Latest Breaking News

turbinetree

(26,388 posts) Tue May 27, 2025, 03:48 PM May 27

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

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

40 replies

= new reply since forum marked as read

Highlight:

Rick Derringer, who had a hit with 'Hang On Sloopy' and produced 'Weird Al,' dies at 77 [View all] turbinetree May 27 OP

I've been lucky enough to see Rick perform many times, from when he was a teenager up until a few years ago. Midnight Writer May 27 #1

Playing guitar with The Edgar Winter Group for "Frankenstein" is what I most remember him from wolfie001 May 27 #2

The pride of Celina OH! VGNonly May 27 #3

Celina, OH! gruffmusic May 28 #32

He was born in Celina, VGNonly May 28 #38

Sad to hear. Even sadder was he was a Trumper. edbermac May 27 #4

OMG. He turned into a religious lunatic. Wiz Imp May 27 #6

Ugh. What an ass wolfie001 May 27 #13

I'm sure his ex wife Liz is not crying over this loss. BigmanPigman May 27 #22

see my post 28. nt orleans May 28 #29

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

Yeah, I had heard he had gone to the looney side tonekat May 29 #40

I used to know a guy who was a personal friend of Weird Al synni May 28 #31

"Yeah, somebody say keep on Rockin'?" johnp3907 May 27 #5

You get it! Iggo May 27 #15

R.I.P. Rick Derringer FakeNoose May 27 #7

Johnny Winters And Live displacedvermoter May 27 #8

I first saw Rick Derringer with Johnny Winter. He was AWESOME!!! SupportSanity May 27 #16

Never got to see them, again, brilliant album though displacedvermoter May 27 #20

"Sloopy, let your hair down,girl. Let it hang down on me... dchill May 27 #9

When I first heard the song I thought it was "Hang on, Snoopy" yliza May 27 #10

Played lead on "Chain Lightning" on Steely Dan's "Katy Lied" album johnnyplankton May 27 #11

Rick D Clouds Passing May 27 #12

"Rock And Roll Hoochie Koo". "Frankenstein." Iggo May 27 #14

If I remember correctly, Rick had to have back surgery and it almost killed him. I think it was from that experience SupportSanity May 27 #17

Really? I know he was Catholic when he was a teenager. 50 Shades Of Blue May 27 #19

From a 2023 interview in Jazz Weekly Wiz Imp May 28 #34

He'll always be Ricky Zehringer to me. This one REALLY hurts. 50 Shades Of Blue May 27 #18

I met him and Johnny at a rock festival in France in 1970 DFW May 27 #21

RIP Rick... CaptainTruth May 27 #23

No, I'm not a Buckeye, but blue-wave May 27 #24

Now Ohio State can stop playing that song. Botany May 28 #37

Oh no! Polybius May 27 #25

Died at 77? SalamanderSleeps May 28 #26

Damn! calimary May 28 #27

O-H-I-O speak easy May 28 #30

Edgar Winter Group and Steely Dan orangecrush May 28 #33

I had the opportunity to... k0rs May 28 #35

One less Trumper. NNadir May 28 #36

Burned his brains out with booze and drugs and became conservative Mysterian May 28 #39