Overview

• Rick Derringer died at 8:09 p.m. on May 26 in Ormond Beach, Florida, surrounded by his wife Jenda and caretaker Tony Wilson after undergoing triple bypass surgery two months earlier.
• He first achieved fame at 17 as lead singer of The McCoys on the 1965 Billboard No. 1 hit “Hang On Sloopy” and later charted solo with “Rock and Roll, Hoochie Koo.”
• Derringer’s extensive session work in the 1970s and ’80s included guitar contributions to albums by Steely Dan, Todd Rundgren, Alice Cooper and Barbra Streisand.
• He produced “Weird Al” Yankovic’s first six albums—earning a Grammy for “Eat It”—and gave Patti Smith her first major recording credit.
• His legacy spans composing and performing Hulk Hogan’s theme “Real American” and touring into the 2000s with Ringo Starr’s All-Starr Band.