Fans in the realm of classic rock music recently received heavy news, learning of the death of veteran singer/guitarist and producerRick Derringerat the age of 77. While we often celebratethe timeless nature of great classic rock songsor albums, it’s a sad fact of life that while musical art is ageless, its creators can’t be forever. The sound will live on where the flesh and blood won’t, though, and when it comes to Derringer, he left behinda long resume of signature soundsto consume.
Born Richard Dean Zehringer (Derringer was a later-adopted stage name) in Ohio on August 5th, 1947, Derringer began playing music with his brother Randy from a very young age. While still in his early teens, Derringer and his family moved to Indiana, where he and his brother formedhis first rock band called the McCoys(after multiple name changes). Derringer and the McCoys scored their first major musical career opportunity to make a name for themselves in 1965, courtesy of a group called the Strangeloves.
The Hits That Defined Derringer’s Early Days
Fame Came Calling Almost Immediately
The Strangeloves, in addition to being a band, were also New York City-area record producers. After the McCoys were hired to back them up in concert for a time, they were chosen to record a song the Strangeloves had wanted to release a version of called “My Girl Sloopy.” Derringer would ultimately be the oneto persuade producers to change the nameto the track’s famous title, “Hang On Sloopy,” and with that, the stage was set for the group’s takeoff.
With the Strangeloves on the instrumentation and the McCoys singing (with the song listed under the McCoys' name), the group briefly had a number one hit with “Hang On Sloopy” in 1965, while Derringer was still in his late teens. The song would also find added life in Derringer’s home state of Ohio, as the area would adopt “Hang On Sloopy” asthe state’s officialrock song. Sports teams like Ohio State and the Cleveland Guardians have put the track into frequent use as well.
Derringer would continue with the McCoys into the latter half of the ’60s, but after multiple commercial album failures, he and some of his bandmates would transition into the backing band for blues guitarist Johnny Winter as the ’70s began (later working with Winter’s brother Edgar as well). Derringer would go solo in 1973 with his debut albumAll American Boy, led by Derringer’s other famed single “Rock and Roll, Hoochie Koo.” While the record never received the attention that it deserved, “Rock and Roll, Hoochie Koo” has becomea storied staple of classic rock’s finest.
Derringer’s Playing Style Enriched Other Artist Favorites
Across the span of his career, Derringer wasn’t just about being the focal point of a song, he also used his guitar skillsto boost the musical work of others. Around the period of his solo album,All American Boy, Derringer worked with Steely Dan on their songs “Show Biz Kids” and “Chain Lightning” and was also credited with helping Steely Dan’s lead man, Donald Fagen, get a record deal in 1972. In this timeframe, Derringer was also neighbors with singer/songwriter Todd Rundgren and would ultimately collaborate and play with Rundgren on four of Rundgren’s solo albums.
In 1983, Derringer had a significant role playing the guitar on two of the biggest power ballads of the decade: Air Supply’s “Making Love Out of Nothing at All” and Bonnie Tyler’s “Total Eclipse of the Heart.” The same year, Derringer added guitar parts to Meat Loaf’s poorly received albumMidnight at the Lost and Found, whichalmost featured “Making Love Out of Nothing at All” and “Total Eclipse of the Heart,“but Meat Loaf’s record company refused to pay for the compositions. Derringer would later work with Meat Loaf again on the artist’s 1986 LPBlind Before I Stop.
Additionally, the guitaristhad a noted friendship with musician Cyndi Lauper, which led Derringer to play on several songs from both her 1986 albumTrue Colorsand 1989’sA Night to Remember. Derringer also served as Lauper’s live touring guitarist from 1986 to 1992. He’d often hit the road with different acts over the years, including Ringo Starr’s All-Starr Band, Edgar Winter, and Peter Frampton’s Guitar Circus tour. In later years, Derringer even worked on studio music ranging from electric blues to Christian with his wife, Jenda.
Derringer’s Skills As A Musician And Producer Have Left A Lasting Impact
Especially Within Some Unexpected Collaborations
Derringer also had a knack for producing the work behind plenty of other musical endeavors. During his extensive collaborations with Edgar Winter,he produced two of Winter’s classic songs,“Free Ride” and “Frankenstein.” In 1985, Derringer also helped write and produceThe Wrestling Albumof wrestler theme songs for the World Wrestling Federation, including performer Hulk Hogan’s “Real American” entrance music (Derringer also produced the Federation’s second album in 1987). But without question, the artist’s greatest (and most unlikely) collaborative endeavor as a producer came alongsidelegendary parody artist “Weird Al” Yankovic.
Derringer helmed Yankovic’s first six highly successful studio albums between 1983 and 1989,earning his only Grammy Award winin the process for Yankovic’s “Eat It,” a parody of Michael Jackson’s “Beat It.” Ultimately, Derringer showed throughout his lengthy artistic career that he was a jack of all trades. Derringer was also a crack session guitarist throughout his years and had a knack for unorthodox production projects.
While Derringer will never be mistaken for making the impact of a Beatle, Elvis, or a top-of-the-heap classic rock kingpin, his creative career ispart of the all-important gluethat holds the very foundations of monumental classic rock together. Without Derringer’s contributions, we might not have a bevy of hits and standouts that sound the way they do, from his own “Hang On Sloopy” at age 17 to the guitar of “Making Love Out of Nothing at All.”
Minus his production and guidance, perhaps we wouldn’t wind up knowing Yankovic the way we do through the unorthodox trail that he blazed into a wildly successful career. Regardless of the circumstances, though,Rick Derringerdid his part to add a permanent cast to the color and shape of rock and roll, and for that, he will be sorely missed.
