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Rick Derringer is the guitarist and songwriter, who landed hits with “Rock and Rollie Koo” and a cover version of “Hang on Sloopy”. And the he with all of Steely Dan until “Weird al” Yankovic worked. Now he died on Monday. He was 77 years old.
Health problems in the past few months
Derringer’s death was opened by his friend Tony Wilson Facebook confirmed. A cause of death was not mentioned. However, an official Facebook page for Derringer and his wife had reported several health problems in the past few months. Including a bypass operation on the ankle.
Weird Al Yankovic, with which Derringer had worked intensively in the eighties, wrote down Instagram: “I am very sad to have to tell that my friend, the rock guitar legend Rick Derringer, has died. Rick produced my first six albums. And played guitar on my earliest shots. Including the solo in” eat it “. He had an enormous impact on my life and will be missing very much. “
Six decades of music history: Derringer’s versatile career
Derringer was a real rock-‘n’-roll veteran who published a large number of solo projects over the course of his six decades long career and worked with a number of artists. He worked intensively with Johnny and Edgar Winter. And worked on albums by Barbra Streisand, Todd Rundgren, Alice Cooper, Meat Loaf, Kiss, Bonnie Tyler and Cyndi Lauper with.
Derringer was born on August 5, 1947 and mostly grew up in Ohio before moving across the state border to Union City, Indiana. There he joined his first band, the McCoys. And landed a number 1 hit with the garage pop jewel “Hang on Sloopy” as a teenager. The song only stayed in first place for a week. But became an anthem in Ohio. Was declared the official rock song of the state. And played in games of the Cleveland Guardians, Browns and Cavaliers. The Marching Band of Ohio State University has been playing the song regularly at football games since 1965.
Solo career and the hit “Rock and Roll, Hoochie Koo”
Derringer stayed with the McCoys until the end of the 1960s, who finally gave way to Johnny Winter. After the band was dissolved, Derringer continued to work with Johnny and his brother Edgar on various projects, both together and separated. Derringer produced two Edgar Winter classics, “Frankenstein” and “Free Ride”.
In 1973 Derringer published his debut solo album “All American Boy”, where his biggest solo hit “Rock and Roll, Hoochie Koo” was found. The song made it into the top 40, reached 23rd in the Billboard Hot 100 and has been a classic in rock radio ever since.
Derringer originally had “Rock and Roll, Hoochie Koo” a few years earlier Written and recorded when he and the McCoys still played with Johnny Winter. Like him last year Guitar Player Derringer said, when he wrote the song: “The first thing I did was to ensure that the music was more commercial and rocker. I wrote” Rock and Roll, Hoochie Koo “. The skirt was me and “Hoochie Koo” was Johnny. He was the band leader. So we did it the way he wanted. “
Music as a creative liberation: two versions of a hits
He added his significantly different version: “The version I made with Johnny corresponded more to his style. When I made my version, it was my opportunity to play and create what I imagined underneath. I decided to do so.”
In the 70s and 80s, Derringer continued to publish albums under his own name and as part of the Derringer group. As a session musician, he played on several popular albums by Steely Dan (“Show Biz Kids”, “Chain Lightning” and “My Rival”) and worked on Donald Fagens Soloalbum in 1982 The Nightfly with. He also played with Cyndi Lauper on two of her solo albums (True Colors and A night to remember) and in your tour.
Working with Jim Steinman: from Air Supply to Hulk Hogan
Derringer often worked on projects by the songwriter and producer Jim Steinman. These include hits like “Making Love Out of Nothing at All” by Air Supply, “Total Eclipse of the Heart” by Bonnie Tyler and “Left in the Dark” by Barbra Streisand. Derringer and Steinman were also leading Soundtrack album published in 1985 “The Wrestling Album“The World Wrestling Federation, for the Derringer den Hulk Hogan title song “Real American” composed and played.
The influence of “Weird al” on Derringer’s producer career
In the 1980s, however, Derringer worked closely with “Weird al” Yankovic. He produced Yankovic’s first six extremely successful studio albums. And won his first and only Grammy for “Eat IT”, Yankovic’s classic parody on Michael Jackson’s “Beat it”.
In this interview with Guitar Player admitted Derringer that he had mixed feelings compared to his work with Yankovic. At first, he said, people found his decision to work with Yankovic. But Derringer didn’t find it strange at all because he grew up in a family who loved the unusual plates of artists such as Spike Jones. Derringer even remembered that he thought: “If we can make his songs a success, there is no competition”. Because “there was nothing comparable at the time”.
Review with mixed feelings
But at the end of the decade, Derringer feared that his work with Yankovic had put him in a drawer as a producer. “The conclusion is: I thought it would help my career as a producer. But suddenly I was known as a producer of curiosities,” he said. “As much as I like ‘Weird al’. He is a good guy, very talented and a hard worker. But he has ruined my career as a producer on his own.”
Derringer continued his productive work in the nineties and until the new millennium. He toured Ringo Starr & his All-STARR BAND for several years. And was also on Peter Frampton’s Guitar Circus Tour. In the studio he often worked closely with his wife Jenda. He did everything from Electric Blues to contemporary Christian music.