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Young
guitar great, vocalist and entertainer Rick Derringer was just 17 when his band
"The McCoys" recorded the No.1 hit "Hang On Sloopy" in the
summer of 1965, knocking "Yesterday" by The Beatles out of the top
spot.
"The McCoys" had enjoyed four years of successful touring, when Rick
merged his talents with Johnny Winter in 1969 forming "Johnny Winter And"
("And" referring to "The McCoys").
Rick was the only producer of all gold and platinum Winter Brothers recordings.
In '71 Rick was featured on three records, "Johnny Winter And", "Johnny
Winter And-Live" and "Edgar Winter's White Trash". "And"
featured the first version of Derringer's "Rock and Roll Hoochie Koo"
which was also released as a single, then selected again for "And - Live".
Eventually
the busy Derringer joined Edgar's White Trash full-time and produced the gold
LP, "Roadwork". Derringer's solo album, "All American Boy"
was released in '73 with the now already popular "Rock and Roll Hoochie
Koo", this time as a 'hit' single.
Rick
was writer/producer of Johnny Winter's "Still Alive and Well" album
and player/producer of the hit album, "They Only Come Out At Night".
The latter featured the No. 1, Grammy nominated monster hit, "Frankenstein"
and "Free Ride".
In
1976 Rick created the Derringer Band. He released four albums and in '83 returned
to his solo career with the LP, "Good Dirty Fun".
Throughout
the 70's and 80's the popular Derringer appeared on numerous albums with artists
Alice Cooper, Richie Havens, Todd Rundgren and Steely Dan. The list also includes
Cyndi Lauper, Barbra Streisand, Kiss, Mason Ruffner and Madam X.
In
the mid-80's, Derringer discovered Weird Al Yancovic, producing music for Grammy-winning
albums and videos. Derringer's productions of the Michael Jackson parodies,
the No. 1 hit "Eat It", and "Who's Fat", have been Yancovic's
most successful recordings.
It was also
in the 90's that Rick was selected to be producer/writer/performer of the World
Wrestling Federation LP's. Hulk Hogan's theme song, "I Am A Real American"
was written and performed by Rick as a part of these projects.
Derringer
was once again sought after by Edgar Winter and in 1990, performed for the LP,
"Edgar Winter and Rick Derringer Live in Japan". Then in 1999 Rick
and Edgar were back together again for their collaboration on his "Winter
Blues" CD.
Derringer
also recorded four blues CD's starting in '93 with "Back To the Blues"
followed by "Electra Blues", "Blues Deluxe" and his 2000
release "Jackhammer Blues".
At about
that same period Derringer, who seems to be constantly in motion, released his
destined-to-be-classic
"Tend the Fire" in Europe to rave reviews and is eagerly expected
by his loyal fans here in the US.
The year
2001 was another busy one for Rick. His venture back into Rock & Roll with
Vanilla Fudge superstars Carmine Appice and Tim Bogert produced a recording
of intense synergy - "D B A" (for Derringer, Bogert & Appice)
with vocals, writing and instrumentals shared by all three. 2004 promises a
reprise for Derringer and Appice, with the release of "D-N-A".
After "D
B A", the next project was truly a work from the heart and soul of Rick
and his wife Brenda Jean(Jenda Hall). Entitled "Aiming 4 Heaven", it brought forth
their devotion to God and put it into song with help from their children, Lory
& Martin. That project opened the doors for a worldwide release on Reborn
Records, as Rick and Jenda are currently putting the finishing touches on the
brand new "Still Alive And Well", their second all Christian CD. With
a scheduled release date of May, 2004, their fans are already expressing impatience.
We can't
forget the Winter of 2002, where Rick ventured into a whole new musical world
- Smooth Jazz. Interest in "Rick Derringer Free Ride" grew quickly
at radio, and the second single "Hot And Cool" (in the 'Radio and
Records' top 20 for 5 months, and number 42 for the year) showed Derringer right
at home in the format. It might come as a surprise, but as he explains, it's
the kind of music he's been waiting to do his whole life. His wife Brenda is
featured as co-writer on three new songs, and arranger/singer on the title cut.
It seems
like almost too much story to take in at one sitting, but the most surprising
part is, after more than four decades he's still going strong! |
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