Rick Derringer, of ‘Hang on Sloopy’ and ‘Rock and Roll, Hoochie Koo’ Fame, Dies
by Greg Brodsky
Rick Derringer, who enjoyed a #1 hit, “Hang On Sloopy,” in 1965 with his band the McCoys while still a teenager, died yesterday (May 26, 2025). The news of the prominent guitarist-vocalist-songwriter-producer’s passing at age 77 at an ICU in Ormond Beach, Fla., was announced by his close friend, Tony Wilson, on May 27.
The musician’s wife, Jenda Derringer, told TMZ that her husband died peacefully after being taken off life support Monday night. A cause of death has not been revealed although it’s been reported that Derringer suffered a heart-related episode on Memorial Day.
Derringer was born Richard Dean Zehringer in Celina, Ohio, on August 5, 1947, and grew up in the town of Fort Recovery, Ohio. He relocated again to Union City, Ind., during his teens. His stage name Rick Derringer was a natural variation on his last name, inspired by the pistol in the logo of Bang Records, the band’s label.
“Hang on Sloopy” was written by Wes Farrell and Bert Berns in 1964 and originally titled “My Girl Sloopy.” It was a Top 40 hit for the R&B group the Vibrations that year and then became popular with garage bands of the era; the Yardbirds recorded it with guitarist Jeff Beck. In early 1965, the 17-year-old Zehringer, then leader of Rick and the Raiders, recorded his lead vocal while they were touring with the New York City rock band the Strangeloves. When Bang issued the single, the group’s name was changed to the McCoys to avoid confusion with the more popular Paul Revere and the Raiders.
After earning a few more hits with covers of “Fever” and “Come On, Let’s Go,” and several more years of touring, the McCoys evolved into the “And” in the band Johnny Winter And. In 1970 Winter recorded a catchy number written by Derringer titled “Rock and Roll, Hoochie Koo.” When Derringer recorded it on his 1973 solo debut album, All American Boy, the tune reached #23 on the Hot 100. The song’s continued airplay helped it achieve the status of a classic rock standard. [The song also appeared on Edgar Winter’s live album Roadwork.]
Watch them perform it on The Midnight Special on November 2, 1973
Derringer produced and performed on Edgar Winter’s acclaimed 1972 album, They Only Come Out at Night, which included a pair of celebrated tracks: the instrumental single, “Frankenstein,” which became a surprising #1 hit, and “Free Ride.”
Related: Our feature story on the making of They Only Come Out At Night
As a much-sought-after session musician and producer, Derringer played on recordings by Johnny Winter, Alice Cooper, Todd Rundgren, Bonnie Tyler (“Total Eclipse of the Heart”), various Steely Dan albums, Donald Fagen (The Nightfly album), Cyndi Lauper, KISS and even Barbra Streisand, among many others. He produced and performed on “Weird” Al Yankovic’s 1983 debut album and the collaboration continued for several albums, including the parody hit, “Eat It.” He wrote, produced and performed Hulk Hogan’s theme song “I Am a Real American.”
Derringer later did several tours with Ringo Starr’s All-Starr Band, made a successful foray into smooth jazz and delved deep into the blues.
Derringer’s recordings are available here.
Related: Musician and celebrity deaths of 2025
2 Comments so far
Jump into a conversationOne of my all-time favorites performers, highly underrated as a producer, sound engineer, multi-genre guitarist, and vocalist.
Saw Rick Derringer with Edgar Winter as one of my first “real” concerts, and have appreciated his talents ever since.
R.I.P. Rick Derringer; Thanks for never “losing that funky sound”.
sad news….was teenager when Hang On Sloopy was a hit, owned the album and followed Rick D, ALWAYS LIKING HIM, ESP AS GUITARIST/SINGER…too young 2 leave us, will be missed..the sad side of BCB!