtrack to the 1989 film of the same name, although the original score by John Du Prez is omitted. The album's lead single was the titular "UHF", although it was not a hit and did not chart.
Dare to Be Stupid is the third studio album by American musician "Weird Al" Yankovic, released on June 18, 1985. The album was one of many Yankovic records produced by former McCoys guitarist Rick Derringer. Recorded between August 1984 and March 1985, the album was Yankovic's first studio album released following the success of 1984's In 3-D, which included the Top 40 single "Eat It".
"Weird Al" Yankovic in 3-D is the second studio album by American singer-songwriter "Weird Al" Yankovic, released on February 28, 1984, by Rock 'n Roll Records. The album was one of many produced by former McCoys guitarist Rick Derringer. Recorded between October and December 1983, the album was Yankovic's follow-up to his modestly successful debut LP, "Weird Al" Yankovic.
"Weird Al" Yankovic is the debut studio album by American parodist Alfred "Weird Al" Yankovic. The album was the first of many produced by former The McCoys guitarist Rick Derringer. Mostly recorded in March 1982, the album was released by Rock 'n Roll Records as an LP and on Compact Cassette in 1983.
Edgar Holland Winter is an American multi-instrumentalist, working as a vocalist along with playing keyboards, saxophone, and percussion. His success peaked in the 1970s with his band the Edgar Winter Group and their popular songs "Frankenstein" and "Free Ride". He is the brother of late blues singer and guitarist Johnny Winter.
"Hang On Sloopy" is a 1964 song written by Wes Farrell and Bert Berns. Rhythm and blues vocal group the Vibrations were the first to record the tune in 1964. Atlantic Records released it as a single, which reached No. 26 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart. The song is associated with Ohio State University and is Ohio's official rock song.
Polka Party! is the fourth studio album by "Weird Al" Yankovic, released on October 21, 1986. The album was produced by former The McCoys guitarist Rick Derringer. Recorded between April and September 1986, the album was Yankovic's follow-up to his successful 1985 release, Dare to Be Stupid. The album's lead single, "Living With a Hernia", failed to chart.
This article is about the drummer. For the musician and songwriter, see Bobby Caldwell
William Frank Szymczyk is an American music producer and recording engineer best known for working with rock and blues musicians, most notably the Eagles in the 1970s. He produced many top albums and singles of the 1970s, though—aside from continuing to work with Joe Walsh—he retired from the music business in 1990. He re-emerged in the late 2000s, taking on select projects including the 2007 Eagles album Long Road Out of Eden and the 2008 eponymous debut of Brian Vander Ark.
They Only Come Out at Night is the debut studio album by American rock band The Edgar Winter Group, released in November 1972 by Epic Records. A commercial success, the album reached #3 on the US Billboard 200 chart and features the band's signature songs, "Frankenstein" and "Free Ride". The album was certified gold on April 30, 1973, and platinum on November 21, 1986, by the RIAA. The single "Frankenstein" was certified gold June 19, 1973, by the RIAA. In Canada, the album reached #4 on 2 separate occasions - May 5 and June 16, totaling 14 weeks in the top 10. The third single, "Hangin' Around", reached #39 in the singles chart.
Kenny Aaronson is an American bass guitar player. He has recorded or performed with several notable artists such as Bob Dylan, Rick Derringer, Billy Idol, Joan Jett and the Blackhearts, Foghat, Sammy Hagar, Billy Squier, New York Dolls, and Hall and Oates. Since 2015, he has been the bass player for The Yardbirds.
Roadwork is a live album by vocalist/keyboardist/saxophonist Edgar Winter and his band White Trash, a powerful revue famous for their fusion of funk, gospel, R&B, and rock 'n' roll. It was released as a double LP in 1972. Roadwork was the second of only three albums the band recorded together.
Johnny Winter And is the fourth studio album by Texas blues guitarist Johnny Winter, released in 1970. Besides Winter, the group included guitarist Rick Derringer, bassist Randy Jo Hobbs and drummer Randy Zehringer, all former members of the McCoys. This was the first album released with Rick Derringer as a sideman. It was also the name of his band for a short time.
Live Johnny Winter And is an album by Johnny Winter, recorded with his group Johnny Winter And live during the fall of 1970 at the Fillmore East in New York City and at Pirate's World in Dania, Florida. It was released in March 1971.
"Rock and Roll, Hoochie Koo" is a rock song written by American musician Rick Derringer. It was first recorded in 1970 by Johnny Winter and his band Johnny Winter And, of which Derringer was a member. In 1973, Derringer recorded a solo version, which was his only Top 40 chart hit as a solo artist in the U.S. It became a staple of 1970s classic rock radio and rock music compilations. Both Winter and Derringer have recorded multiple live versions of the song.
All American Boy is the debut solo studio album by American rock musician Rick Derringer, released in October 1973 by Blue Sky Records. "Joy Ride" and "Time Warp" are instrumentals.
True to the Blues: The Johnny Winter Story is a compilation album by blues rock guitarist and singer Johnny Winter. Comprising four CDs, and packaged as a box set, it contains songs selected from numerous albums – some recorded in the studio and some live – released over a 43-year period, from 1968 to 2011, as well as several previously unreleased tracks. The box set also includes a 50-page booklet of essays and photos. It was released by Legacy Recordings on February 25, 2014.
The Essential Johnny Winter is a two-CD album by guitarist and singer Johnny Winter. It is a compilation of songs from previously released albums, many of them from the late 1960s and the 1970s. It was released by Columbia Records on April 30, 2013.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply. Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.
