Rock Music Legend Behind Major Hits Dead at 77: RIP to Rick Derringer

Rick Derringer, a veteran rock journeyman whose career spanned over six decades, has passed away.

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According to an announcement by his caretaker, Tony Wilson, and Guitar Player magazine, Derringer died Monday night in Ormond Beach, Florida. The cause of death has not been revealed, but he had experienced health issues in recent years.

He was 77.

Derringer’s career included early fame as the lead singer of the 1960s hit “Hang on Sloopy” and a 1970s solo success with “Rock and Roll Hoochie Koo.” He also worked as a session musician with artists like Steely Dan and Barbra Streisand.

Frequent collaborator “Weird Al” Yankovic took to Instagram to pay tribute in the wake of Derringer’s death.

“I’m very sad to say that my friend, rock guitar legend Rick Derringer, has passed,” Yankovic wrote next to a couple of candid snapshots of the two at the mixing table. “Rick produced my first 6 albums and played guitar on my earliest recordings, including the solo on ‘Eat It,” he added. “He had an enormous impact on my life, and will be missed greatly.”

Rick Derringer was born into a working-class family in Celina, Ohio, near Dayton. He started playing guitar at age 9. During high school, his family moved to Union City, Indiana, where he formed a teenage band originally called Rick and the Raiders, later renamed the McCoys.

Rick Derringer Hits No. 1 with “Hang On Sloopy”

One day, the Strangeloves, the New York group behind the hit “I Want Candy,” came through town, and the McCoys played as their backing band. The Strangeloves noticed the McCoys’ resemblance to the Beatles and invited them to New York. There, Derringer recorded vocals over a backing track that the Strangeloves had already created. The result was the song “Hang On Sloopy,” which dropped as a McCoys single and became a #1 hit in 1965.

The McCoys stayed in the spotlight for a few years, but they never matched the success of their hit “Hang On Sloopy.” Derringer eventually joined forces with blues-rock musicians Johnny and Edgar Winter. In 1973, Derringer produced and played guitar on “Frankenstein,” an instrumental that became a #1 hit for the Edgar Winter Group.

Rick Derringer Goes Solo

In the same year, Derringer launched his solo career with the debut album All American Boy. The record featured his original song “Rock and Roll, Hoochie Koo,” which had first been recorded by Johnny Winter And in 1970.

Derringer’s own version became a top-40 hit and an enduring staple of classic rock radio. Throughout the 1970s, Derringer also contributed his talents as a session musician, collaborating on albums by renowned artists such as Steely Dan and Todd Rundgren.

In the 1980s, Derringer continued to thrive as a session musician, contributing to major hits like Bonnie Tyler’s “Total Eclipse of the Heart” and Air Supply’s “Making Love Out of Nothing at All.” He also ventured into unique projects, producing The Wrestling Album in 1985, credited to the WWF wrestlers. Notably, Derringer co-wrote and performed Hulk Hogan’s ’80s theme song, “Real American.”

In his later years, he joined Ringo Starr’s All Starr Band on tour and performed alongside Peter Frampton, Carmine Appice, and other renowned artists. Additionally, he collaborated with his wife, Jenda, to release several Christian-themed albums.