Rick Derringer, who had a hit with 'Hang On Sloopy' and produced 'Weird Al,' dies at 77

[turbinetree]

Source: Associated Press

By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
Updated 2:59 PM EDT, May 27, 2025

Guitarist and singer Rick Derringer, who shot to fame at 17 when his band The McCoys recorded “Hang On Sloopy,” had a hit with “Rock and Roll, Hoochie Koo” and earned a Grammy Award for producing “Weird Al” Yankovic’s debut album, has died. He was 77.

Derringer died Monday in in Ormond Beach, Florida, according to a Facebook announcement from his caretaker, Tony Wilson. No cause of death was announced.

Derringer’s decades in the music industry spanned teen stardom, session work for bands like Steely Dan, supplying the guitar solo on Bonnie Tyler’s “Total Eclipse of the Heart” and producing for Cyndi Lauper.

Read more: https://apnews.com/article/rick-derringer-dies-2b38685f4c97e7a9882f306628413924

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[Midnight Writer]

1. I've been lucky enough to see Rick perform many times, from when he was a teenager up until a few years ago.

Always great. Amazing guitar chops.

[wolfie001]

2. Playing guitar with The Edgar Winter Group for "Frankenstein" is what I most remember him from

From the TV show 'The Midnight Special'. Amazing piece of music.

[VGNonly]

3. The pride of Celina OH!

[gruffmusic]

32. Celina, OH!

I had no idea Rick was from there.
My 90s rock band used to play Celina regularly. Can't remember the name of the place, but it seems like a lot of locals worked at the local Huffy (?) bicycle factory and really knew how to have a good time. Glad there were no cell phones/cameras back then.

[VGNonly]

38. He was born in Celina,

moved to Ft Recovery OH, then to Indiana in the 8th grade.

Ah yes, Western OH home to cornfields and pig farms!

[edbermac]

4. Sad to hear. Even sadder was he was a Trumper.

From wiki.

In 2017, Derringer appeared on Alex Jones' Infowars several times. In one of these appearances Derringer was interviewed by political consultant Roger Stone about Derringer's support for Donald Trump.

[Wiz Imp]

6. OMG. He turned into a religious lunatic.

https://www.jazzweekly.com/2023/10/jenda-and-rick-derringer-interview5/

[wolfie001]

13. Ugh. What an ass

Sorry to hear that. Exactly the opposite of what early Rock & Roll is about!

[BigmanPigman]

22. I'm sure his ex wife Liz is not crying over this loss.

Last edited Wed May 28, 2025, 02:32 AM - Edit history (1)

I read that he "became a born-again Christian in the 1990s and released Christian rock albums, including "Aiming 4 Heaven" and "Still Alive and Well". He also changed the lyrics to his hit song "Rock and Roll, Hootchie Koo" in live performances to "Read the Word, live it too," according to the Facebook page of Foghat. In his later years, he was also known for his right-wing views, according to Paste Magazine."

[orleans]

29. see my post 28. nt

[orleans]

28. and a trumper who was on infowars/alex jones, friends w/roger stone, UGH UGH UGH

Link to tweet

but first i saw this and that triggered a google tangent on my part:

Link to tweet

?lang=en

[tonekat]

40. Yeah, I had heard he had gone to the looney side

So I just never paid any attention to him during these last several years.

[synni]

31. I used to know a guy who was a personal friend of Weird Al

He said that Al stopped using Rick as his producer, and began producing his own albums, because Rick was slowing down production by showing up at the studio while drunk one too many times.

So I guess that Rick "found" right-wing God a few years later.

[johnp3907]

5. "Yeah, somebody say keep on Rockin'?"

?si=CBCXOrDujTsiucoA

?si=9tPykDzW59AzVdxd

[Iggo]

15. You get it!

[FakeNoose]

7. R.I.P. Rick Derringer

... and thanks for all the great songs!

[displacedvermoter]

8. Johnny Winters And Live

One of the best live albums ever made.

[SupportSanity]

16. I first saw Rick Derringer with Johnny Winter. He was AWESOME!!!

Johnny was my guitar hero when I was a teenager. Rick was so good. Johnny was formulaic. Rick was spontaneous. Together, amazing!!!

[displacedvermoter]

20. Never got to see them, again, brilliant album though

[dchill]

9. "Sloopy, let your hair down,girl. Let it hang down on me...

Sloopy, let your hair down,girl. Let it hang down on me.
Come on Sloopy."

What it's all about.

[yliza]

10. When I first heard the song I thought it was "Hang on, Snoopy"

What can I say, I was like 7 and an avid fan of Peanuts

[johnnyplankton]

11. Played lead on "Chain Lightning" on Steely Dan's "Katy Lied" album

[Clouds Passing]

12. Rick D

[Iggo]

14. "Rock And Roll Hoochie Koo". "Frankenstein."

[SupportSanity]

17. If I remember correctly, Rick had to have back surgery and it almost killed him. I think it was from that experience

that he became extremely Christian. (If anybody knows the story better, I'd be interested in hearing it.)

After that, I think he also started playing a guitar made by a Christian company.

[50 Shades Of Blue]

19. Really? I know he was Catholic when he was a teenager.

But that's all I know about his religion!

[Wiz Imp]

34. From a 2023 interview in Jazz Weekly

I was a Catholic from the first to eighth grade. People may say, “if you were a Catholic, you’re a Catholic”.

In the 9th grade, I moved to a new city and went to a regular community high school. After getting out of Catholic School, I kind of just forgot about being a Catholic. It wasn’t about not remembering all of the things that I had learned, but “Hang On Sloopy” came out during 12th grade, and I certainly forgot about it then! (laughs)

It wasn’t until I was going through a divorce, and having big problems, that I remembered I still had my upbringing. So, I went into a church one afternoon and prayed to God “I need help here.”

I told God “If you choose to bring me another mate, she better be a lot smarter than I am, because I have obviously not made the right decisions”

Within two weeks I met Jenda, and we’ve been pretty much together ever since. She taught me that I didn’t need Catholicism, but I just needed a Bible. So, now, we’re “The Bible People” (laughs), and we’ve been that ever since. We feel very happy and grounded.

https://www.jazzweekly.com/2023/10/jenda-and-rick-derringer-interview5/

[50 Shades Of Blue]

18. He'll always be Ricky Zehringer to me. This one REALLY hurts.

[DFW]

21. I met him and Johnny at a rock festival in France in 1970

johnny Winter was just the nicest guy you could want to meet. Zehringer/Derringer was nasty, sarcastic, and just a general asshole. Maybe he was having a bad day?

[CaptainTruth]

23. RIP Rick...

[blue-wave]

24. No, I'm not a Buckeye, but

I am very aware of their affinity for this song at every 3rd quarter in their football games.

RIP in Rock and Roll heaven Mr. Derringer.

[Botany]

37. Now Ohio State can stop playing that song.

It wasn’t that great to begin with and hasn’t gotten better with time.

[Polybius]

25. Oh no!

I remember him best for Hulk Hogan's theme song: Real American. Man, that song pumped me up as a kid in the mid-80's. RIP to a Real American.

[SalamanderSleeps]

26. Died at 77?

I guess I should get on the stick an play something.

[calimary]

27. Damn!

Gosh, The McCoys! Really takes me back. He now joins an AMAZING Heavenly Band.

[speak easy]

30. O-H-I-O

Rest in peace Rick

[orangecrush]

33. Edgar Winter Group and Steely Dan

and his solo career


He was an excellent musician and I will miss him

[k0rs]

35. I had the opportunity to...

...meet him and Edgar Winter in Colorado Springs. I shook hands with Edgar but refused to do so with Rick because of his xtian and political assholery.

According to the NY Post Derringer underwent triple bypass surgery earlier this year and apparently suffered heart failure in his sleep.

[NNadir]

36. One less Trumper.

[Mysterian]

39. Burned his brains out with booze and drugs and became conservative

A tale as old as time itself.