33 Facts About Rick Derringer

Rick Derringer was born on Richard Dean Zehringer; August 5,1947 and is an American musician, producer, and songwriter.

Rick Derringer gained success in the 1960s with his band, the McCoys.

In 1970, Derringer found further success with his song "Rock and Roll, Hoochie Koo".

Rick Derringer worked extensively with brothers Edgar and Johnny Winter, playing lead and backing guitar in their bands and producing all of their gold and platinum records, including Edgar Winter's hits "Frankenstein" and "Free Ride".

Additionally, Rick Derringer produced the World Wrestling Federation's album The Wrestling Album and its follow-up, Piledriver: The Wrestling Album II.

Rick Derringer produced three songs from the soundtrack of the 1984 Tom Hanks film Bachelor Party.

Rick Derringer was born in Celina, Ohio, and grew up in Fort Recovery, the son of John Otto and Janice Lavine Zehringer, a section foreman on the Nickel Plate Railroad.

Rick Derringer recalled first hearing him play guitar in the kitchen of his parents' home and knowing immediately that he wanted to learn the instrument.

Rick Derringer was eight years old at the time, and his parents gave him his first electric guitar for his ninth birthday.

Rick Derringer later renamed it the Rick Z Combo and then Rick and the Raiders before reverting to the original name.

Rick Derringer later persuaded the producers to change the title to "Hang On Sloopy".

Rick Derringer later became part of Edgar Winter's White Trash and subsequently the Edgar Winter Group.

In 1973, Rick Derringer released his first solo album, All American Boy, which featured his hit song "Rock and Roll, Hoochie Koo".

Rick Derringer's version reached the Top 20 on the Billboard Hot 100 charts, becoming his highest-charting single.

Around this time, Rick Derringer played guitar on two Steely Dan tracks: "Show Biz Kids" on Countdown to Ecstasy and "Chain Lightning" on Katy Lied.

Rick Derringer is credited with helping Donald Fagen secure a record deal in 1972.

Rick Derringer was a regular in Andy Warhol's circle and frequently visited Warhol's studio, The Factory.

Rick Derringer played guitar on "My Rival" from Steely Dan's Gaucho and contributed to Donald Fagen's first solo album, The Nightfly.

Rick Derringer has stated that his guitar solo in "Making Love Out of Nothing at All" is his favorite of all the solos he has recorded.

In 1983, Rick Derringer wrote "Shake Me" for his Good Dirty Fun solo album, accompanied by a video produced by Jake Hooker, the husband of Lorna Luft.

In 1984, Rick Derringer played guitar on Barbra Streisand's cover of Steinman's "Left in the Dark," released as the lead single from her album Emotion.

Rick Derringer wrote several songs for the album, including Hulk Hogan's theme song "Real American," co-written with Bernard Kenny.

Also in 1987, Rick Derringer returned to the World Wrestling Federation to produce its second music album, Piledriver: The Wrestling Album II.

Rick Derringer co-wrote the theme song for Demolition and recorded a new version of "Rock and Roll, Hoochie Koo" as a duet with Gene Okerlund.

Rick Derringer worked for several New York City-based jingle houses in the 1980s.

Rick Derringer went on to produce "Weird Al" Yankovic's debut album, "Weird Al" Yankovic.

Between 1983 and 1989, Rick Derringer produced six Yankovic albums, for which he received his only Grammy Award.

Rick Derringer had previously worked with Appice on an album, Party Tested by DNA, and it was re-released in 2011.

Rick Derringer released Free Ride Smooth Jazz Also included is his smooth jazz radio hit remake, "Jazzy Koo".

In 2017, Rick Derringer was charged with carrying a loaded gun on a Delta Air Lines flight from Cancun in Mexico to Atlanta, Georgia.

Rick Derringer later pleaded guilty, agreeing to pay a $1,000 fine, and stated that it would not happen again, "not even a water pistol".

In 2017, Rick Derringer collaborated with baseball players Tom Seaver and Gary Redus to release a version of "Take Me Out to the Ballgame," honoring his lifelong love of baseball.

Rick Derringer performed the guitar solo for an anti-bullying campaign version of "Hang on Sloopy" by the Love Love Kids, released in October 2019.