Rick Derringer and Johnny Winter: A Dynamic Blues-Rock Partnership

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Rick Derringer (born Ricky Zehringer on 5 August 1947 in Fort Recovery, Ohio) is an American guitarist, singer, songwriter, and producer. Derringer first gained popularity as a teenager with his band The McCoys, who topped the charts in 1965 with their hit Hang on Sloopy when he was just 16. The song reached number one on the Billboard Hot 100 and made the band a national sensation. The McCoys, which included his brother Randy, enjoyed several other hits and released their self-titled debut album in 1966 before eventually disbanding in 1969.

Following the dissolution of The McCoys, Derringer’s career took a pivotal turn when he joined forces with albino blues rocker Johnny Winter, forming "Johnny Winter And"—with the "And" referring to the members of The McCoys. This began a long-lasting professional relationship with both Johnny and Edgar Winter, which solidified Derringer’s presence in the rock and blues scene. Derringer played guitar and contributed as a songwriter, singer, and producer on numerous albums, including the Gold or Platinum records of both Winter brothers.

In 1971, Derringer was prominently featured on three albums: Johnny Winter And – Live, Edgar Winter’s White Trash, and Johnny Winter And. The live album included the second recording of Derringer’s iconic song Rock and Roll Hoochie Koo, which had first been recorded with Johnny Winter’s band. A year later, Derringer officially joined Edgar Winter’s band and helped produce their Gold-certified live album Roadwork.

Derringer's debut solo album, All American Boy, arrived in 1973 and featured his own rendition of Rock and Roll Hoochie Koo, which became a hit in its own right. That same year, he contributed to Johnny Winter’s Still Alive and Well and produced Edgar Winter’s best-selling album They Only Come Out at Night, which included the Grammy-nominated hit Frankenstein. Throughout the 1970s and 1980s, Derringer released a series of solo albums, including Spring Fever (1973), Guitars and Women (1979), and Face to Face (1980), while continuing to collaborate with a wide range of artists, including Steely Dan, Kiss, Todd Rundgren, and Alice Cooper.

In 1976, Rick Derringer shifted his focus to forming his own band, Derringer. Over the next few years, the band produced four albums, featuring future stars Neil Geraldo and Myron Grumbacher, who later became part of Pat Benatar’s lineup. After releasing his last solo album of that era, Good Dirty Fun, in 1983, Derringer became more involved in production and session work. He worked with artists such as Barbra Streisand, Cyndi Lauper, and Kiss, and was instrumental in launching the career of comedic musician "Weird Al" Yankovic, producing Yankovic’s first five albums. Derringer won two Grammy Awards with Yankovic, one for Best Comedy Album for In 3-D (featuring the parody Eat It) and another for Best Video for Fat.

Derringer's role as a producer also extended to the World Wrestling Federation (WWF), where he penned the anthem I Am a Real American, now widely recognized as Hulk Hogan’s entrance theme. Additionally, Derringer contributed to the development of BC Rich’s “Stealth” guitar and remained active in the rock world throughout the 1990s and 2000s, recording and performing live.

His career highlights continued well into later decades. In the 1990s, Derringer reunited with Edgar Winter for the album Edgar Winter and Rick Derringer Live in Japan, while continuing to collaborate with major acts and produce music. Derringer's enduring influence in rock guitar and blues has been recognized with his induction into the Guitar Player Hall of Fame and the Long Island Music Hall of Fame. Despite the shifts in the music industry, Derringer remains a respected and active figure in rock music, known for his guitar prowess, his songwriting, and his production work that has spanned more than five decades.

Formed in Union City, Indiana, in 1962, The McCoys initially comprised guitarist Rick Zehringer, his brother Randy on drums, and bassist Dennis Kelly. They started out as "Rick and The Raiders" and later as "The Rick Z Combo." The group added organist Ronnie Brandon and became "The McCoys" after Randy Hobbs replaced the college-bound Dennis Kelly.

The McCoys and "Hang On Sloopy"

The quartet became a popular attraction throughout America's Midwest, catching the attention of producers Feldman, Gottherer, and Goldstein, who brought them to Bert Berns' "Bang Records." Their very first release was a simple, hard-driving tune called Hang On Sloopy, which shot to the top of the U.S. charts and reached the Top 5 in the UK during the summer of 1965.

For their follow-up, they chose a similar arrangement for Fever, a remake of Peggy Lee's Top Ten hit from 1958. A series of subsequent releases in the same gritty style were less successful. Their only other Top 40 hit was a cover of Ritchie Valens' C'mon Let's Go.

By 1969, The McCoys had shed their bubblegum image, releasing the progressive album Infinite McCoys, and becoming the house band at New York's popular Scene club.

Albums Rick Derringer Recorded with The McCoys in the Late Sixties:

- 1965 : Hang On Sloopy

- 1966 : [You Make Me Feel] So Good

- 1968 : Infinite McCoys

- 1969 : Human Ball

At the Scene club, owner Steve Paul paired the group with up-and-coming blues guitarist Johnny Winter, billing them as "Johnny Winter And..." (with the "And" referring to The McCoys). This lineup featured the Zehringer brothers and Randy Hobbs, with Rick also handling production duties. It was around this time that Rick changed his last name from Zehringer to Derringer.

Rick Derringer's Career with Johnny and Edgar Winter

In 1971, Rick was the lead vocalist on three albums: Johnny Winter And, Johnny Winter And Live, and an LP by Johnny's brother, Edgar Winter, called Edgar Winter's White Trash. Derringer eventually joined Edgar's White Trash band full-time, producing the gold LP Roadwork.

In 1973, Derringer released his solo album All American Boy, featuring the hit single Rock and Roll Hoochie Koo. He was also the writer/producer for Johnny Winter's album Still Alive and Well and the player/producer for Edgar Winter's hit album They Only Come Out at Night. The latter featured the No. 1, Grammy-nominated hit Frankenstein and Free Ride.

The Derringer Band and Later Projects

In 1976, Rick formed The Derringer Band, releasing four albums during the latter half of the 1970s:

- Derringer,

- Sweet Evil,

- If I Weren’t So Romantic I'd Shoot You,

- Face To Face.

In 1983, Derringer returned to his solo career with the LP Good Dirty Fun. Throughout the '70s and '80s, Derringer appeared as a session musician on numerous albums for artists including Alice Cooper, Richie Havens, Todd Rundgren, Steely Dan, Cyndi Lauper, Barbra Streisand, and Kiss.

Producing for "Weird Al" Yankovic and Other Ventures

In the mid-1980s, Derringer discovered "Weird Al" Yankovic, producing his Grammy-winning albums and videos. Derringer's productions of the Michael Jackson parodies Eat It and Who's Fat became some of Yankovic's most successful recordings.

Derringer was also selected to be the producer, writer, and performer for the World Wrestling Federation LPs, writing and performing Hulk Hogan's theme song I Am A Real American as part of the project.

Later Career and Collaborations

By 1990, Derringer was once again collaborating with Edgar Winter, performing on the LP Edgar Winter and Rick Derringer Live in Japan. Throughout the late '90s, Derringer and Winter frequently appeared on stage together, including an all-star reunion with the White Trash Horns at the 1999 Montreux Jazz Festival. In 1999, Rick collaborated with Edgar as a songwriter and guitarist on the Winter Blues CD.

In 2001, Derringer returned to rock with former Vanilla Fudge members Carmine Appice and Tim Bogert, producing a CD titled DBA - Derringer, Bogert, and Appice, with vocals, writing, and instrumentals shared by all three. Rick followed this with a recording entitled Aiming for Heaven, with contributions from his daughter Lory and son Marty.

Guitar great Rick Derringer talks candidly with Tom Guerra for Vintage Guitar magazine about his days performing as a bandmate of Johnny Winter in Johnny Winter AND, and producing some of Winter's most popular albums. Look for a new book on Derringer and other '70s rock guitarists, due to hit stores in late 2001.

TG : Hi Rick, great to talk to you again. When did you first become aware of Johnny Winter?

RD : It was through Steve Paul (owner of The Scene nightclub in NYC). Steve had read that now-famous Rolling Stone article on Johnny Winter and mentioned to everybody that he was going to find him. Sure enough, he found Johnny and brought him back to New York. The first time I saw Johnny play was at the Fillmore East, and I think it was in 1968. I didn't meet Johnny that night, but I did a few months later when Steve brought both Johnny and Edgar to see The McCoys at a club called The Tarot Club.

TG : How was it decided that The McCoys become the "AND" in Johnny Winter AND?

RD : Well, both Johnny and Edgar were sufficiently impressed when they saw The McCoys that night, and that's when Steve hit us with the idea that both Johnny and The McCoys should do something together. The McCoys were in a bad situation... our music had become characterized as "bubblegum," and we didn't want to be seen like that. We wanted a way to gain some credibility since we thought we were pretty good players. Johnny came on the scene with some real respect, so we saw this as an opportunity to get some respect ourselves (laughs)!

TG : Johnny Winter said your playing complemented his and he enjoyed playing with you. How did you guys figure out who was going to play what?

RD : We didn't, and that's why it worked. I've always been supportive by nature, so I came into the situation wanting to support Johnny and make it work. I first learned to play rhythm guitar, which allowed me to complement Johnny, who was primarily a lead guitarist. He wasn't really a rhythm guitar player. So, our roles became defined very naturally. I took the rhythm parts, which a lot of people didn't know how to do as I could, and this was the first time Johnny had a rhythm guitar player. When he gave me a solo, I certainly knew how to take advantage of that opportunity.

TG : When you played with Johnny, what were you guys playing in terms of guitars and amps?

RD : I was mostly playing my Les Paul and Gibson 355. Johnny was playing his Epiphone in those days, that little solid-body model. For amps, we both used Marshalls.

TG : You produced several of Johnny's best albums, including Johnny Winter AND, Johnny Winter AND Live, Still Alive and Well, Saints and Sinners, and JDWIII. What was working in the studio with Johnny like?

RD : I produced all of his stuff that went gold or platinum (laughs)! Johnny was great in the studio. We lived right next to each other and had a rehearsal studio that was just ours, part of Johnny's house, so we could rehearse every day. We played all the songs on the first Johnny Winter AND album every day before recording them, so when we got into the studio, it was easy because we knew exactly what we wanted. My job was to communicate Johnny's wishes to the engineers and people in New York. He felt that on his first projects with Eddie Kramer, he needed "somebody to translate" (spoken with a Texas accent). He felt like his wishes weren't getting through. As a guitar player, someone with common sense, and as his friend, I could communicate his wishes to the hierarchy.

TG : Johnny did some of your songs. Did you write them for him or were they already written? What did you think of his versions?

RD : I wrote "Rock N' Roll Hoochie Koo" for Johnny and that band. We also did "Out on a Limb," "Ain't That a Kindness," and my brother wrote a song called "Am I Here?". Johnny was the boss, so my feelings about them weren’t really relevant. But when I got the chance to go back and record them myself, I reflected on what I could improve.

TG : And your recording of "Hoochie Koo" just got an award, right? Congratulations...

RD : Yes, it just received an award from BMI for one million airplays.

TG : You did a tour with Johnny a few years back (in 1997), how was that?

RD : That was great. It brought Johnny back to life in some ways. Without someone to push him or give him competition, Johnny, like anyone, might get a little bored or complacent. Those shows allowed Johnny to hear us perform before him every night, and once again hear me trying my best. I'm a competitive guy, and Johnny responded. Each night, his solos got hotter, and I think it worked out pretty well.

TG : You've been playing a lot of blues over the past ten years or so. How did playing with Johnny influence your blues playing?

RD : Frankly, his influence on my blues playing wasn’t that significant. The influence he did have was with his slide playing. The first time I heard Johnny at the Fillmore East, I wasn’t impressed. Everyone told me how great he was, but I didn’t hear it. He overplayed, and due to his eyesight issues, he would sometimes hit the wrong notes. I was a kid from Ohio into perfection, and I just didn’t get it. Then he picked up the slide guitar, and I said, “Now I get it.” Nobody at that time was playing slide guitar like Johnny, and certainly not many white guys were playing country blues on acoustic guitar like he did. That’s when I realized what Johnny had to offer.

He taught me things directly, like open tunings and fingerings. He showed me everything I know about slide guitar and country blues.

TG : Moving on to your own career, how are things going, and when can the readers expect another album?

RD : My life has changed a lot in the past couple of years. In the '90s, I was doing those Blues Bureau records, but recently, I’ve gone back to my Christian roots and been born again. I’ve been working on an all-Christian album. I just finished a 12-song demo and have been taking it around to Christian labels in Nashville. Some of the biggest Christian artists, like Charlie Peacock, Phil Keaggy, John Elefante, and others, have agreed to help. My family is involved, and my wife Brenda is a great writer who helps me with everything. She also sings with me, and our kids Lory and Marty also sing on the record.

What makes me happy has changed too. For years, hearing a guy who's been drinking all day tell you you're great might make you happy. But after almost 40 years in the entertainment business, I’ve found more satisfaction in hearing people say that my music is helping them in their faith and their lives. I never knew music could have that kind of power. I'm excited about this new phase in my life.

TG : Are there any other experiences with Johnny Winter you'd like to share?

RD : No, just that I have great respect for Johnny, and I still do. He’s really great, and I really enjoyed my time with him. We both learned a lot together.