Rick Derringer — Rock and Roll, Hoochie Koo

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kj5_P999UMo

Rick Derringer (born Richard Zehringer, August 5, 1947) is an American guitarist, vocalist, and entertainer.

Derringer came to prominence in the 1960s as a member of The McCoys, who had a number one hit single with “Hang on Sloopy.” Derringer then turned to blues rock, scoring a 1974 hit with “Rock and Roll, Hoochie Koo”. He has also worked extensively with brothers Edgar and Johnny Winter, and with the group Steely Dan.

Derringer also recorded and played with a version of Johnny Winter’s band called “Johnny Winter And …” and both Edgar Winter’s White Trash and The Edgar Winter Group. The group’s rock instrumental single Frankenstein topped the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 chart for a week starting in May 1973, and sold over one million copies.
Derringer also had a successful solo career, and his solo version of “Rock and Roll, Hoochie Koo” was a hit single. He also recorded extensively with Steely Dan, playing slide guitar on songs such as “Show Biz Kids” and “Chain Lightning”.
Derringer appeared on Alice Cooper’s Killer album in 1971, playing the solo on “Under My Wheels.” Derringer opened for Led Zeppelin on their last American tour in 1977. Derringer was also a featured guitarist on several Todd Rundgren albums in the 1970s, including Something/Anything? (1972), A Wizard, a True Star (1973), Initiation (1975) and the live album Back to the Bars (1978).

In the 1980s, Derringer expanded his producing skills, working with “Weird Al” Yankovic as well as Mason Ruffner. He also played on the second Silver Condor album on the track “Thank God For Rock and Roll”, produced and sung by Joe Cerisano. He has played for “Weird Al” on many of his albums, playing guitar and mandolin; on the track “Eat It”, Derringer played the guitar solo, an homage/parody to Eddie Van Halen’s solo on the Michael Jackson song “Beat It”.

In 1986, he co-wrote and sang back-up vocals on “Calm Inside The Storm” on Cyndi Lauper’s True Colors album. He served as one of her tour musicians from 1986–1992, prompting him to compare Cyndi to Barbra Streisand: “She’s better live than Barbra.”