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Derringer died Monday in Ormond Beach, Florida, according to a
Facebook announcement from his caregiver, 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.
“Derringer’s legacy extends beyond his music, entertaining fans
with his signature energy and talent. His passing leaves a void
in the music world, and he will be deeply missed by fans,
colleagues, and loved ones,” Wilson wrote.
As a teen, he formed the McCoys with his brother, Randy, and
found fame singing “Hang On Sloopy,” a No. 26 hit about lovers
from different socioeconomic circumstances. Derringer enjoyed
his first solo hit with “Rock and Roll, Hoochie Koo,” which was
used in the fourth season of “Stranger Things.”
His best-charting album was “All American Boy” in 1973, which
included the instrumentals “Joy Ride” and “Time Warp.” His sole
Grammy was for Yankovic’s “Eat It,” which had the Michael
Jackson parodies “Eat It” and “Who’s Fat.”
“I’m very sad to say that my friend, rock guitar legend Rick
Derringer, has passed,” Yankovic said in an Instagram post with
a photo of him and Derringer in the studio. “Rick produced my
first six albums and played guitar on my earliest recordings,
including the solo on ‘Eat It.’ He had an enormous impact on my
life, and will be missed greatly.”
Throughout the 1970s and ’80s, Derringer worked extensively as a
session musician, playing on albums by Steely Dan — including
“Countdown to Ecstasy,” “Katy Lied” and “Gaucho” — Todd Rundgren,
Kiss and Barbra Streisand. He played on Air Supply’s “Making
Love Out of Nothing at All.”
In the mid-1980s he began working with Lauper, touring in her
band and playing on three of her albums, including the hit “True
Colors.” He toured with Ringo Starr and The All-Starr Band.
In 1985, he produced the World Wrestling Federation’s “The
Wrestling Album,” which consisted mostly of pro wrestlers’ theme
songs, many of which he co-wrote, including what would become
Hulk Hogan’s theme song “Real American.”
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